U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Alayna Kindle, tactical communication technician of the 31st Communications Squadron base din Aviano, Italy participates in the Expeditionary Communications Roundup Exercise 2023 “XCOMM Roundup 2023” which tested the failure of primary, alternate and contingency communications forcing expeditionary communication teams to establish emergency communication in a culminating event, May 3, 2023 at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
The exercise underlines the readiness of expeditionary communications units to establish Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency situations as part of the Agile Combat Employment concept that XCOMM forces require to exercise force element command and control, movement, mission generation, joint and coalition interoperability in a contested communications environment.
One of 25 formal courses instructed throughout the exercise was led by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brayan Rivera Donald, transmission systems operator, 52nd Combat Communications Squadron. Rivera Donald provided a two-day course on how to establish high frequency radio transmissions in austere environments as part of a simulation for emergency communications when there is no ability to communicate with satellite.
“Each of the five clusters stemming from 15 units, to include the Royal Air Force had two members go through a two-day course on radio frequency transmissions,” said Rivera Donald.
“The course taught them the capability to mine for equipment in random locations in order to make communications across the world and transmit frequencies across thousands of miles with just wire.”
Rivera Donald, credited Air Force Civilian Mike Whitman, the expeditionary communications director with teaching him the capability and enabling him to pass the course on to others in the expeditionary communication community.
“In the culminating scenario of the exercise, their contingency operating site has been hit and there is no ability to communicate with the satellite,” said Rivera Donald.
Participants were each given a small backpack, a radio, minimal tools, wire, land navigation map and a compass to run to expediently evacuate their site, chart their points and re-establish their points within a short period of time.
“They are flowing electricity out of a kind of magic using whatever is available to them in their environment, the high frequency in the air and the ionosphere.” Rivera Donald added.
The Expeditionary Communications "XCOMM" Roundup Exercise 2023 hosted by the 5th Combat Communications Group, Robins AFB came to a close May 5, 2023. The Roundup Exercise brought together 250 exercise participants from 32 different units, 7 MAJCOMs, sister service, joint units and coalition partners. All units trained, demonstrated capabilities and proved tactics, techniques and procedures also known as TTPs that enable every Air Force Force Generation model (AFFORGEN) cycle. Interoperability and shared lessons learned was a common theme among participant after action reviews.
Participating units include the 1st Combat Communications Squadron out of Ramstein Air Force Base Germany, the 5th Combat Communications Group of the 688th Cyberspace Wing, the 226th Combat Communications Group ( Ohio and Pennsylvania Air National Guard, the 860th Cyber Operations Group, the 644th Combat Communications Squadron, the 253rd Cyberspace Engineering and Installation Group out of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and the 251st Cyberspace Engineering and Installation Group. Lead Wings in attendance included the 366th Communications Squadron, Air Combat Command, the 31st Communications Squadron, the 52nd Communications Squadron, the 86th Communications Squadron U.S. Air Force Europe, the 18the Communications Squadron, Pacific Air Force Command, the 85 Auxiliary Expeditionary Communications Units included the 1st ACOS, 621st CRSS, the 23rd STS, the 90th Signals Unit (Royal Air Force), the 527nd Space Aggressors and the Joint Communications Support Element.
| Date Taken: | 05.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.11.2023 14:18 |
| Photo ID: | 7790613 |
| VIRIN: | 230504-F-DH023-437 |
| Resolution: | 1365x2048 |
| Size: | 412 KB |
| Location: | ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 71 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
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