Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Rognstad | Flight Lieutenant Lee Ligtermoet, an electronics engineer in the Royal Australian Air...... read more read more
According to the US Department of Defense, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia are the big three space partners that work alongside Americans at space operations centers. Flight Lieutenant Lee Ligtermoet, an electronics engineer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), happens to be a part of that partnership stationed alongside Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s Satellite Operations (SATOPS) Brigade, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) as part of the Wideband Global Satellite Communications (WGS) program.
Australia’s contribution to the WGS program sees Australian sailors, soldiers and airmen assigned to stations in Hawaii and Colorado supporting various headquarters and operations centers responsible for the WGS satellite constellation. Ligtermoet works on force modernization projects that upgrade and enhance WGS satellite control capabilities around the globe from Fort Carson, Colorado Springs.
He brought his wife and two children the 8,400 mile journey from their home in Canberra, Australia to Colorado for the three year assignment. He said his time stationed in Colorado Springs with the 53rd Signal Battalion, SATOPS Brigade, has been highly beneficial in growing his expertise as a space domain professional and developing him as a military officer. Overall, he says his experience in United States has been something his whole family will always look fondly upon.
“SMDC is quite a dispersed and diverse organization of skillsets to be a part of,” Ligtermoet said. “I have received an overarching full view of all the complexities involved in the operations of these satellites.”
As far as the differences between the Australian and U.S. militaries are concerned, he said he was impressed at the size and scope of the U.S. military and all the amenities its bases and posts have.
“It’s been great to work on such a large post and see so many families, and all that’s required to go into the readiness of such a large organization,” Ligtermoet said. “It’s been eye-opening for me coming from a much smaller organization.”
Ligtermoet took up mountain bike riding and skiing during his stay in Colorado and his goal before he leaves is to ride the highest chairlift in North America at Breckenridge, Colorado, and ski down its slope.
With a curiosity for all things big, Ligtermoet traveled to the two largest states by landmass, Alaska and Texas, during his stay. He said Alaska’s landscape and wildlife were very impressive; barbecue and San Antonio’s River Walk were the Texas highlights.
The coolest thing he has experienced thus far in the States - his wife watching a black bear walk past his house and raid his neighbor’s fridge in his garage for ice cream.
“You don’t see that in Australia,” Ligtermoet said. “That was wild.”
Having taken up one of the “greatest opportunities” offered him in his life up to this point, Ligtermoet said the biggest takeaways from his stay is the appreciation of military service in the US.
“The scale of the US military makes it more apparent in society than Australia,” he said. “Citizens definitely take pride in their military back home, but it’s on another level here. Most people are related or know someone in the military here and there is just a deep appreciation of service all around which is great to be a part of.”
| Date Taken: | 05.18.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.18.2021 10:40 |
| Story ID: | 396692 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 125 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Profiles in Space: SATCOM from Down Under, by SFC Aaron Rognstad, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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