Anyone been in AF TACP or Security Forces?

[WC145]

Where did you find those physical requirements? Very different than the ones in that link I guess they've changed in the last few years. As far as staying 20 years, say I did TACP for 4-6 years (at which point I'd be 24-26), decided I wanted to stay in the Air Force, but at that point I want to have a kid, spend more time home, ect, and as a result wanted a safer job would it be possible to cross-train or reenlist in a different job? If so that sounds like a pretty decent plan to me.

Those are the current requirements.
TACP PAST (Standard and SOF) | ShadowSpear Special Operations
Also, if you follow the links from romad.com they can be found on the specialtactics.com forum.

If you go TACP for 4-6 years you will have only been operational as a JTAC for less than half that time, chances are they won't let you cross train into something else because they have so much time and money invested to get you to that point and TACP is critically manned. Also, I personally can't imagine going from TACP into some regular AF gig. IMO, that would be a major step backwards. Remember that the majority of the AF is there to support the mission, the mission being flying planes, the prevailing attitude being that if you ain't a pilot, you ain't sh**. There is one AF job that doesn't fall into that category and that is TACP - they exist to put bombs on target, using air assets to pave the way for ground forces to advance. Mighty hard to go from that to being another face in the crowd in supply, truck driving, security, cook, mechanic, whatever.

However, if that is what you wanted to do it may be possible, if not after your first tour probably after a second. Also, if you excel at what you do you could maybe get a position as an instructor at the TACP schoolhouse. Talk to your recruiter, I'm sure he can give you more info on cross training.

 

[safearm]

We lost a couple of the best guys in my squadron to Recruiting, because it's really hard for non-TACP guys to recruit new TACP candidates.

 

[gunblade]

Remember that for serving 20 years you come away with a lifetime pension and health benefits that include your spouse.

Pension yes, health benefits - maybe. A former military member can get medical treatment through the VA, but not the spouse. If you PURCHASE Tricare health insurance, then you can get health benefits that will include your spouse and family. It's not free - hasn't been free for a long time. They told us it would be free for life when I first enlisted - but they lied.

 

[LostintheOzone]

Recruiters will tell you anything to get you to sigh up. Read the fine print where it says there are no guarantees. I signed up for an aircraft maintenance school after basic and I got nada. Health benefits are questionable at best. Who knows what it will be in 20 years. I'm a 67-71 vet and and I'm having a hard time getting ANY benefits. I applied 2 years ago and I'm still waiting. I'm not saying I won't get them but a vet shouldn't have to wait 2 years. The VA seems to run hot and cold when it comes to taking care of those who served. Right now they are running pretty cold for me.

Bottom line is there are a hundred guys at any given time trying to get the same training that you want. They pick and choose and high grade the crop. The recruiter will tell you that it's guaranteed but that's been proven to be false a million times.

 

[SW01SS]

Recruiters will tell you anything to get you to sigh up. Read the fine print where it says there are no guarantees. I signed up for an aircraft maintenance school after basic and I got nada. Health benefits are questionable at best. Who knows what it will be in 20 years. I'm a 67-71 vet and and I'm having a hard time getting ANY benefits. I applied 2 years ago and I'm still waiting. I'm not saying I won't get them but a vet shouldn't have to wait 2 years. The VA seems to run hot and cold when it comes to taking care of those who served. Right now they are running pretty cold for me.

Bottom line is there are a hundred guys at any given time trying to get the same training that you want. They pick and choose and high grade the crop. The recruiter will tell you that it's guaranteed but that's been proven to be false a million times.

No way am I taking any **** from the recruiter. I WILL get something guaranteed in writing like everyone says to before I sign away 4 or 6 years of my life. Beyond that it's up to me to be prepared, work hard, and kick *** at TACP training.

I've been reading and hearing a lot the past couple weeks about issues with the VA and vets not getting their benefits and treatments and it's sad and upsetting. Hopefully that gets fixed soon.

This is a bit off topic but since I'm on a gun forum I may as well ask, does anyone know what firearms they are issuing? When you are issued a firearm in the military does it have to stay on base, or can you take it home with you when you're not deployed? Say I want to go shooting with a friend, sibling, girlfriend, whoever, would I be allowed to go to the range with my handgun and/or rifle that was issued to me by the AF?

 

[WC145]

No way am I taking any **** from the recruiter. I WILL get something guaranteed in writing like everyone says to before I sign away 4 or 6 years of my life. Beyond that it's up to me to be prepared, work hard, and kick *** at TACP training.

I've been reading and hearing a lot the past couple weeks about issues with the VA and vets not getting their benefits and treatments and it's sad and upsetting. Hopefully that gets fixed soon.

