U.S. Army Cpt. Jean-Claude D. Johnson, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion (HHB), 4th Infantry Division (ID), Fort Carson, Colorado, has spent a month building the computer and phone network during this exercise.
Johnson, deputy G-6 Mission Command Element, led 21 multinational service members in the development of a network capable of supporting 200 phone and computer systems spread across three buildings.
“The most challenging piece was building a new network for Saber Guardian,” Johnson said.
With the support of Soldiers from the U.S. Army, as well as the Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian armies, Johnson and his team were able to start from scratch and build, test and then maintain a fully functional network.
Second Lt. Istvan Parada, Computer Information System plans officer with the Hungarian Army, said the experience has been a positive one.
“Everyone is very helpful,” Parada said. “We’re maintaining the network together, and there are a lot of experienced people to learn from. In the beginning there were more tasks, but we did a good job, and now we just maintain.”
The task of building nearly 200 workstations and a functioning network was a large undertaking made easier because the other countries use similar equipment and have many of the same computer network certifications.
“We work with the same radio systems, satellite systems and the software is the same,” said 1st Lt. Georgi Ivanov, Bulgarian Army, Deployable Communication Information System officer. “When you work internationally, you test your skills, and after the exercise you see what you need to keep.”
Sfc. Ray Gomez, Mission Command Element, HHB, 4th ID, Fort Carson, Colorado, said the Information Technology team has come together to make a strong unit.
“The team overcame the language barrier to build all of the real world and mission joint operation centers to facilitate the Saber Guardian exercise,” Gomez said.
Johnson agreed that team cohesion has been a large factor in the mission’s success.
“We are truly working side by side with guys that can do their job – and learning to say thank you in five languages,” he said.