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3P0X1 Career Guide

Air Force

3P0X1: Security Forces

Career transition guide for Air Force Security Forces (3P0X1)

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Civilian Career Pathways

Top civilian roles for 3P0X1 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Security Operations Manager

$85K
High matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

CPP certificationRisk assessment

Law Enforcement Officer

$65K
High matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

State POST certification

Loss Prevention Director

$78K
Good matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

Retail security systems

Emergency Management Coordinator

$72K
Good matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

FEMA certsCrisis communication

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 3P0X1 training built — and where they transfer.

Pattern Recognition

Identifying anomalous behavior and threat indicators across surveillance feeds, access points, and patrol patterns

Detecting outliers in complex data — the same skill used in QA testing, fraud detection, and debugging code

Adversarial Thinking

Anticipating how adversaries will probe base defenses, exploit security gaps, and test response protocols

Thinking like an attacker to build better defenses — essential for cybersecurity, penetration testing, and security architecture

Rapid Prioritization

Triaging multiple security incidents simultaneously — alarm activations, gate runners, suspicious packages — with immediate response requirements

Managing competing urgent demands — applicable to incident response, emergency management, and operations center leadership

Procedural Compliance

Enforcing Air Force instructions, use-of-force continuum, and rules of engagement while maintaining detailed incident documentation

Operating within strict regulatory frameworks under pressure — transfers to corporate compliance, regulatory enforcement, and legal operations

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Software Engineer

SOC 15-1252

Debugging is pattern recognition — you've been training this muscle for years. Security protocols map directly to writing defensive, reliable code. The transition requires learning syntax, not thinking differently.

Security Operations Center Analyst

SOC 15-1212

You've monitored surveillance systems, responded to alerts, and triaged incidents. A cyber SOC operates identically — just monitoring network traffic instead of camera feeds.

Risk Manager

SOC 13-2099

Your career has been assessing threats, evaluating vulnerabilities, and implementing countermeasures. Enterprise risk management is the same framework applied to business instead of base defense.

Training & Education Equivalencies

Security Forces Apprentice Course, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland

520 training hours10 weeksUp to 10 semester hours recommended

Topics Covered

  • Law enforcement and security operations
  • Base defense operations
  • Force protection
  • Entry control procedures
  • Weapons qualification
  • Military working dog support
  • Emergency response procedures

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

Certified Protection Professional (CPP)55% covered

Enterprise security management, business continuity, and corporate investigations

Physical Security Professional (PSP)65% covered

Commercial access control systems, video surveillance design, and CPTED principles

Recommended Next Certifications

State Peace Officer LicenseCPPPSP

Technical Systems Translation

Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
DBIDS (Defense Biometric Identification System)Biometric access control and identity verification platforms
SFMIS (Security Forces Management Information System)Law enforcement records and incident management systems (RMS)
NCIC (National Crime Information Center)Criminal justice information and background check databases
ESS (Electronic Security Systems)Integrated security systems (CCTV, intrusion detection, access control)
CCTV / IP Camera SurveillanceVideo surveillance and management platforms (Genetec, Milestone, Avigilon)
PACS (Physical Access Control Systems)Physical access control platforms (Lenel, AMAG, HID)

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