JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Working inside their brick-office building with blacked-out tinted windows, Office of Special Investigation agents carefully sift through a web of security information.
These men and women, dressed in their business-casual attire, don’t look like your average service member, but they serve a crucial role in keeping the base and the people who live and work here safe.
As the only counter-intelligence agency in the Air Force, the OSI is responsible for investigating any federal-level crimes to maintain good order and discipline within the force.
The job itself requires a qualified individual with a particular mindset, skillset and dedication. It’s only after an extensive selection process, a rigorous 12-week training program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia and a challenging six week Basic Criminal Investigator Course that they are ready to tackle the mission.
At OSI Detachment 307 here, their job is to not only conduct investigations but to identify, exploit and neutralize criminal, terrorist and intelligence threats to keep the installation safe and functioning for the mission.
“At the beginning of the year, we provide intelligence, criminal, and other potential threat assessments to the base commander,” said Special Agent Michael J. Costello, Detachment 307 investigator.
It’s essential that OSI’s goals and mission overlap those of Joint Base MDL leadership. Being a tenant unit, they stay in constant communication with base leadership so that they are aware of what the host base mission is and what the priorities are.
“That helps me figure out where to focus my team’s efforts,” said Special Agent Matthew J. Bolduc, Detachment 307 commander. “If there is a certain asset that leadership wants protected more than another, then that helps me shift my focus on where to put my counter intelligence assets.”
These special agents face unique challenges in the joint base environment while also working closely with U. S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigators. When a case begins, they have to determine who they need to call to coordinate with depending on the location, jurisdiction and whether or not the suspects and or victims involved are civilian, contractor or a member of a different branch of the military.
“There has to be a lot a collaboration,” said Bolduc “We are a team effort – they are a force multiplier to us, and us to them.”
OSI’s partnerships don’t end at the gates; they also must have open communication and cooperation from the local community’s law enforcement.
“We are also the key communicator to the outside law enforcement world,” said Bolduc. “Any terrorist-level incident that happens in the United States, we would respond and we would coordinate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to make sure that they are aware of what is going on.”
OSI agents work to stay engaged with the base community, its Airmen and base leadership because they depend on service members and their families to determine a pulse for the installation. Using tools like the Eagle Eye Program, OSI is able to promote vigilance through the community by arming members with tools on how to recognize and report suspicious activity.
“There are only so many of us, so we really do rely on the people” said Bolduc. “We are a military family, so the only way we can keep each other safe is to have people who take the military seriously enough to report crimes that are taking place.”