US Air Force to upgrade elite Phoenix Ravens with behavioral, biometric focus

The U.S. Air Force has issued a Sources Sought notice for advanced behavioral profiling and biometric training to be integrated into the Phoenix Raven program, a specialized security force tasked with safeguarding Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft and the people and cargo they transport.

The Air Force is looking for small business vendors capable of delivering a five-day Train-the-Trainer course for 18 Raven instructors at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.

The training will incorporate the “Left of Bang” methodology, which emphasizes recognizing and interpreting human behavior and environmental cues to detect threats before they occur, addressing a gap in current Raven training that has historically focused on reactive rather than proactive measures.

Phoenix Ravens are a specialized cadre of security forces Airmen who are trained to provide close-in security for AMC aircraft and aircrews when operating into airfields the U.S. military deems insecure, austere, or lacking adequate local force protection.

Their mission includes detecting, deterring, and countering threats to both personnel and aircraft, conducting airfield assessments, advising aircrews on force protection measures, and implementing flight deck denial techniques when necessary.

Initiated in 1997 by Air Mobility Command, the program was designed to provide a robust, organic security capability for airlift and refueling missions in high-risk environments. Ravens are embedded into aircraft as part of the crew and can deploy rapidly to locations worldwide where standard security arrangements are insufficient.

The proposed “Left of Bang” course will be delivered by two subject matter experts and cover advanced observation, target location methods, the adversary planning cycle, and the role of memory and emotion in situational awareness. It will also introduce and deepen proficiency in profiling through kinesics, biometrics, proxemics, geographics, iconography, and atmospherics.

Instruction is to combine classroom lectures, demonstrations, hands-on application, and instructor teach-backs leading to certification. Graduates of this course will in turn teach these methods to future Ravens, ensuring the skills become embedded in the Phoenix Raven Qualification Course. Follow-on teleconferencing support would help integrate the new capabilities into ongoing training.

Air Mobility Command aircraft are the backbone of the U.S. military’s long-distance transport capability and carry a wide range of Department of Defense officials, officers, leaders, and servicemembers depending on mission requirements. At the highest level, these aircraft are used by the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force for official travel.

Operationally, AMC aircraft transport senior military officers from general and flag officer ranks to wing and brigade commanders during deployments and redeployments. They also move joint task force staffs and specialized military units, including special operations forces when those units are not using dedicated special operations aviation.

Because many AMC missions land at airfields where friendly security is minimal or nonexistent, Phoenix Ravens function as both the onboard and on-ground security element. Their presence is critical in ensuring that aircraft, crew, and passengers are protected against criminal activity, insurgent threats, or hostile intelligence collection from the moment the aircraft arrives until it departs.

The new training sought in the Air Force’s Sources Sought notice represents a deliberate effort to evolve the Ravens’ capabilities, moving beyond reactive protection to a proactive stance that identifies and neutralizes threats before they can endanger the mission.

For a unit that often operates far from the protection of large bases or robust allied support, the ability to see danger coming “left of bang” could prove decisive in keeping both aircraft and the people aboard them safe.

By teaching Ravens to detect anomalies and suspicious behavior – whether through subtle changes in a crowd’s body language, spatial positioning, or biometric cues – the Air Force intends to shift the balance from reacting to threats toward preemptively neutralizing them.

This change mirrors broader defense trends toward integrating behavioral science and biometric data into operational security, especially in forward-deployed environments where the margin for error is razor-thin. It also signals a deliberate move to expand the cognitive and observational capabilities of one of its most specialized security units.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  government purchasing  |  tender  |  U.S. Air Force  |  U.S. Government