Page 15 - The Dispatch August 2019

TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT

of the security forces Airmen who have only been in the RAB serves as headquarters for U.S. Air Forces in Europe
career field for a short time. and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installa-
tion. The base in the German state of Rheinland-Palatinate
“We occasionally assist with the Navy at our gate at NAS and is part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community. In
JRB Fort Worth, but I’ve done that twice in the three years total, the KMC is comprised of 13,000 military members,
I’ve been with the unit,” said Senior Airman Preston Tip- 9,000 Department of Defense civilians and their more than
ton, 136th SFS defender. “This is first time I’ve actually put 25,000 family members. The KMC also employs more than
my training and knowledge to the test in a true operation- 6,000 host nationals. When combined with military retir-
al environment.” ees and their dependents, the KMC has a population of
more than 54,000 American citizens, making it the largest
The group is divided between two security forces units, concentration of Americans outside the United States.-D
the 86th SFS, which services RAB, and the 569th U.S. Forc-
es Police Squadron, which services the military housing
community at Vogelweh Military Complex. Each Airman
is assigned to one of three eight-hour shifts at his or her
specific location.

Police Chief Master Thomas Zang, German Police, looks on as Staff Sgt. Matthew Stokes, 136th Security Forces Squadron defender, loads his
9mm pistol before starting his shift on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, June 18, 2019. Stokes and 33 other security forces personnel from Naval Air
Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth are part of a total force training effort working alongside their active-duty counterparts and local German
police gaining real-world experience at one of the largest and busiest U.S. Air Force installations in the world.

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