the electronic flight charts (electronic flight bag) for aircraft flight crews and collaboration on the pending migration of all ANG units to the Defense Enterprise Email that serves as a Total Force email application. Senior Airman Joshua Harvey, SIPRNET administrator, integrated Voice Over Secure IP technology and configured a management server for all General Dynamics communications equipment used by the PRANG, while completely revising some network management structures for more efficient operations. He also upgraded software for their network management devices. According to Harvey, “Being able to work with others and networking with the PRANG has been very rewarding.” Staff Sgt. Joshua Patterson worked with the wireless transmission systems and programmed duress capabilities on all security forces radios, while also programming radio identification functions. But Patterson didn’t leave Puerto Rico empty-handed. He received training on procedures to program the emergency services band radios and will bring back this expertise to the 165th AW. The team’s newest member, Airman 1st Class William Martins, worked in the Communications Focal Point’s help desk function, where he assisted with trouble tickets, updated iPads, created user accounts and installed software. Martins, a traditional Guardsman and a student at Georgia Gwinnett College, commented on his first deployment, “I want to go on a deployment ever year. This was great training for all of us.” A team of experts in Cyber Transport Systems included Master Sgt. David Hoffman, Tech. Sgt. Willie Remigio and Tech. Sgt. Joshua Miracle. They spent their deployment working through infrastructure trouble tickets, AFSC training, performing inspections, troubleshooting network issues, and connecting new network capabilities. Master Sgt. Hoffman commented, “It was a beautiful place to work and help a sister unit out and exchange experiences.” Technical Sgt. Maurlen Flanders, a Knowledge Operations
Specialist, helped reorganize the 156th CF’s file plans and electronic records. This was her first time in Puerto Rico. She observed, “It’s hard to find a better place to work.” Fifteen personnel, half of the 165th CF, participated in this mission in order to obtain readiness skills training, duty related training and to ensure professional proficiency. Although individual members of the 165th CF have deployed on a regular basis, this was the first time the unit has conducted a deployed for training, as a group, in about ten years. Lt. Col. Will Newson, commander of the 165th CF, says “The Air National Guard is now at a point where DFTs are truly value added for cyberspace units. In the past, the cyber and information systems used throughout the ANG were very diverse and dissimilar. Today, we have a unification of technologies and effort. For instance all USAF and ANG units are migrating to a single network (AFNET), have standardized data center systems and are implementing consistent telecommunications technologies and structures. This consistency offers greater opportunity to deploy and train with other wings in a manner that is far more effective than in previous years. In the past, Airmen would return from a DFT with many ideas for new IT equipment that could be purchased (i.e.…more shiny objects). Now, the net impact is Airmen returning to the unit with better ideas for process improvement, more effective and efficient use of technologies, better program management skills, improved leadership skills, and enhanced mission effectiveness.” Lt. Col. Newson continued, “As we continue to unify our cyberspace technologies throughout the USAF, the more our cyberspace professionals will be able to concentrate and train on operationally focused tactics, techniques and procedures. DFTs such as this will occur more frequently, as they now provide the capability to directly support training for the way we operate. We are grateful to the 156th Communication Flight for their tremendous support and to Senior Master Sgt. Ron Jackson for orchestrating this event.”
September 2015 | 4