HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --
The 482nd Communications Squadron hosted a multi-unit training exercise in a deployed tent setting next to airfield operations here June 5-9.
Experts from the 35th Combat Communications Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., 914th Communications Squadron at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York, and 960th Network Warfare Flight at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., came together with the 482nd CS to test their capabilities.
”Homestead is an ideal place because it allows us to use our equipment in an unfamiliar terrain,” said Maj. Timothy Spink, 35th CBCS Director of Operations. “It’s a cost-effective option that mimics conditions like weather and grounding issues that we’d encounter in tropical environments such as the Pacific.”
The 35th CBCS took the lead, with the 914th CS and 960th NWF augmenting base communications and providing specialized internal monitors who listen for data leakage, respectively. The 482nd CS made all arrangements with the air terminal and transportation, and for permits, deconflicting frequencies, biomedical clearances, and classroom instruction space.
More than 40 Airmen working on servers and in cyberinfrastructure, radio frequency transmission, supply, power production, HVAC and compliance systems set up eight pallets worth of equipment to supply NIPR, SIPR, voice and commercial Internet service. The purpose of the setup, which was medium by their standards, was to demonstrate how they’re able to receive the Air Tasking Order so commanders can have command and control in any location.
This footprint is scalable, meant to fit on a C-130 aircraft. An eight-person communications team can support 200 users, where 25 people can support up to 5,000 users. And the setup is done quickly – they can have phones up within 30 seconds and web connectivity within 24 hours.
“It was a very successful operation,” said Spink. “This crew hadn’t had as much exposure to these capabilities as others have, but within 12 hours they got to the point where fully-trained crews are.”
Spink contributed part of that accomplishment to the civilian experience they brought to the table.
That well-rounded Citizen Airman concept also rang true for exercise participant Senior Airman Erick Esquilin, a radio frequency technician with the 482nd CS. He first recognized the value of combat communications when he spent his annual tour at Tinker AFB last spring.
He jumped at the chance to work again with them this year, building upon his civilian IT experience.
“This is a great opportunity to receive refresher training on parabolic dish setup and land mobile radios in preparation for deployments,” he said. “I’m also learning about the HyperTerminal, which gives me cross-training experience in infrastructure.”