This is a bit off topic but since I'm on a gun forum I may as well ask, does anyone know what firearms they are issuing? When you are issued a firearm in the military does it have to stay on base, or can you take it home with you when you're not deployed? Say I want to go shooting with a friend, sibling, girlfriend, whoever, would I be allowed to go to the range with my handgun and/or rifle that was issued to me by the AF?

Don't go into the recruiters office with any attitude, just be aware that not all of them are well versed when it comes to TACP so they may try to direct you into something that needs filling, like Security. If that is the case, be persistent, but respectful, and don't be a dick. If you don't like the recruiter there are other recruiting offices out there.

Also, you should be aware that enlisting will be a process - paperwork, MEPS, a physical, the ASVAB if you haven't taken it, the PAST test, your contract guaranteeing you a slot at the schoolhouse (assuming you get through basic). Then there will be a wait, anywhere from a few months to a year, depending on the time of year, BMTS training flight schedules, schoolhouse training flight schedules, SERE school schedules, etc., because your own little training pipeline has to be arranged/coordinated. Take this time to work on your conditioning - running, sit ups, push ups, pull ups - the better shape you are in the easier all of it will be.

Gunblade is correct about Tricare, my father has it, as far as he is concerned it is well worth whatever the cost is. He does not use the VA so he hasn't been affected by the things going on there. He has never had any issues with civilian doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, being paid and gets the same care as anyone else would.

The gun thing always comes up in these conversation, whether the discussion is military or police. Your standard issue weapons will be an M4 carbine and a Beretta M9 pistol. They are not yours to keep and you cannot check them out for plinking sessions with your buddies. You get them when you need them for training or deployments. You may be able to get extra range time depending on where you are, how the range is manned, etc. But there is no taking them home or anything like that.

 

[SW01SS]

Don't go into the recruiters office with any attitude, just be aware that not all of them are well versed when it comes to TACP so they may try to direct you into something that needs filling, like Security. If that is the case, be persistent, but respectful, and don't be a dick. If you don't like the recruiter there are other recruiting offices out there.

Also, you should be aware that enlisting will be a process - paperwork, MEPS, a physical, the ASVAB if you haven't taken it, the PAST test, your contract guaranteeing you a slot at the schoolhouse (assuming you get through basic). Then there will be a wait, anywhere from a few months to a year, depending on the time of year, BMTS training flight schedules, schoolhouse training flight schedules, SERE school schedules, etc., because your own little training pipeline has to be arranged/coordinated. Take this time to work on your conditioning - running, sit ups, push ups, pull ups - the better shape you are in the easier all of it will be.

Gunblade is correct about Tricare, my father has it, as far as he is concerned it is well worth whatever the cost is. He does not use the VA so he hasn't been affected by the things going on there. He has never had any issues with civilian doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, being paid and gets the same care as anyone else would.

The gun thing always comes up in these conversation, whether the discussion is military or police. Your standard issue weapons will be an M4 carbine and a Beretta M9 pistol. They are not yours to keep and you cannot check them out for plinking sessions with your buddies. You get them when you need them for training or deployments. You may be able to get extra range time depending on where you are, how the range is manned, etc. But there is no taking them home or anything like that.

Thanks for a very helpful response again. That came off like I have an attitude but I of course will remain respectful to the recruiter. I just will not be swayed into another job and I will just be clear that TACP and only TACP is what I want.

So from the time I go to the recruiter and say I am going to enlist, it could be up a year before I leave for BMT?

Thank you for the clarification about the weapons. I was just curious.

 

[BigBoy99]

In 1967 I entered the Air Force Security Service. I think this is different that the one you was talking about but I found it to very interesting work. I'm not sure what is is called today but this was my entry into the "Black Air Force" in which I spent the rest of my career working. Did lots of things which are still classified and probably will be for many more years. Worked hand in hand with other Intelligence Agencies such as DIA and CIA. You got to see the entire picture of things, not just what was reported in the media.

 

[Milpolice]

Having retired after 21 years service in the USAF as a Law Enforcement Supervisror (now integrated into Security Forces career field) I think WC145 has nailed it. Some of the other veterans have provided you with some good insight, Think of what you want to do in life and get the experience in the Armed Forces. I went in the AF wanting to get 4 years police experience, then get out a become a LEO. I ended up staying 21 years active duty, retired, and then became a LEO. Your life priorities will certainly change with added maturity. Just my two cents worth.

 

[SW01SS]

Having retired after 21 years service in the USAF as a Law Enforcement Supervisror (now integrated into Security Forces career field) I think WC145 has nailed it. Some of the other veterans have provided you with some good insight, Think of what you want to do in life and get the experience in the Armed Forces. I went in the AF wanting to get 4 years police experience, then get out a become a LEO. I ended up staying 21 years active duty, retired, and then became a LEO. Your life priorities will certainly change with added maturity. Just my two cents worth.

