Retired chief master sergeant, Franklin native, provides Global Hawk communications support in Southwest Asia

Published Feb. 15, 2010
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Communications on the RQ-4 Global Hawk, an unmanned aerial vehicle, is the critical link in keeping the aircraft flying to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability for deployed operations. In the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Mark Sanders is one of several RQ-4 communicators who keep the aircraft ready for its next combat mission.

Mr. Sanders, a GS-11 Department of Defense civilian employee and a retired chief master sergeant, works through the Air Force Engineering and Technical Services supporting the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Hawk aircraft maintenance unit at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia.

"My job requires that I ensure daily ground communications support for the Global Hawk," said Mr. Sanders, whose home unit is the 101st Air Operations Group at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. "I'm directly responsible for sustaining the command and control link to the aircraft during all launch and recovery missions. The Global Hawk is an unmanned aerial vehicle which requires ground communication links to control and maneuver. I work as a technical advisor to the blue-suit technicians assigned to Global Hawk here in Southwest Asia."

According to its Air Force fact sheet, the Global Hawk complements manned and space reconnaissance systems by providing near-real-time coverage using imagery intelligence or IMINT, sensors. The Global Hawk system consists an integrated sensor suite, launch and recovery element, or LRE, mission control element, or MCE, sensors, communication equipment mission planning equipment, support element and trained personnel such as Mr. Sanders. The IMINT sensors include synthetic aperture radar, electro-optical and medium-wave infrared sensors.

The LRE, located at the aircraft base with the aircraft, launches the aircraft until handoff to the MCE contains functions required to launch, recover and operate an aircraft while en route to or from the target area. The LRE contains one pilot station providing the capability to operate one aircraft with no sensor operations.

"The system offers a wide variety of employment options for the ISR mission," said Mr. Sanders, whose hometown is Franklin, N.C. "The RQ-4 is a long range UAV airframe and its capabilities allow for tremendous flexibility in meeting mission requirements."

Mr. Sanders served on active duty in the Air Force for 24 years - retiring as a chief master sergeant three years ago. He said he is proud to continue to serve as a DOD civilian in the deployed theater of operations.

"I've been serving since I was 17 years old," Mr. Sanders said. "I enjoy deploying and going to where the real-world mission exists every day. We truly make a difference.

"As far as deploying, it's different deploying as a civil service employee," he said. "I live and work with the Air Force and I still wear a uniform...but sometimes I just miss my chief stripes on my sleeve."

In 2009, Global Hawks deployed to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing completed more than 360 combat sorties capturing more than 124,000 images supporting operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. In early February, 380th AEW Global Hawks surpassed more than 30,000 combat flying hours and 1,500 combat sorties since they first arrived at this base in 2001.

"It's an honor to be a part of this," the retired chief said. "Whether as a DOD civilian or active duty, we're here to serve and support the warfighter."

The 380th AEW is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia.