FORT GORDON, Ga. - Soldiers of Delta Company, 297th Military Intelligence Battalion, 513th MI Brigade, were welcomed home by family, friends, and fellow Soldiers May 17 at Fort Gordon’s Gym six after completing a 12-month deployment to conduct collection operations, providing electronic warfare support to combat forces in Afghanistan.
“Distinguished guests, soldiers, families and friends of the 297th Military Intelligence Battalion, it’s a great day to be a Vanguard, and it’s an outstanding day to welcome home these warriors from Afghanistan,” said Lt. Col. Ralphael R. Bell Jr., commander, 297th MI Bn. “I know you all are excited to reunite with your families and friends, and I want you to know that we’re proud of you, and we’re excited to have you home safely.”
The mission of Delta Company is to train and deploy Signals Intelligence capabilities in order to provide support to combatant commanders. The company has long been known for providing signal support to combat elements in the United States and the Central Command area of operations.
From February 2010 through January 2012 Delta Company Soldiers manned the Afghanistan Remote Operations Cryptologic Center providing signal analysis support and training to International Security Assistance Force joint command coalition forces. Delta Company provided the first iteration of soldiers to the AROCC in order to help spearhead the development of three different operational branches; air, ground and reporting, and to establish the multinational analytical element within the AROCC.
From July 2011 to January 2012 several Delta Company soldiers were re-missioned from the AROCC to provide multifunctional and mobile SIGINT team support to combat forces throughout Afghanistan. The mission combined low-level voice intercept and SIGINT terminal guidance operation capabilities into one team and provided tactical SIGINT support to ground maneuver elements deployed in Afghanistan.
Delta Company soldiers conduct collection operations often under austere conditions in remote locations providing electronic warfare support to target detection and force protection.
The soldiers are representative of Delta Company and its continued legacy of providing SIGINT support to the warfighter wherever and whenever they are called.