GETTING PAST THE GATE

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Aug 10, 2005 | by PAM ZUBECK THE GAZETTE

VISITING PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE'S AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM or attending a Fort Carson chapel service means clearing security gates at a time when military installations are edgy about who comes and goes. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the military has imposed "force protection plans" that tighten who is allowed on military bases, when, for how long and how they gain access.

Three of five local installations require civilians to be authorized to visit and provide picture identification and other documents.

The other two are closed to the public: Schriever Air Force Base on the eastern plains where military satellites are operated; and Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, the nerve center for the North American Aerospace Defense Command -- or NORAD -- and U.S. Northern Command, which monitors potential air and space threats.

Security is so tight that neither would discuss procedures.

"I'm not going to get into specifics," Schriever spokesman Ed Parsons said. "They maintain high vigilance on security out here, and that's all I'm going to say."

AIR FORCE ACADEMY

The academy shut out visitors after the Sept. 11 attacks and remained closed for nearly two years. Since then, it has closed twice temporarily when threat levels were raised, said academy spokesman Johnny Whitaker.

Visitors must use the north gate to get to various attractions, such as the Cadet Chapel and Visitor Center. Access to other base areas is blocked.

"If you're sponsored onto the base" by a military member, Whitaker said, "you can get a vehicle pass for a limited time." Otherwise, anyone seeking access to the restricted areas must have a military ID, a Defense Department civilian ID or an approved contractor ID.

If the threat level is elevated, guards are posted at the north gate and check everyone's ID, admitting only those permitted on base.

Reaching the Cadet Field House for hockey and basketball games and other events doesn't pose security problems because it's near the north gate, Whitaker said.

Falcon Stadium lies within a restricted area, prompting officials to set up barriers three to four hours before games. Visitors' I.D.s aren't checked at games, but the area is well-patrolled and metal detectors are used, he said.

The only time the south gate opens to visitors is during football games or special events, such as graduation.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE

Visitors without military identification must ask to visit the base 72 hours ahead of time, said Air Force Maj. Paul Cairney, 21st Security Forces squadron commander at Peterson.

"We really have to make sure we screen out those we don't want to have come on base," he said, adding that every visitor's criminal record is checked before entry.

There's little reason for the public to visit Peterson, he said, other than to go to the museum, unless they're sponsored by a military member for a specific event such as a dinner or change of command. In those cases, a sponsoring military member will provide an approved list.

Peterson is home to several missions, notably Air Force Space Command. It also serves as headquarters for NORAD and Northern Command, where a 116,000-square-foot, $51 million expansion is under way with soundproofed rooms and special wiring conduit due to the topcret nature of the commands' work.

Peterson employs drug- and explosive-sniffing dogs intermittently and unpredictably as part of a constantly changing security scheme.

"We keep things different so nobody really knows what's normal and what's not," Cairney said.

FORT CARSON

This is where nearly 20,000 military members are based and an additional 3,000 civilians and contractors work, and no notice is necessary.

But visitors must obtain a pass at one of the three gates that admit the public.

Like Peterson and the Air Force Academy, Fort Carson readily admits retired military personnel with appropriate identification.

Fort Carson spokeswoman Michelle Voeller-Gleason couldn't think of a specific instance in which someone tried to "run the gate" but said it happens rarely, and those who try are immediately stopped and apprehended.

People who want to use the Fort Carson golf course go through similar visitor procedures and use Gate 5.

SCHOOLS ON BASES

Academy School District 20 operates three schools on the Air Force Academy grounds -- Pine Valley and Douglas Valley elementaries and Air Academy High. Most students are children of military members.

Faculty members and students living elsewhere are credentialed by the district, which provides academy security officials with an approved list.

Only those credentialed or sponsored by a credentialed person may attend sporting and special events.

The same is true at Fort Carson, where most attending elementary and middle school there are kids of active-duty service members. Teachers are credentialed.