Photo By Heather Heiney | Capt. Paul McComas, 403rd Operations Support Squadron chief of wing intelligence,...... read more read more
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KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. – Much like a radar system can help detect potential threats to an aircraft, accurate and timely intelligence can help detect potential threats to a mission’s success.
The main responsibility of the 403rd Operations Support Squadron intelligence section is to provide threat briefings before a mission or deployment. These pre-mission and pre-deployment briefings are given to aircrew, staff and other deployers so they can be 100 percent prepared for deployment and can safely complete assigned missions. Members of the intelligence section even deploy with units to provide critical intelligence prior to every mission.
“The intel section plays a vital part in the overall mission of the 403rd Wing,” said Maj. Franklin Hogue, 403rd OSS senior intelligence officer. “We provide commander's update briefings and current intelligence briefings on a regular basis to keep senior leaders informed and provide them with decision advantage so they can safely execute the wing's missions and safeguard personnel.”
There is extensive research that goes into each threat briefing, and the intel members have to know all the relevant information for the mission at hand.
“Many people may not know that intel is a vital link that works hand in hand with tactics to ensure flying mission safety and success,” Hogue said. “Our briefings and debriefings provide valuable data to mission planners, and the info is constantly used to adjust routes and tactics to keep our personnel and equipment out of harm's way.”
“Typically we deal with a finite amount of time from the point we know a brief is needed to actually delivering it, and we collect as much up-to-date information as possible,” said Capt. Paul McComas, 403rd OSS chief of wing intelligence.
The intel section provides this information before every mission whether it’s real-world or for an exercise. For example, they were heavily involved in Green Flag Little Rock 17-05, a deployment exercise held at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, March 10-22, 2017. It was the largest Green Flag exercise to date, and the first time an Air Force Reserve unit led such an event.
“The exercise simulated a deployment operated out of Little Rock AFB, and we flew combat missions to simulated combat areas,” said Lt. Col. Stuart Rubio, 815th Airlift Squadron commander.
The joint exercise involved active-duty and Air Force Reserve components, which provided aerial support to U.S. Army troops in order to gain experience with ground and air operations in a combat zone.
“The Green Flag trip was a high ops-tempo deployment-like scenario,” McComas said.
During the exercise McComas led a group of six intelligence analysts, overseeing 267 pre-mission briefs in nine days.
“Identifying these threats to air operations before the mission launches allows the mission planning cell to adjust the route, making the mission safer for those flying,” he said. “The threat picture we provided the aircrew drove mission success because 278 people were airdropped and the unit had a high mission success rate.”
Intelligence analysts and officers also debrief aircrews when they return from a mission to capture any threats the crew encountered while flying. They then interpret that data, creating trend analysis patterns and plot those threats graphically on a map. Ultimately, the team identified the threats during Green Flag accurately and in a timely manner while 815th AS planes moved 506 tons of cargo and 130 passengers.
“That’s primarily what we’re here for is supporting the flying mission,” McComas said. “We help keep people safe and keep the flying mission going.”
He also said that one of the greatest challenges is managing multiple priorities, allocating resources accordingly and dealing with a dynamic environment.
Hogue said the part of his job he enjoys most is interacting with the people of the 403rd Wing.
“Intel is often a ‘behind the vault door’ type of job with no windows, so I enjoy when we get out and do briefings and support our awesome mission partners around the wing,” he said.
“No day is ever the same, and it’s rewarding to know I help keep people safe,” McComas said.
| Date Taken: | 12.27.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.27.2017 14:34 |
| Story ID: | 260331 |
| Location: | KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 161 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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