SFS Airmen training for high-risk incidents Published June 17, 2015 By Mark Wyatt 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- A highly-motivated group of Airmen assigned to the 66th Security Forces Squadron has been training over the past six months to operate as a specialized tactical response capability on base. Led by Capt. Christopher J. McNamee, SFS Airmen are coming together voluntarily to form a team that is known as a Special Reaction Team, or SRT. "A Special Reaction Team is a specialized trained team that responds to high-risk situations on base when needed," said McNamee, 66 SFS operations officer and SRT officer in charge. "Because this team is placed in high-risk situations, we are very selective in choosing the most motivated and dedicated Airmen who are interested in strengthening their law enforcement skill set." He said that Airmen interested in being a member are required to tryout, and that those tryouts can be extremely rigorous. "Any Airmen - military or civilian - who is interested in being on this team is required to pass difficult written exams, exhibit weapons proficiency and complete demanding tests of physical and mental endurance," he said. "It requires a level of commitment that not everyone has, and that's not to take anything away from other Airmen in our squadron - because we have a tremendous and capable team assigned here." The captain highlighted that team members must be committed because they are required to conduct much of their physical fitness training on their own. The specialized teams, that operate similar to a civilian Special Weapons and Tactics team, or SWAT team, have to be ready at a moment's notice. "Our role will be to respond to crisis situations across the installation," said Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Barden, 66 SFS operations superintendent and SRT NCO in charge. "We will respond to any threat such as an active shooter incident, counterterrorism or hostage situation - or during any situation when we are needed to secure personnel and property on Hanscom Air Force Base." Team members, typically drawn from security forces but not required, are trained in myriad of law enforcement tactics to operate as a highly-functional and effective unit. "Our team is currently from all elements across our squadron so many of the Airmen already have an understanding of law enforcement techniques," McNamee said. "But we augment that by participating in specialized training to ensure that each member has the ability and endurance to deal with specific threats." The decision to form the team was Barden's, who had participated in similar teams at other assignments. "The capability is only needed when extraordinary law enforcement needs are required," said Barden. "And unfortunately, as we've seen at other installations across the Department of Defense, there are bad people out there who wish harm to others. We want to form a team that will be first on scene to eliminate that threat quickly and safely." McNamee is impressed by his team's commitment to securing Hanscom AFB. "Security Forces defenders are ready to protect and defend Hanscom Air Force Base 24 hours a day," he said. "The SRT team is an extension of that and I am proud to lead this dedicated group of Airmen that is committed to being the best."