Photo By Richard Maupin | Members of the Joint Communications Support Element, embarked on the Joint High-Speed...... read more read more
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. – On May 29, four members of the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command’s Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE) departed Naval Station Mayport, Florida, embarked on the USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) to provide communications expertise during the ship’s maiden voyage to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).
JCSE members are participating in a USSOUTHCOM mission, called Southern Partnership Station-Joint High Speed Vessel (SPS-JHSV) 2014, to build partner capacity with nations in the Caribbean and Central and South America.
SPS-JHSV 14 will focus on enhancing cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services and improving operational readiness for all participating services. In addition, SPS-JHSV 14 will provide the opportunity for U.S. and partner nation forces to operate in the multinational environment, refine coordination and improve interoperability and demonstrate flexibility.
The USNS Spearhead, which just recently completed a mission supporting similar operations in the U.S. Africa Command/U.S. European Command AOR, offers an affordable, fast, flexible and maneuverable ship ideal for rapid intra-theater transport of troops and military equipment for a wide range of missions including maneuver and sustainment, humanitarian assistance and special operations support. JCSE, which has gained ample operational experience in providing communications support aboard a variety of maritime platforms, is looking forward to working on the U.S. Navy’s newest and first joint high-speed vessel.
“This mission will enhance JCSE’s ability to provide world-class communications because of the enhanced features this newer class of ship provides,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Chance Geray, the commander of JCSE’s 1st Joint Communications Squadron, whose personnel are participating in this operation. “The physical layout of the transmission and communications areas will allow a much more rugged infrastructure.”
In addition to the JCSE personnel embarked on board, the USNS Spearhead will carry a command element, and military training teams from the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and civilian personnel representing Military Sealift Command.
Assigned units will focus on locally-identified needs, such as port security, noncommissioned officer professional development, operational risk management, medical readiness, outboard motor maintenance and patrol craft operation, among others.
JCSE, in particular, is employing an Initial Entry Package (IEP) afloat on the USNS Spearhead to provide secure and non-secure network access, voice and video teleconferencing capabilities for up to eight personnel operating from the ship.
JCSE will also employ the JBLOX, the command’s newest communications package, which utilizes the latest virtual technology, for those teams operating ashore. Similar to the IEP, the JBLOX also provides secure and non-secure voice, data and video; However, this modular package can be scaled to mission requirements ranging from early entry communications up to the establishment of a joint task force.
“We continue to incorporate JBLOX into our missions,” said Geray. “This mission will use a JBLOX on shore and an IEP on the ship.”
JCSE’s versatile equipment combined with the vast experience of the command’s communicators brings a unique capability to those participating in the SPS-JHSV mission. JCSE will be able to access the Defense Information Systems Network from the USNS Spearhead’s antennae and store full motion video from various unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to a video server located at JCSE headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. This will allow the SPS-JHSV teams to view full motion video feeds in real time.
“This deployment will collect, process and distribute full motion video from active UAS sensors in near real time by leveraging capabilities in our Joint Network Operations Center back in Tampa,” said Geray.
JCSE hopes to provide first class execution and support from its teams, both afloat and ashore, leading to enhanced preparation for future exercises and real-world missions in the USSOUTHCOM AOR.
“This mission will provide the team with an opportunity to deploy with units who regularly support humanitarian assistance/disaster relief operations,” said Geray. “Ultimately, this deployment will enhance the knowledge and experience of our members in preparation for potential future missions.”
JCSE will support the entirety of SPS-JHSV 14, which is planned to last May – October 2014 with planned visits to include Belize, Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras.
| Date Taken: | 06.18.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.19.2014 10:20 |
| Story ID: | 133641 |
| Location: | NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 616 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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