Tactical Comm Airmen keep military ops online, on target

Published June 19, 2009
By Staff Sgt. Stacia Zachary
AFCENT Combat Camera Team

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FINLEY-SHIELDS, Afghanistan -- Performing missions within the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan requires the U.S. military to maintain an open line of communication at all times, especially when convoys take people outside the wire.

For one Airman in particular, the role of tactical communications means knowing a variety of communications equipment is helping give the ground forces accessibility to real-time capabilities, staying in contact with base operations as well as knowing moment-to-moment the critical information of a particular environment.

"I deal with tactical radio systems and the Blue Force Tracker system which give us situational awareness in a battlefield environment," said Staff Sgt. Josh Newman, tactical communications NCO in charge who is deployed from the 6th Communications Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. "My shop is also responsible for keeping systems functional so the intel world has an overall view of the battlefield which gives the guys who go outside-the-wire the cover they need."

The S6 shop, the Army designator for communications, ensures that all vehicle-mounted and hand-held tactical radios, the BFT, counter remote controlled electronic warfare systems as well as all computer systems for the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team, Agri-Business Development Team and the Human Collection Intelligence Team all remain online and functional.

The job required Sergeant Newman to attend advanced training with the Army prior to deploying. For five weeks at Fort Gordon, Ga., the sergeant went through the Army S6 course which is historically a class targeting officers in the ranks of captain and above. His was the first class in which he and six other enlisted Airmen were allowed to enroll, giving Sergeant Newman an even broader scope of the communication systems available on the battlefield.

"I have been fortunate to have been in a while and know a lot of different sides of the communications world," Sergeant Newman said, a native of Arcadia, Fla. "The Army does things a lot different than the Air Force does, so it's taught me how to adapt, and the training has prepared me for a wider range of things I have needed to deal with."

One of the things the sergeant has had to overcome is how to repair systems when they eventually go offline or need maintenance.

"This deployment has reinforced how effortless repair back at home is," he said. "Here, I am learning how to make due with what I have which has made me think outside the box - something the Army training definitely prepared me for."

Being responsible for the communications for the PRT, ADT and HCT assets has required the communications people to work a grueling schedule of long hours. This frequently requires traveling to austere locations to give communications support while on convoys. They also need to know the complete spectrum of the communications world and how to find a fix when one is required.

"This job has been so different from other jobs," Sergeant Newman said. "People come to you with all types of problems and it's my responsibility to get them a fix or find them an answer. I am lucky enough to work with a really competent group of people and I wouldn't be able to do half the stuff without them."

Supporting the ground forces that are convoying outside the wire to visit various construction projects, the PRT and ADT support has given the sergeant a different perspective on why communications support is so important to military operations.

"There's a sense of urgency to our job because people need to talk when they go out," Sergeant Newman said. "If you don't get enough training on certain equipment, you need to become familiar real quick because those guys are counting on having that open line of communication when they leave the gates."

One mission in particular has proven to the sergeant why knowing his job inside and out is so important. When they were convoying out to a rural area in the Nangarhar province, the road the convoy was traveling on gave way and the vehicles got stuck. The convoy was outside the typical FM radio frequency range, essentially squashing any attempt to make contact with the operations center.

The convoy was in an area known for terrorist activity and could not afford the time delay in using the BFT to get information reported. Improvising with the equipment he had available, Sergeant Newman was able to get communications online.

"I instinctively knew (how) to get a better satellite signal," said the sergeant, who has been on more than 50 outside-the-wire missions to date. "It ended up being a priceless moment because it got us in communication with our guys and we were able to call in wreckers and additional security. Without that, we would have been on our own in a very hostile environment."

That event, mixed with other experiences along the way, has reiterated how important the tactical communications job to the people on the ground supporting the mission truly is.

"This deployment has given me a finer appreciation for how hard I have to bust my (butt) to give these guys the communication they need," he said. "I do what I do for these guys who roll around outside the wire. As long as they come back okay, then it's been a successful day."