55th CBCS ends 2015 with focus

Published Dec. 28, 2015
By Lt. Col. Lee Mumford
55th Combat Communications Squadron Commander

Robins Air Force Base, Ga. -- Citizen Airmen assigned to the 55th Combat Communications Squadron wrapped up 2015 by conducting two "focus weeks" of training.

The "focus" events facilitated career field-specific instructional training and mission-specific equipment training.

The squadron held an in-garrison bay exercise and quality assurance evaluation for multiple personnel and equipment packages consisting of various Air Force Specialty Codes and mobile, tactical communications equipment along with self-aid buddy care ancillary training the week of November 2-8. Subsequently, personnel assigned to the Power Production and Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning shop were scheduled for a Unit Training Assembly weekend and a week of annual tour training from December 5-11.

The unit's "Patriot Gator" exercise focused on setup, operation, and extension of primary services for the core Theater Deployable Communications packages. The objective was to provide Airmen with an opportunity to lead and employ their knowledge, skills, and abilities to establish core communications services and capabilities in a simulated deployed environment. This included responding to daily communications tasking orders and various scenario inputs that were aimed at testing the Airmen's ability to respond to a variety of customer requirements.

The exercise also afforded the 55th Quality Assurance team an opportunity to evaluate and validate the viability of personnel and equipment assigned to those deployable packages.

The combination of conducting live operations and simultaneously evaluating performance is a very challenging process for a Reserve unit given the limited number of large in-garrison exercises that can fit into a one-year training schedule.

Lastly, the 55th CBCS conducted hands-on self-aid/buddy care training which is required annually to meet Air Force ancillary training standards. This training is vitally necessary so that Reserve members can meet the same training objectives as the active component forces to qualify for world-wide deployments.

During the second "focus week", the PowerPro/HVAC personnel started off their training with an outdoor field exercise geared towards initial set up of site power generation and electrical power grid capabilities. They tested their skills by targeting shorter timelines, and injecting worst-case scenarios with the basic objectives of installing multiple generators, delta grounding grids, resistance testing, voltage verification, and two 100-feet 60 amp runs to a grounded satellite communication terminal. As daunting as it may seem, the newly assembled team completed the tasks with an impressive time of 1 hour, 54 minutes and 32 seconds with an initial 3-hour target, which is the new record time for establishing initial site power.

The shop also scheduled training classes with the local Air Force Engineering & Technical Services trainer, Mr. Robbie Gowens, who conducted in-depth operations, maintenance, troubleshooting, and safety classes. The teaching methodology allows trainees to transfer the classroom training to a field environment with practical applications and hands-on oversight by the instructor.

During the training, the 55th CBCS team was tested on their knowledge, skills, and abilities in a number of areas such as grounding, generator operations, and field deployable environmental control unit operations to include proper safety procedures for installing a grounding grid, how to lower resistance, Vibro®-grounding systems instruction, and combat communications equipment-specific grounding requirements and procedures.

Gowens went through all the MEP- 806B, 60Kw Power Generator procedures for standard set up and parallel operations, along with common generator fault recognition and field troubleshooting procedures.  Likewise, a full day was on spent on the FDECUs in the same manner as the power generator class. Gowens went through normal operations and troubleshooting different tasks.

The "focus week" also allowed the shop to update their Airmen's upgrade training progression in the Air Force Training Record program.

Both focus periods were a huge success for the 55th CBCS, and the training with additional evaluations yielded a significant increase in knowledge, confidence, and ability for its Citizen Airmen. The result culminates in an improved state of wartime readiness for Air Force Reserve Combat Comm capabilities.