Located at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, the 2nd Audiovisual Squadron captures, creates and provides audiovisual content for the Department of Defense and regularly completes live broadcasts including air shows, senior leader conferences and high-quality video productions using Hollywood-tier equipment and techniques.
It may be perceived to be a straightforward job, where a button is pushed and a livestream starts on your favorite social media. However, running cables for miles and making scripts for talent are just a few examples of what creates the cinematic experience that is delivered by 2nd AVS broadcasts. Yet, behind the scenes, there is a team that makes staying updated and functioning easier for the 2nd AVS. That team is the Cyber Flight.
“The Cyber Flight’s goal is to provide the technology and resources required for the 2nd AVS to create effective cinematic video products for the Air Force,” said Stan Woodford, 2nd AVS Cyber Flight commander. “Within the 2nd AVS, we’re continually trying to improve everything.”
Woodford explains as the flight commander, his role is to make sure the Airmen are trained and equipped to complete the tasks that they are given. Some of the daily tasks include replacing old computer systems, downloading and updating software, maintaining network security and ensuring the $2.5 million dollar live broadcast truck receives and dispatches video and audio coming from up to 26 cameras.
“Some of the work ethic the airmen develop comes from troubleshooting problems until they find a solution,” said Jason Davis, 2nd AVS information technology specialist. “They’re great team players who understand, if we as cyber can not figure out a problem then production would be greatly affected.”
As the Cyber Flight commander assigns tasks and directs his team, it is the Airmen themselves who carry out the completion of jobs. This includes maintenance, helping the production flight with computer issues, supporting servers, and creating cables. All of these things directly and indirectly affect the production team, who are responsible for creating visual productions for customers across the DOD.
“Many people do not know what cyber does on a day-to-day basis. When we do something like a live broadcast, a lot of people are pretty excited about that,” said Senior Airman Nathaniel Hampton, 2nd AVS network engineer.
Hampton is one of the many individuals who make up the Cyber Flight that aids in keeping the 2nd AVS and the live production truck operational. As the unit continues to grow its mobile live broadcast capabilities, the Cyber Flight will always be an essential link to the success of the unit.
“The cyber team is the backbone of the 2 AVS. If they didn’t do their job there’s no way for production to do our job. If we do not have the network capability, we’re not going to get anything done,” said Airman First Class Sean Lamb, 2nd AVS visual production specialist.