Force Protection
Corporal Chris Hart
I have always wanted to join the Air Force.
It's a family tradition; Dad was in the Army, his dad was in the Army and so on. I left school having no idea what I was going to do with my life, and so I did what my mates did, went to university. Two and a half years of study have told me that I was sick of study and wanted to be hands on with what I was doing.
I joined the Air Force in April 2000 in the Air Security trade, having no idea what it was fully about, although the variety of the trade sounded interesting. At the completion of my recruit course in Woodbourne (which was easier than I thought it was going to be) I went straight on to my junior trade training which taught me about the job I was going into. Basic police procedures, drill and ceremonial, ground defence, adverse condition living and survival and every boys delight; rifles, guns and things that go bang! I was posted to an Air Base Wing unit which means I was doing the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) equivalent to the Army as a Military Policeperson.
In April 2001, having been in for a year I was sent to East Timor for 2 months which was my first time out of the country. The money was good (you get deployed allowances), I got medals for it, I took lots of pictures and bought the t-shirts, but it was much better than all of that. I got out of New Zealand for free and was part of my countries support for another nation.
It wasn't all sandbags, scorpions and barbed wire either; we had many a sporting opportunity. I played cricket, touch, soccer and American football on the runway dodging planes, and of course volleyball against teams from Nepal, Pakistan, Ireland, Fiji, and our arch rivals; Australia. We didn't do badly, however we could have done better! I ended up doing two tours to East Timor.
Since then I have been sent to the Solomon Islands for two tours in 2003 and 2004 in the recent peace making and then peace keeping campaigns. I met up with some of my mates from the trip to East Timor from Australia and Fiji which was always good. I managed to get myself on an Australian New Zealand Army Corp (ANZAC) parade in the Solomon Islands (see photo), which was very special since my grandfather served in the Solomon's during World War II.
Back in New Zealand I was again thrust into the Air Base Wing role. I assisted with investigations until I was of the right rank and then ran my own investigations into offences against military law and also civil law. As with any cross section of people there are some who make errors in judgment and these need to be corrected, that's where the investigative skills of Air Security come into play. I was exposed to everything from basic thefts to assisting the New Zealand Police with Homicide investigations.
As an Air Security Specialist you could find yourself covering any number of tasks in any given week. You may find yourself on the parade ground instructing RNZAF or Tri Service drill to a group of people of different ranks, working to get them all to do the same thing at the same time. You may be on a rifle range controlling a shoot; or find yourself in front of the Base Commander coming up with a traffic plan for an impending Very Important Person (VIP) visit. You may find yourself thrust into an investigation role. You may find yourself on a plane to any number of destinations. Guess what happens when you get there? You look after the plane. This is what we would call an Air Transport Security Mission. These sorts of trips are not bad though, you do get some nights off so you get to look around some of the places you land, just don't be late for the plane in the morning!
Like all good things, my posting to the Air Base Wing unit had to come to an end. I was posted to Expeditionary Support Squadron (ESS) Air Security on RNZAF Base Auckland in August 2006. Since then my passport has more stamps, my bank balance is slightly healthier, although it does get hit hard when I go overseas, all that shopping, and my photo album is full to over flowing. I have visited schools to talk to the kids about my job and what I do. I have trialled new weapon systems to be used by the trade and conducted lessons for junior members to up skill them in various elements of the trade. It's as varied as the Air Base Wing role but completely different.
The Air Security trade requires a high level of fitness because we are one of the few trades in the RNZAF that are required to carry a pack. Thus active participation in organized sport is encouraged. I have played soccer and volleyball at both RNZAF and defence force level, when I am not overseas on a deployment.
What can I say about the trade that hasn't already been said? If you want to see the world at no cost to you, this trade is probably one of the best. If you like camping then come try our extreme camping experiences. Like looking after a broken aircraft on a beach in the Solomon Islands while the locals light a fire to scare the crocodiles away or sitting under the wing of a C-130 Hercules in the middle of a very busy Malaysian airport, guarding.
Make no mistakes about it, this is the military, it's not to everyone's liking, but it is an exceptional job. Needless to say I haven't looked back after joining the RNZAF as Air Security. I don't have the space to tell you all about it and the things I have done, but if it sounds like you then give it a go.