LANGLEY AFB, VA. –
You never know what might be in the background. An innocent picture of you and your buddies out on the flight line might seem okay, but one open panel or security measure in the image behind you and your friendly photo becomes photo intelligence.
The 1st Fighter Wing has procedures in place to help people get squadron or unit photos or assist local newspapers get imagery without compromising security.
Photo requests from the public on or off Langley are handled by the 1st FW Public Affairs Office.
“We approve the request, which has to be for an official event or command function,” said 1st Lt. Elizabeth Kreft, 1st FW Public Affairs deputy chief. “We are the point of contact because we have the relationships necessary to make it happen. People are not authorized to go directly to the squadrons.”
The key, she said, is preparing the environment so nothing classified inadvertently becomes part of the photo.
“With a developing weapons system like the Raptor, we have to be more careful,” she explained. “No one wants to be the one that puts photos out there that show the wrong things to the wrong people.”
Lieutenant Kreft said PA coordinates requests with the individual squadrons based on the needs of the Air Force.
“We have to consider what’s best for the Air Force when we approve or deny requests,” she said. “Squadron photos can boost morale, and media photos help us get the Air Force story out to the public. But if you just want a picture of yourself next to an F-22, that takes the same amount of man-hours to prepare, but there’s no benefit to the Air Force, so we’ll deny those kind of requests.”
People thinking they can get around the process by just bringing a camera onto the flight line should think twice. The 1st Security Forces Squadron takes a dim view of people violating the no photo policy.
“Everyone is bound by the regulation, military and civilian,” said Master Sgt. Rich Hadsell, 1st SFS NCOIC of Installation Security. “Any person not cleared by the operating instructions are considered unauthorized photographers.”
Sergeant Hadsell said flight line photographers will be challenged to present the proper authorization.
“We’ll go up and make sure they have a letter from Public Affairs and Airfield Management authorizing them to take photos,” he said. “If they don’t have one, we’d detain them, take them out of the area and call their squadron commander.”
Military members could receive letters of reprimand for violating the no photo regulations, while civilians could be required to appear in federal court.
Lieutenant Kreft said the best way to stay out of trouble was to go to PA with photo requests.
“PA is not just for the public outside the gate,” she said. “If you want pictures, come to us. If we can help you, we will. If we can’t, we can tell you why not.”
For people who can’t take flight line photos, Lieutenant Kreft said air shows at Langley and Naval Air Station Oceana provide prime opportunities to get photos.