U.S. Air Force’s Top Cop visit with 820th Base Defense Group Defenders

Security Forces

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. — The U.S. Air Force’s top cop, Brig. Gen. Roy W. Collins, director of Security Forces, and deputy chief of staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters USAF, met with Airmen during his first visit to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, April 29 – 30, 2021.



Collins engaged with Defenders from the 820th Base Defense Group, composed of four squadrons who provide high-risk force protection and integrated base defense for expeditionary air forces.

“This visit was about coming out and seeing the 820th and then looking at the base defense mindset that they bring to the mission every single day,” Collins said. “What most people don’t know about the 820th is that they do a lot of the things that get after the core of who we are on a day-to-day basis.”

Collins said the security forces career field hasn’t yet adopted the base defense mindset and culture across the entire enterprise, but expressed the importance of doing so. Some Airmen view security forces as just law enforcement, but the range of training for Defenders is vast.

“(Base defense Airmen) are always highly requested for the mission sets that we have that I would say are unique in nature, but should be something that we do daily,” he said. “As we kind of start to move towards the (Agile Combat Employment) construct, the 820th is better suited right now to get after that mission set versus how the rest of the enterprise catches up with organizing, training and equipping to be ready for that particular mission set.”

One of Collins’ priorities for the career field is to build upon the foundation and transcending base defense from “qualified” to “proficient.”

(*This article includes 6 pictures)

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About Defender Magazine 740 Articles
Jose J. Sanchez, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Defender Magazine, is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the Presidential Honor Guard, Bolling AFB, Washington DC, the 416th Security Police Squadron, Griffiss AFB, NY, and the 89th Security Forces Squadron, Andrews AFB, MD