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ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md.—In late January, following several presidential executive orders and a declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, service members from every branch in the Department of Defense prepared to support the new directives.
The DOD was ordered to, “take all appropriate action to support the activities of the secretary of homeland security in obtaining complete operational control of the southern border of the United States," according to one order.
Within weeks, thousands of service members were on their way to the southern border. Since that time, there has been a gradual increase in support to the mission. From Navy guided missile destroyers tasked with maritime border operations to Air Force assets providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the augmentation to the border mission by DOD personnel is wide-ranging and broad, representing military expertise across all services.
As troops carry out their mission, they will rely on a support apparatus that is competent, efficient and flexible. The Communications-Electronics Command, the Army’s premier integrator of C5ISR-M weapon systems, business systems and medical materiel, is answering the call by providing full-spectrum capability at the point of need for service members working to secure the Southern Border.
Elements in the field
In late March, U.S. Northern Command announced that the mission would now fall under operational control of one element, Joint Task Force-Southern Border. This structure allows the headquarters element, the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, to oversee command and control of subordinate DOD elements supporting a mission that stretches over 2,000 miles.
From San Diego, California, to McAllen, Texas, service members are working with CECOM experts to ensure the equipment they rely on is mission ready.
Gregory Turner, a software readiness officer with the CECOM Software Engineering Center, is one expert providing support in the field. In early March, he traveled to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where the Joint Task Force is headquartered, to provide software updates and training.
“Ensuring that the warfighter has the most up-to-date software is one of the most helpful things we can do,” Turner said. “Any software improvements that are made to help improve the Soldier’s life as a warfighter are very impactful.”
Turner worked with soldiers and provided instruction on updating critical software that will be used throughout the mission. Turner’s work with 10th Mountain Division Soldiers is representative of larger Army transformation efforts, leveraging current, widely used software and updating with new systems that are within the Army’s Common Operating Environment.
The coordination between CECOM SEC and Soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division ensures leaders have a clear and accurate picture of assets on the ground, allowing for improved command and control. For Turner, supporting Soldiers to accomplish their mission is meaningful. Aside from playing a part in providing tangible results, he remains ready for any future help Soldiers may need.
“Getting the feedback from them on how ‘this works great, this doesn’t work great,’ and different ideas and different thoughts they have about it [software],” Turner said. “At the end of the day, just being able to provide a helpful service, that’s what I like most about it.”
Maj. Christopher Drescher, a signal officer with the 10th Mountain Division, worked with Turner and continues to use CECOM SEC as a resource. Drescher said the relationship he and his team have with the CECOM field elements has been strengthened through years of work and collaboration.
“Those gentlemen have been breaking their backs for the Soldiers of Fort Drum for years,” Drescher said. “They’ve personally mentored, advised and answered my questions more times than I can count.”
The diversified nature of CECOM’s support has been a force multiplier for Joint Task Force-Southern Border Soldiers.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ashley James, a field support branch chief with the CECOM Integrated Logistics Support Center, has been assisting Joint Task Force-Southern Border Soldiers for weeks. In addition to the support offered in the early stages of the mission, they also maintain lines of communication to address issues as they arise.
James and her teammates make up the ILSC Communications Security Logistics Activity, ensuring warfighters have the reliable, effective and secure communications equipment they need.
From James’ perspective, her organization’s work with Soldiers—the direct support she and her colleagues have been providing, is what makes the most powerful impact.
“It’s a breath of fresh air,” James said. “Especially for the personnel who have never left the CSLA, this has given them a broader view of the big picture.”
For James and other members of the CSLA who are supporting the Joint Task Force, there is a tremendous value in the work they are doing. Aside from the capabilities they are providing to Joint Task Force Soldiers, they are also learning and improving their own processes, harnessing their experience to take lessons learned which improve the entire CECOM enterprise.
“To see it in real time, to watch the mission unfold, it’s the broader picture and you can’t beat that, you can’t train that,” James said.
As with any major operation, mission success relies on a wide range of support for service members on the ground. Not surprisingly, medical equipment is a crucial component of that support. As the Army’s integrator for medical materiel, CECOM’s Army Medical Logistics Command is well placed to deliver and sustain medical support for the Joint Task Force.
John Callahan, a lead systems technical representative with AMLC, has been working with units at the southern border to provide what he calls, “the easy button.”
“We’ve been highly engaged, working with the units to ensure their overall medical maintenance readiness,” Callahan said.
Military equipment in general is often highly technical. From radios to weapon systems to vehicles, technical expertise is incredibly important during operations. Unsurprisingly, the added layers of complexity inherent with medical equipment creates unique challenges.
Take, for example, a ventilator. Though commonplace in many medical settings, the equipment must be tested and inspected to ensure precision. For military operations, such as the effort on the southern border, the imperative for precision remains with the added challenge of the operational environment.
For the experts who make up AMLC, they are driven by facing these challenges and ensuring Soldiers have the medical equipment they need. Like many of the technical professionals who make up CECOM, Callahan and his entire team are veterans, and he takes pride in the fact that he and his are making an impact.
“To be able to provide this level of direct support,” Callahan said. “It’s bringing us back to when we were in the green suit [active duty], we’re actually part of this mission and we can see results on a daily basis.”
CECOM’s holistic impact
The work CECOM is doing in support of the Joint Task Force-Southern Border is representative of what CECOM has been doing for years, sustaining and delivering C5ISR-M readiness. Normally, the six major subordinate commands within CECOM manage their missions siloed from one another. This natural separation is due to the nature of the work, a software engineer working in CECOM SEC may not intersect with a logistician at CECOM ILSC.
However, the importance of the mission on the southern border creates opportunities for CECOM to offer its expertise from across the enterprise directly to Soldiers who rely upon what CECOM delivers: C5ISR-M integration at the point of need.
Whether it’s Turner from CECOM SEC delivering software updates, James from CECOM ILSC ensuring secure communications, or Callahan from CECOM AMLC providing medical materiel support, the team is strengthened by the knowledge, expertise and dedication of the over 9,000 CECOM personnel working around the world for the warfighter.
Drescher, the 10th Mountain Division signal officer who often coordinates with CECOM support in the field, values the support he and his team have received.
“They provide copious amounts of coaching and over the shoulder training. They have also gone the extra mile on several occasions to address equipment issues,” Drescher said.
For Drescher, and for countless others who rely on CECOM, the relationship will continue to bear fruit.
“Knowing how well they have supported us and how they are postured to support us is very reassuring.”
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2025 12:33 |
| Story ID: | 494741 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Enabling the mission: CECOM supports Joint Task Force-Southern Border, by Austin Fox, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