Would any special kind ofLEO opportunities would be available to me after the AF if I did Security Forces? I do not want to be a regular street cop for any period of time. If I could go straight from AF Security Forces into SVU, SWAT, Detective, K9 cop, or some other more advanced job over a regular officer that sounds more appealing but I have a feeling it doesn't work that way.

 

[WC145]

Thanks for a very helpful response again. That came off like I have an attitude but I of course will remain respectful to the recruiter. I just will not be swayed into another job and I will just be clear that TACP and only TACP is what I want.

So from the time I go to the recruiter and say I am going to enlist, it could be up a year before I leave for BMT?

Thank you for the clarification about the weapons. I was just curious.

Knowing what you want and being well informed going into this will serve you well. Just remember that the recruiters are doing their jobs and have slots to fill, it's nothing personal. They will guide people that aren't sure of what they want to do where they need them the most.

Yes, you might have to wait up to a year to go but it will probably be closer to 6 months. They may ask you if you want to go sooner or later, if you are in shape for it, I'd want to go ASAP and get started. Something to keep in mind is that San Antonio is hotter in the summer than it is cold in the winter. I don't know where you live or what kind of weather you're accustomed to but I went through basic in the summer and it was miserable hot and humid.

Also, be sure to have them clarify the differences in what you get for a 6 year enlistment vs 4 year. My son did 6 and got a $10K enlistment bonus and E3 (airman first class) upon graduation from TACP school. It looks like the bonus is up to $15K and that bump in rank was instrumental in him making E5 in 4 years.

Like I said, the weapons thing always comes up in these discussions. In fact, before you ask - No, you can't take personal weapons with you on deployments.

It sounds like BigBoy99 was in OSI (Office of Special Investigations) which is absolutely nothing like Security Forces.

 

[WC145]

Would any special kind ofLEO opportunities would be available to me after the AF if I did Security Forces? I do not want to be a regular street cop for any period of time. If I could go straight from AF Security Forces into SVU, SWAT, Detective, K9 cop, or some other more advanced job over a regular officer that sounds more appealing but I have a feeling it doesn't work that way.

It would depend on what you did as a cop in the AF. K9 probably. If you were on an Emergency Services Team (EST) it might help you get on a SWAT team, depends on the Dept and wht they need. If you get an education while you're in, like a bachelors, you might look at going from AF to FBI, CIA, NSA, Marshals Service, etc., but they won't talk to you without a degree. All of the time you have in the AF would apply towards your retirement in a federal job, might or might not in a state or local agency.

 

[SW01SS]

It would depend on what you did as a cop in the AF. K9 probably. If you were on an Emergency Services Team (EST) it might help you get on a SWAT team, depends on the Dept and wht they need. If you get an education while you're in, like a bachelors, you might look at going from AF to FBI, CIA, NSA, Marshals Service, etc., but they won't talk to you without a degree. All of the time you have in the AF would apply towards your retirement in a federal job, might or might not in a state or local agency.

EST sounds interesting, I'm not finding much about difficulty and the selection process but I'll keep looking into it.

 

[WC145]

EST sounds interesting, I'm not finding much about difficulty and the selection process but I'll keep looking into it.

EST is something you would get involved in once you were at your duty station and had gotten through wall of your training stuff there and reached at least your 5 level, it would probably take at least a couple of years before you'd be eligible. That kind of assignment would be a local thing, it is not a separate job title/field, same as being a cop in a Dept but also being on their SWAT or tactical team.

ETA: By the way, try not to let EST sway you too much, they dangled that carrot in front of me back in '81 to get me to sign up for Security Specialist. I never got close to being involved with it and I can only think of one time they were used at my base the whole time I was in.

 

[SW01SS]

EST is something you would get involved in once you were at your duty station and had gotten through wall of your training stuff there and reached at least your 5 level, it would probably take at least a couple of years before you'd be eligible. That kind of assignment would be a local thing, it is not a separate job title/field, same as being a cop in a Dept but also being on their SWAT or tactical team.

ETA: By the way, try not to let EST sway you too much, they dangled that carrot in front of me back in '81 to get me to sign up for Security Specialist. I never got close to being involved with it and I can only think of one time they were used at my base the whole time I was in.

Oh ok that doesn't sound so great anymore lol. I'm a huge dog lover like I've said and that's the only thing that really makes Security Forces appealing to me and I've read it's difficult to get into. If it weren't for the supposedly terrible hours, and complete lack of respect that I keep reading goes hand in hand with being Security Forces I'd probably go in and work hard hoping to become a K9 handler. But as things are I'm still feeling very strongly about going TACP.

