14th AF Airman recognized for force protection efforts

by Maj. Larry van der Oord
14th Air Force Public Affairs

1/27/2014 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.  -- Capt. Aaron M. Elliott, 614th Air and Space Operations Center force enhancement duty officer, was recently selected by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations as the Eagle Eyes award winner for 2012.

Brig. Gen. Jay Silveria, 14th Air Force vice commander, presented Elliott with the award during a ceremony at the 14 AF headquarters here Jan. 24, 2014, recognizing him for his outstanding contribution to the Air Force's terrorism and force protection initiative.

Information provided by Elliott allowed U.S. intelligence officials to mitigate a hostile foreign entity's efforts to harm the U.S. Air Force, according to a representative from Vandenberg Air Force Base's OSI Detachment 804.

"Everyone has seen the advertisements that say, 'if you see something, say something,'" remarked Silveria. "Without discussing any sensitive details, I can tell you that Capt. Elliott did that to the highest degree in this particular case."

The Eagle Eyes program enlists the eyes and ears of Air Force members and citizens in the war on terror and hostile domestic and foreign entities.

"When I noticed something odd, I felt it should be in the hands of the professionals," said Elliott. "I feel that this program is a keystone for base and personnel protection. I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this award."

The Eagle Eyes program teaches people about the typical activities terrorists engage in to plan their attacks. Armed with this information, people can then recognize elements of potential terror planning and force protection concerns when they see them.

"The program is essentially the neighborhood watch for the Air Force," said the Detachment 804 representative. "We ask Airmen to be vigilant and send us inputs through a variety of methods if they observe something suspicious. As we've seen in Capt. Elliott's case, special things can happen if we look out for each other."

The Eagle Eyes program provides a network of local, 24-hour phone numbers to call whenever a suspicious activity is observed. Airmen and family members are encouraged to learn the categories of suspicious behavior and stay attuned to their surroundings. If you observe something suspicious, send inputs using this "Crimebusters" link, or alert local authorities.

"Actions like Capt Elliott's produce credible intelligence for the OSI, and they really do help save lives," said Silveria. "For that, we owe him our greatest thanks."