“Signaleer” Tiger Team Provides Communication Support

Photo By Capt. Yajaira Guzman | Alabama and Louisiana Army National Guardsmen from the 136th Signal Battalion have joined forces to form a Tiger Team that provides communication support throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, at Prince Sultan Air base, May 28, 2021.  

PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, SAUDI ARABIA

05.28.2021

Story by Capt. Yajaira Guzman 

335th Signal Command (T) Provisional

PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Alabama and Louisiana Army National Guardsmen from the 136th Signal Battalion have joined forces to form a Tiger Team that provides communication support throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

“Without our Signaleers all this falls apart really quickly, we can do a lot of research, whole lot of detection, but if we can’t transmit the mission package this all comes to a screeching halt,” said Capt. Evan Truesdale, company commander for the 12th Missile Defense Battery.

Originating from the military and made famous by NASA, the Tiger Team term refers to the experts and engineers on the ground, who tirelessly assessed and handled every complex problem ensuring the success of its mission during the launch of Apollo 13, ultimately earning them the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Now, Tiger Teams are considered highly skilled, hand-picked group of individuals, with different genders, ranks, ages, and occupational specialties, who are passionate about problem solving, a high functioning team of specialists brought together to solve a specific problem or critical issue.

The 136th’s Tiger Team is comprised of 5 Soldiers, Sgt. Dwight Self, Spc. Joshua M. Meilleur, Micah Champagne, Zachary Richardson and Pfc. Easton J. King. The team includes two signal support systems specialist, two information technology specialists, and one nodal network systems operator, who support Task Force Eagle Strength, 136th Signal Battalion.

"Rank doesn’t mean anything, you have to be able to get the job done,” said Capt. Toby Johnson, company commander for Company B, 136th Signal Battalion. “You have to have people that know what they are doing to help troubleshoot the equipment.”

The team’s expertise ranges from network management functions, assisting the General Purpose User with Programs of Record and Commercial off the Shelf communications equipment to dealing with highly sensitive information that requires them to have the technical skills and aptitude for programming and computer languages.

The Tiger Team, also known as the “fire department” is dispatched to a site if the team on site is unable to troubleshoot the issue at hand.

Honing in on their own skillset is critical to the success of the mission. When it comes to the success of an integrated team from diverse backgrounds and specialties, it is the comradery and shared knowledge that ultimately makes the team successful.

“Trust and communication are critical to the success of a Tiger Team. When some of us are not on call or shifts, we still help if one of our other team members is struggling or with a problem. We will help pitch in. We will throw around ideas until we find the right answer,” said Sgt. Dwight Self, satellite communications systems operator/maintainer.

Being the only Signal Tiger Team throughout the Task Force Eagle Strength footprint comes with its own set of challenges, often working through the mission parameters without a lot of outside assistance.

“There are going to be unexpected challenges at a higher level than what is considered operator level, we’ve had to reconfigure devices and re-upgrade software,” said Spc. Zachary Richardson, information technology specialist. “It’s a really good time to fall back on what you know. Staying flexible, adaptable and continue learning is what has made us successful throughout this deployment.”

• Date Taken: 05.28.2021
• Date Posted: 06.12.2021 10:09
• Story ID: 398778
• Location: PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, SA