 

[moxie]

I was an AF Munitions Officer for 23 years. Munitions is of necessity joined at the hip with security. I personally would not have liked security. But you might. And security is usually translatable into a decent security/police job in the civilian world. TACP, like much of munitions, doesn't have much going for it on civvy street unless you have advanced degrees and really specialized training.

You've received a lot of exceptionally good advice here.

If you are not already in really, really fantastic shape, tough as nails, forget the TACP. You'll be miserable. You'll need to focus on a very complex and demanding job without being sidetracked by falling behind in the physical areas.

I would encourage you to keep your options open. TACP is not the only good career field in the AF. You have yet to pass the physical exam, the PT requirements, the background checks and you haven't taken the ASVAB. So you really don't have a clear idea of what you are actually qualified and suited for.

Get into the process, make your desires known, but keep an open mind.

Best wishes.

 

[gunblade]

EST, at least at every base I was stationed at, was a joke. They were for show & tell so the base commander can be made to feel good about security at his base. I used to refer to them as the chimney sweeps because of their black fatigues. Never saw them actually do anything except run around acting "tactical" while hiding in plain sight. In reality, the local civilian police dept or state troopers would likely be called on to provide swat type intervention if it was needed on most AF bases. And more and more, the policing of the base is being contracted out to private security companies...manning the gates, checking IDs, issuing traffic citations, etc.

 

[SW01SS]

I was an AF Munitions Officer for 23 years. Munitions is of necessity joined at the hip with security. I personally would not have liked security. But you might. And security is usually translatable into a decent security/police job in the civilian world. TACP, like much of munitions, doesn't have much going for it on civvy street unless you have advanced degrees and really specialized training.

You've received a lot of exceptionally good advice here.

If you are not already in really, really fantastic shape, tough as nails, forget the TACP. You'll be miserable. You'll need to focus on a very complex and demanding job without being sidetracked by falling behind in the physical areas.

I would encourage you to keep your options open. TACP is not the only good career field in the AF. You have yet to pass the physical exam, the PT requirements, the background checks and you haven't taken the ASVAB. So you really don't have a clear idea of what you are actually qualified and suited for.

Get into the process, make your desires known, but keep an open mind.

Best wishes.

The entry and graduation physical requirements really don't seem like they'd require me to be in really really fantastic shape, but perhaps we have differing opinions on what fantastic shape is. But I'm confident I can meet and exceed the graduation requirements with just a couple months at most of hard, dedicated training prior to leaving for BMT. I'm more worried about the mental aspect during training. With the required ASVAB score being 49 I can't see that stopping me. I've never taken it but if high school freshman and sophmores can score above 60 I must be pretty dumb if I don't score a 49. The Information Technology degree I can earn with TACP gives me many job options and with the average salary for jobs in this field being 70k, I feel pretty good about being able to make a comfortable living after serving. Besides TACP and the K9 part of Security Forces, nothing else really appeals to me.

 

[thomasinaz]

I was in the Security Police from 1983 to 1991, departing as an E-5. From the start all didn't go as I had planned it, but it all worked out. Forced to re enlist early in my first enlistment. And then my second enlistment was extended for the first Gulf war, I ended up doing 8 years instead of the 4 I planned on. And Security Police was definitely more security than police, contrary to my recruiters best assurances.....

Had 2 sons paid for by the military and met some strange and interesting people. Got to see and do some things that I never would dreamed of prior to my enlistment. Most important I was introduced to the S&W Model 15 revolver, fueling my taste for "The Brand". Also Airmen get treated much better than members of the other military branches.....Well maybe not Seamen.

No matter what you choose, your life experiences in the military will benefit you more than what specialty you decide on. Good luck on whatever you decide to do!

 

[SW01SS]

I was in the Security Police from 1983 to 1991, departing as an E-5. From the start all didn't go as I had planned it, but it all worked out. Forced to re enlist early in my first enlistment. And then my second enlistment was extended for the first Gulf war, I ended up doing 8 years instead of the 4 I planned on. And Security Police was definitely more security than police, contrary to my recruiters best assurances.....

Had 2 sons paid for by the military and met some strange and interesting people. Got to see and do some things that I never would dreamed of prior to my enlistment. Most important I was introduced to the S&W Model 15 revolver, fueling my taste for "The Brand". Also Airmen get treated much better than members of the other military branches.....Well maybe not Seamen.

No matter what you choose, your life experiences in the military will benefit you more than what specialty you decide on. Good luck on whatever you decide to do!

Thank you for your response. If I somehow end up in Security Forces I guess it won't be the end of the world. Responses like yours make me second guess the negative stuff I've read. But I am going for TACP and am pretty dang determined.