85th EIS extends network capabilities to Afghan refugee village in support of Operation Allied Welcome

Photo By Maj. Nadine Wiley De Moura | The Air Education Training Command requested the 85th Engineering and Installation Squadron support at Holloman Air Force Base, in support of the task force running Operation Allied Welcome, for the newly constructed Afghan refugee village Oct. 18, 2021 at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. The Department of Defense, through U.S. Northern Command, and in support of the Department of Homeland Security, is providing transportation, temporary housing, medical screening, and general support for at least 50,000 Afghan evacuees at suitable facilities, in permanent or temporary structures, as quickly as possible.  

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, NM, UNITED STATES

12.16.2021

Courtesy Story

688th Cyberspace Wing

Story by: U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Whitney Walker, 85th Engineering Installation Squadron commander

The Air Education Training Command requested the 85th Engineering and Installation Squadron in support of the task force running Operation Allied Welcome, for the newly constructed Afghan refugee village Oct. 18, 2021 at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.

The Department of Defense, through U.S. Northern Command, and in support of the Department of Homeland Security, is providing transportation, temporary housing, medical screening, and general support for at least 50,000 Afghan evacuees at suitable facilities, in permanent or temporary structures, as quickly as possible.

The village at Holloman Air Force Base is now home to nearly 5,000 Afghans. The project request was to provide the necessary infrastructure to support the use of AFNet, a private contractor network and medical systems.

Within three days of accepting the request, an 85th Engineering and Installation Squadron engineering team was boots on the ground at the village to complete a site survey. The 85th Engineering Installation Squadron project managers and engineers quickly developed the project package and material list, contacting multiple vendors to secure needed supplies for the job.

In less than a month, while combating global supply chain shortages, all of the required materials were procured and delivered. An installation team of eight ‘Cable Dawgs’ deployed to Holloman Air Force Base on Oct. 18, 2021.

Once the installation team arrived, the task at hand was to install 24,000 feet of direct-buried micro duct, seven hand holes and the associated 24,000 feet of fiber optic cable. The team broke ground on Oct. 25, they worked at a breakneck pace for the next 20 days. The completed installation project connected the new network pathway to Holloman Air Force Base’s existing communications infrastructure.

The first link, from the current network, was run to the village’s Mayor’s Cell. It was just under 17,000 feet and provided 12 fiber optic connections to the new village. Additionally, two more pathways, stretching from the Mayor’s Cell to the medical center and out to the proposed site of the second village, were installed. These two runs of cable are approximately 4,000 feet each and provide vital network access to the village’s medical personnel. They also grant the ability to stand up a second village with immediate access to the network, if required. Utilizing the unit’s jetted-fiber solution, the project was completed on Nov. 12 2021--15 days ahead of schedule.

The efforts of the 85th EIS enabled wired networking and VOIP at Holloman remote main site and medical area, offloaded highly-congested wireless traffic better enhancing deployed cell service, allowed deployed Army expeditionary communicators to return to home station, and positioned Holloman AFB for future non-combat evacuation operations.

"My hat is off to you and your team for pre-arranging/streamlining logistics to ensure critical supplies were on hand for rapid fiber installation, wrangling the funding/contracting angle and making it look easy digging and running miles of conduit and fiber ahead of schedule," said U.S. Air Force Col. Williams Angerman, Air Education and Training Command Deputy Director of Communications.

"Your team has made a huge contribution to Task Force Holloman communications in support of Operation Allied Welcome. Holloman is now well postured for steady-state OAW support."

• Date Taken: 12.16.2021
• Date Posted: 12.16.2021 12:53
• Story ID: 411324
• Location: HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, NM, US