Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Caycee Watson | U.S. Airmen and personnel assigned to National Guard Bureau’s A/6, communications...... read more read more
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The National Guard Bureau, A/6 communications directorate, recently sent a team to work with the Puerto Rico Air National Guard’s 156th Communications Flight to finalize plans to move the unit’s network control center, after Hurricane Maria left damaging impacts to its current location.
Like many buildings on base, the main hangar at Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Puerto Rico was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017. The hangar has since been condemned and is slated to be demolished, but the base’s network control center is still located on the ground level. The hurricane left a hole in the roof above the NCC, where heavy rains, common on the tropical island, cause the ceiling to leak, proving to be a direct threat to the integrity of the equipment.
The NCC equipment at Muñiz operates the command and control for the 156th Wing and its Geographically Separated Units located around the island and in the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix.
“We truly need help,” said Capt. Carlos Vera, the 156th Communications Flight commander. “Just having the A/6 come down here to Puerto Rico to see what’s going on and to help us out to make sure the base gets recovered, it’s very important.”
A plan is in place and construction is in motion at Muñiz to relocate the NCC with minimal downtime projected for the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. A building dedicated to housing the network is under construction for a total renovation that will meet standards and mitigate future network deficiencies, once the move is complete.
“It’s complicated, but we have a good plan, a plan that was approved by the A/6 staff. We have a goal and we have the plan to get to that goal in time,” said Chief Master Sgt. Adalberto Luciano, the 156th Communications Flight cyber operations manager.
Relocating the unit’s network control center also provided the opportunity for the PRANG to continue to move forward as it takes on its new contingency response and combat communications missions.
“We have a plan for better facilities in the future, so let's go ahead and start this ball rolling so we can move forward,” said Luciano. “We’re using something bad that happened to us to make an opportunity to put new modern equipment in place.”
Equipment upgrades and relocating to a better facility will fortify a secure network control center that will deliver increased efficiency and a faster network for the PRANG.
“The endorsement of the A/6 to say we came up with the right solutions, we have a good plan, and they helped us to realize where we could improve and enhance, that means we’re being proactive and can actually bring the solution that we really need for our problem,” said Luciano.
Relocation for the network control center involves many functions outside of the communications squadron, from civil engineers and contracting to construction and the Defense Information Systems Agency, to take this project from the beginning to its completion.
Capt. Vera and Chief Luciano agree the NCC relocation is going to be a massive challenge that will test the knowledge and teamwork of the 156 CS Airmen, and they are both confident they have the best team to face this challenge.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2019 09:47 |
| Story ID: | 356392 |
| Location: | CAROLINA, PR |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 156th Communications Flight works with NGB to recover network control center, by SMSgt Caycee Watson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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