Airmen should prepare for major changes in coming months

Published May 10, 2011
By By Tech. Sgt. Randy Redman
321st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq -- Major changes are being planned for Airmen here as U.S. forces prepare to leave Iraq by the end of the year. From daily operations to social media access, just about every aspect of living and working in Iraq is being scrutinized for sustained practicality.

A working group from the Department of State visited Sather Air Base May 4 for a brief look at the current operational conditions. Since the DoS is planning to take over operations here after the scheduled military departure, representatives were here to get a feel for what steps need to be taken in the coming months to make the transfer of authority as smooth as possible.

The group included Ambassador Jeanine Jackson, U.S. Embassy Baghdad management counselor, Paul Grove, Senate Appropriations Committee, John Desrocher, Office of Iraq Affairs director, and roughly a dozen more representatives from various stakeholders. Brig. Gen. Anthony Rock, 321st Air Expeditionary Wing commander and Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air director, and multiple members of Sather senior leadership hosted the group for a briefing to ensure all parties were following the same game plan.

Gary Anderson, DoS senior general services officer in Iraq, led the briefing which covered a variety of topics including requirements related to aviation, logistics and medical support. A probable name change was discussed as well, with "Sather Support Hub" being one potential candidate.

Mr. Anderson said some operations run by the DoS after the transfer include Embassy-Iraq Air, a passenger terminal, a cargo-transit facility, and fixed and rotary-wing operations. The DoS will take over some existing facilities, such as the passenger terminal, but is building facilities of its own as well, such as the new hangar on the flightline.

As with any major change, there are challenges which need to be addressed. Mr. Anderson said two friction points have come to light so far. First, there have been construction delays due to changes in the proposed final footprint here at Sather. Even during the briefing, Mr. Anderson said the map he was using had been updated that same day. Another issue that remains unresolved is where power production will be for DoS facilities.

General Rock said Air Force personnel have been working closely with the DoS to set them up for success.

"Ambassador Jackson and I have talked at length about staying in our lanes, making sure that we remain fully responsible and capable to do our mission and support the Department of State as they take over," said General Rock.

A major part of remaining fully responsible includes adequate communications. Since American forces arrived in Iraq, the military infrastructure at Sather has grown exponentially to support thousands of computers. In fact, it's not uncommon to see Airmen with multiple workstations on their desks for easy access to secure and unsecure channels. That's all about to change though.

An Air Forces Central Combat Communications site survey team has been preparing for the end of mission since last year. They recently made their first stop in Iraq at Sather to make plans for the next several months.

"We've got five bases (in Iraq) where we've got some level of responsibility, and our goal is to figure out how to provide communications for the last 60 days of operations," said Capt. Nathan Osborne, site survey team lead, temporarily deployed from the AFCENT staff at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. "There is a lot of infrastructure already. The tough part is identifying what needs to go."

The current plan is to have a combat communications team arrive to set up tactical connections in October while the bulk of the base populace is packing up equipment to return to the States. Captain Osborne said normally a communications team is up and running at austere locations within 72 hours. However, because this is a redeployment operation, the plan is to have separate, independent communications up and running by November. By mid-December, Air Force operations will cease, with Airmen at Sather preparing to turn off the light, lock the doors and head home for good.

Captain Osborne said some of the infrastructure, such as hard lines and fiber optic cables, will be turned over to the DoS, and Airmen here need to be prepared for limited connectivity. Instead of multiple workstations on each desk, he said Airmen here should expect café-style access, meaning a limited number of computers would be set up in a single room for several users.

"Most people will not have computer access like they do now. They'll have a (computer) café to visit and check their email. Then they can leave and go back to packing up everything," Captain Osborne said. "About the only person who will have a computer on his desk will be the wing commander."

Staff Sgt. Sean Drummond, 54th Combat Communications Squadron transmission systems engineer, was one of the site survey team members who said Airmen here need to get into an even more expeditionary mindset.

"With combat (communications), people are going to have to expect limited services," said Sergeant Drummond. "Of course, people should be more excited about the fact that they have orders to go home."