Photo By Julianne Sympson | Fourteen Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE) members from the Georgia Air...... read more read more
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. – On March 15, the most recent Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE) deployment team, consisting of 14 personnel from the 224th Joint Communications Support Squadron (JCSS), the Georgia Air National Guard unit closely affiliated with JCSE, returned home after supporting Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) missions. Since 2002, JCSE has consistently deployed rotating forces every six-months to the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) in support of ongoing operations.
These highly-trained joint communicators provided unclassified/classified network access to include secure/non-secure voice and video teleconferencing capabilities at various forward deployed sites. The 224th JCSS team was instrumental in providing secure, reliable communications services to meet the requirements of small, mobile missions as well as larger full-scale operations. The 224th JCSS’ versatile skills were extremely value-added when members were requested to quickly provide communications solutions on site.
“We enhanced the USCENTCOM communications capabilities for warfighters executing important missions,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Gregg Hopper, the 224th JCSS team lead during the deployment. “It was up to us to ensure they could efficiently do their job in theater.”
The 224th JCSS team’s broad knowledge base stems from their combined military and civilian experience. Unlike traditional Air National Guard members who may have the "weekend warrior" mentality, many of the 224th JCSS personnel remain heavily involved in the communication field within their civilian roles further enabled them to execute a variety of tasks while deployed.
For his fourth deployment to USCENTCOM, Hopper supported efforts in Qatar and his familiarity with efforts downrange provided the guidance needed for his teams to fulfill requirements at various locations. His steadfast leadership ensured his team effectively provided communications solutions even when they were tasked to reconfigure communications systems they were unfamiliar with.
“The 224th JCSS team is well-versed on JCSE equipment sets; however, in several instances my team had to adjust customer-provided communications equipment which they may not have seen before,” said Hopper. “My team’s professionalism and familiarity across the full scope of communications allowed them to quickly provide outstanding communications services regardless of the circumstances.”
When not deployed with JCSE, Hopper serves as a Spectrum satellite/communications manager at U.S. Army Headquarters Forces Command, at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he processes satellite access requests for U.S. Army active duty, National Guard and reserve organizations within the continental United States. As part of a bigger team, Hopper provides communications support to on-going efforts for a multitude of customers.
“The valuable insight from my civilian role keeps me well-versed on satellite communication systems, equipment upgrade timelines and planning efforts in the communications field,” said Hopper. “My civilian occupation provides a huge advantage that helps me be more versatile and current on a broader range of communications capabilities.”
Another 224th JCSS member, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Dice, who was stationed in Afghanistan during this deployment, provided immediate support to joint force commanders and also improved processes for future mission requirements. At his forward location, Dice implemented administrative changes to quickly and accurately troubleshoot communication issues by clearly identifying network servers and connected devices. Following a power outage, these changes proved mission-critical as JCSE personnel effectively rebooted the communications servers and networks.
“Since we changed the labeling scheme of the communications equipment, we systematically re-established open lines of communication minutes after regaining power,” said Dice.
As a Senior Information Technology (IT) project manager at the Federal Law Training Center, in Brunswick, Ga., Dice’s civilian background provides familiarity with IT projects focused on long-term solutions. This added perspective from his civilian role helped facilitate lasting improvements while downrange.
“My constant exposure in communications as both a JCSE technician and a senior IT supervisor allowed me to step right into the USCENTCOM organization to provide immediate support and make improvements to benefit future communications services,” said Dice. “The customer appreciated the unique perspective I brought to the site to improve their processes which I believe will last long after we left.”
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Terrence Smith, a 224th member who was also deployed to Afghanistan, served as the sole network administrator at a remote location – a noteworthy position for a junior enlisted member on his first JCSE deployment. Based on the JCSE training he received and his in-depth understanding of routers, switches, networks and radio communications, Smith provided uninterrupted connectivity for the duration of the deployment.
“Although I was one of the junior military members on site, I maintained radio and satellite connectivity, managed customer accounts and effectively responded to the customers’ needs,” said Smith. “Even after an instance when we had to use iridium phones when a satellite went down, I was able to get the customers back online within 10 minutes.”
Back home near Brunswick, Ga., Smith serves as a help desk technician at a Target© Distribution Center and felt well-prepared for his deployment thanks in large part to the communications and customer service skills he has learned over the years at his civilian job.
“I trouble shoot communications issues on a regular basis for Target© customers which helped me relate to our customers in Afghanistan,” said Smith. “Similar to my civilian job, I was able to explain the severity of network issues and the necessary router and server solutions to meet the customers’ requests.”
The professionalism and communications expertise of the 224th JCSS communicators ensured operations ran smoothly at each of the forward deployed sites they supported in the USCENTCOM AOR. The team felt a sense of accomplishment that their advanced communications skills ultimately contributed to the success of the OEF missions at hand. After fulfilling their respective deployment responsibilities, the 224th JCSS personnel returned home to their loved ones and will continue to hone their communication skills in their civilian and military roles in preparation for future JCSE deployments.
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2014 08:23 |
| Story ID: | 125497 |
| Location: | NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 419 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, JCSE brings communication expertise to USCENTCOM operations, by Julianne Sympson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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