BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Two reservists at Baghdad International Airport are shaping force protection for more than 700 people, meshing the future total force with the reality of what is currently around them.

Capt. Lisa Maloney and Master Sgt. Mary Webb run the anti-terrorism/force protection office here. Working daily with the Army, the two citizen Airmen use a broad range of tools to keep Airmen here safe while allowing the mission to continue unhindered.

That is not an easy process, Captain Maloney said. “Force protection, by definition, is not convenient,” she said.

The Department of Defense defines force protection as “protecting DOD personnel and their families, facilities and other material resources from terrorist acts.” There are, in fact, hundreds of pages of DOD and Air Force rules Captain Maloney, an individual mobilization augmentee, had to get smart on quickly before her arrival in March.

“During my last mobilization, I’d been living in lodging at Langley Air Force Base (Va.) and didn’t have much to do,” she said. “So, I started to read everything I could get my hands on -– doctrine, instructions and paperwork. It helped occupy some of the down time.”

In addition, as a police officer in Martinez, Calif., Captain Maloney teaches other city employees how to assess the vulnerabilities in a town with a population of about 36,000 people -– something directly related to her work here.

It paid off. The installation Captain Maloney oversees is unofficially named Sather Air Base. Sather is part of the larger Camp Victory complex. The complex has been hit by 77 indirect attacks since she arrived. Sather’s been hit six times. Ensuring the safety of Sather’s Airmen and more than 1,000 daily transients who pass through the base is a combined effort with the Army.

Sergeant Webb said the key is for Airmen at Sather to understand what force protection covers.

“This is not just a cop function,” she said. “It’s force protection. It’s everybody’s job. It gets frustrating when people start asking why I am in their business.”

Captain Maloney said there are “seven to eight” groups she coordinates with before measures are put in place.

“Sometimes we have to explain to the Army why we’re doing what we’re doing, and the Army has to explain to us why they’re doing what they’re doing,” she said. “There’s a lot we say is ‘universal’ until we hit the joint arena, and then it isn’t universal. However, I think we’ve done a fairly decent job melding it all together.”

She said her training as a crisis/hostage negotiator has also helped the process between both services and helped people stay safe.

“My active listening skills have helped a lot,” she said.

This is Captain Maloney’s second deployment along with a two-year mobilization. On the first deployment, she fell victim to being a reservist in an active-duty world when she had issues with her pay. The deployed finance office could not solve the problem then, and she needed to use other channels.

Here, however, she said she has had fewer Reserve-related issues and tries to help other reservists as problems arise. Citizen Airmen at Sather, whose population include the 447th Air Expeditionary Group commander, work together to help each other through any issues.

Sergeant Webb, a reservist from the 610th Security Forces Squadron in Fort Worth, Texas, said her time here has also been smooth.

“I don’t see where there’s any difference. People don’t know I’m a reservist unless they ask,” she said.

Sergeant Webb said she is used to deploying and realizing the Air Force’s goal of the future total force. Although this is her first assignment in a force protection office, she has deployed 10 times to places like Djibouti, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait and Oman before landing on Iraqi soil.

For any reservist thinking about taking a deployment, both Airmen offered advice.

“Realize you’ll be going on a deployment, not just a temporary duty assignment,” Sergeant Webb said. “Also, have all your personal issues taken care of before you leave.”

Captain Maloney said ensuring employers understand and adhere to federal laws regarding Reserve deployments is "vital." She had some problems initially, but they were cleared up over time.

Finally, both women said that the right attitude is also important for time spent in a location far from home.

“I look at it this way -- how many people can say they spent six months in Baghdad?” she asked. “The active-duty person doesn’t want to be stuck away from home forever, so reservists have to step up to the plate. That’s what we signed on the dotted line for. It’s not just one weekend a month and two weeks a year any more.”