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Mission essential: Communications key to success

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Charles
  • 379 Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  We've all been there - a thunderstorm knocks out communication lines and life comes to a complete stop. Minutes go by like days as we wait for the network to be repaired, sitting-often literally--in the dark.

Without communications, military orders, threats or even emergency situations may not be conveyed properly. This could result in a failure to accomplish mission objectives.

To mitigate this, reinforcing existing communication lines or establishing new ones on installations throughout Southwest Asia is a mission one group of Airmen aren't afraid to run to ground.

Recently, the A67 Engineer and Installation Team, an arm of the communications staff at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center here, met to do just that. The team of eight Air National Guardsmen quickly replaced an above-ground tactical fiber run, which is a cable that provides connectivity from one section of the base to the other.

The team worked for four days to replace the more than 2,000-foot communications line with a permanent and more secure underground conduit, according to Chief Master Sgt. James Pusey, A67/E&I superintendent deployed from the Pennsylvania ANG.

"The hours are long," said the Westchester, Pa., native. "However, we place the footprint for each installation to grow. Due to our Airmen's work here, this installation will be able to offer newer and stronger security measures that it wasn't able to offer previously."

The engineer and installation team doesn't just work on established bases--it also plays an important role in establishing new bases.

"When there is a communication requirement for a newly established base they call on us," said Senior Master Sgt. Mark Faucher, A67/E&I team lead. "Each person on our team has different skill sets which helps them to work efficiently and quickly to establish the communication that is needed in order to successfully carry out the military's and our coalition partner's missions."

For these Airmen, speed is important when establishing a new forward operating base. Generally, Airmen from a combat communications squadron will lay a temporary communications framework until the base has become established and secure. If necessary, members of the E & I team then replace the temporary communication lines with permanent ones.

"We are fighting the war on a different front," said Maine Air National Guardsman Senior Airman Andrew Swan, A67/E&I installations journeyman from Butchden, Maine. "Communication is always at the forefront of security."

According to base officials, without the men and women who make this possible, the U.S. military and coalition partners serving our country could be susceptible to several threats.

"Everyone relies on communication," Airman Swan said.

"We are helping people to communicate," said Airman 1st Class Christian Blaydon, a native of Horsham Township, Pa., deployed from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. "You wouldn't be able to accomplish anything without being able to communicate."

Foucher said he is proud of the work his team has accomplished.

"I've been doing this for over 21 years," said the Philadelphia native. "This is one of the best teams I've had the pleasure of working with. I demand a lot of them and they deliver every time."