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Forward deployed comm team tackles Dubai Airshow 2011

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Chance Babin
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The Dubai Airshow is internationally acclaimed as the third largest air show in the world and the premier aviation event in the gulf region. For several members of the 380th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, the event is also the chance to showcase their talents in a unique way.

A team of eight military personnel, who forward deployed from the 380th ECS to support the event, and 12 contractors, is responsible for setting up the vital communication requirements for the Air Force participants of the show.

"This is a great opportunity," said Capt. Robert Harlan, the director of operations for the 380th ECS, a unit at the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and a part of U.S. Air Forces Central Command. "As an Airman serving at a deployed location, it's a good opportunity to serve in a unique event and to show our abilities to support requirements."

Those requirements are no joke. The team is tasked with setting up two military communication networks called SIPRnet and NIPRnet, along with lines for commercial Internet, radios, telephones and cell phones in three locations--two hotels and at the airport where the air show will actually take place--that will function like operations centers for military personnel at the event, according to Senior Master Sgt. Troy Baird, the operations superintendent for the 380th ECS.

The team didn't waste any time in getting the first operations center set up.

"We had initial service up in two hours," Baird said. "We are way ahead of schedule. With the extra time we can make sure everything looks good and presentable."

When setting up for an exercise or an event such as an air show, the communications team takes the approach of setting up a new unit, something this deployed team is used to doing.

"This is basically a geographically separated unit," said Harlan. "We have all the basic services here--DSN (a telephone system used by the military), voice over secure internet protocol, non-secure internet protocol, secure internet protocol, cell phones (for accountability), and morale net."

Having the Airmen of the 380th ECS forward deploy to support the event is a luxury for the organizers and helps the Department of Defense personnel get up and running much quicker, AFCENT officials said.

"The U.S. Department of Defense has strongly supported this air show in the past by bringing many of our aircraft, including the F-22 in 2009," said Lt. Col. Kent Broome, the operations center director for the Dubai Airshow 2011. "We have a large level of U.S. support at the air show that requires the ability to communicate, and we're fortunate to have the support of the 380th Expeditionary Communications Squadron."

For the 380th ECS team, getting the chance to come to the Dubai Air Show is an honor, but the Airmen acknowledge the need for a balance between getting the air show mission done while keeping the communication job up and running back at the deployed base.

"It's a big deal," Baird said. "Obviously we're glad [AFCENT] asked us to take part and provide support. It does put some strain on us back at the 380th, though. So, we had to make sure we had the right mix of people both here and back at the base to assure we had the right skill sets to accomplish both missions effectively."

This balance and professionalism has not gone unnoticed.

"It's a unique challenge for the U.S. military to support [an event] at a major international airport in one of the largest cities on the region," said Broome. "So, the capabilities the 380th Expeditionary Communications Squadron brings allows the DOD personnel to meet our communications requirements."

Pulling off a job like the Dubai Air Show takes a lot of coordination and planning.

"We started working on this in June and all the guys working here were handpicked to work the air show," Baird said. "With the exception of some contractors, this is the first time working the Dubai Air Show for all active-duty personnel from the 380th ECS."

The U.S. is participating in the event at the invitation of the United Arab Emirates, and will showcase a variety of U.S Air Force, Navy and Army aircraft through static displays, including a B1B-Lancer, a C-17 Globemaster, a C-130 Hercules, an E2-C Hawkeye, an F-15E Strike Eagle, and F-16 Fighting Falcon, an F-18 Hornet, an MH-60R Seahawk and a V-22 Osprey. Aircrew and support personnel from bases in the gulf region, Europe and the U.S. are supporting the event.