Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Senior Airmen Qwuantez Harris and Norman Shoemake, 325th Security Forces Squadron search specialists, deploy the Air Force’s first Mobile Vehicle Access Control Inspection System, or VACIS M6500, at the Tyndall AFB Cleveland gate.Tyndall gets first x-ray system for gate vehicle checks
                        
                        
                        Senior Airmen Qwuantez Harris and Norman Shoemake, 325th Security Forces Squadron search specialists, deploy the Air Force’s first Mobile Vehicle Access Control Inspection System, or VACIS M6500, at the Tyndall AFB Cleveland gate. The state-of-the-art x-ray machine rapidly scans incoming vehicles carrying building materials and other cargo as part of the five to seven year rebuild, conducting searches in under two minutes – a process that normally takes up to 15 minutes – to help process four times the number of vehicles an hour. (U.S. Air Force photo by Taylor Koopman)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Senior Airmen Qwuantez Harris and Norman Shoemake, 325th Security Forces Squadron search specialists, deploy the Air Force’s first Mobile Vehicle Access Control Inspection System, or VACIS M6500, at the Tyndall AFB Cleveland gate.A commercial vehicle drives through the Mobile Vehicle Access Control Inspection System, or VACIS M6500, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Dec. 22, 2020. The state-of-the-art x-ray machine rapidly scans incoming vehicles carrying building materials and other cargo as part of the five- to seven-year rebuild, conducting searches in under two minutes – a process that normally takes up to 15 minutes – to help process four times the number of vehicles in an hour. (U.S. Air Force photo by Taylor Koopman)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Senior Airman Norman Shoemake, 325th Security Forces Squadron search specialist, gives the all-clear to an incoming commercial vehicle after reviewing an x-ray of the vehicle and its cargo.Senior Airman Norman Shoemake, 325th Security Forces Squadron search specialist, reviews an x-ray of a commercial vehicle and its cargo at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Dec. 22, 2020. With the VACIS M6500 at Tyndall AFB, commercial vehicle searches can be conducted in under two minutes – a process that normally takes up to 15 minutes – to help process four times the number of vehicles in an hour. (U.S. Air Force photo by Taylor Koopman)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Tyndall AFB gets first x-ray system for gate vehicle checksPublished Jan. 2, 2021
                    
                    By Taylor Koopman
                    
                    
                    AFIMSC Public Affairs
            **TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --**Searching commercial vehicles just got easier for members of the 325th Security Forces Squadron.The “Installation of the Future” received the Air Force’s first Mobile Vehicle Access Control Inspection System, or VACIS M6500, Dec. 21.The state-of-the-art, dual-mode x-ray machine will rapidly expedite the search process for incoming vehicles carrying building materials and other cargo as part of the five- to seven-year rebuild of the base that was devastated by Hurricane Michael in October 2018.
The $2.2 million asset is a welcome addition to search specialists at Tyndall AFB, particularly as construction on the installation begins to ramp up. 
“Compared to the traditional search method, the number of vehicles we can analyze now is unparalleled,” said Senior Airman Norman Shoemake, 325th SFS search specialist. “The image from the x-ray will allow us to quickly and efficiently scan for any anomalies, ensure the correct number of passengers are in the vehicle and confirm there is nothing in the cargo that should not be there.”
The VACIS M6500 will allow for a drastic increase in performance, both in number of vehicles searched and time efficiency, Shoemake said.
With the x-ray machine, commercial vehicle searches can be conducted in approximately two minutes, a process that normally took up to 15 minutes.
Senior Airman Qwuantez Harris, 325th SFS search specialist, said the new system will also help alleviate stress related to the high-stakes vehicle search process.
Before the VACIS M6500, search specialists used a manual process. They would direct drivers to turn off their vehicles, open up all the compartments and then complete a thorough search of the entire vehicle before drivers would be allowed to enter the installation.
“It can be stressful because you have no idea what you are potentially walking into,” Harris said. “Now we have a complete visual of the vehicle, something we’ve never had before, and a much more in-depth analysis of the situation.”As a bonus, Tyndall AFB’s search specialists believe the x-ray will act as a psychological deterrent for would-be offenders.The VACIS M6500 is just one of many innovations the**Air Force Civil Engineer Center**’s Tyndall Program Management Office is employing to construct the most advanced and capable installation in the Air Force.For more information about the rebuild, visit**https://www.afimsc.af.mil/TyndallPMO/**.FS 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Installation of the Future 



Tyndall AFB 



325th Security Forces Squadron 



Mobile Vehicle Access Control Inspection System 



VACIS M6500 



X-ray 



Air Force Civil Engineer Center 



AFCEC Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil