Courtesy Photo | The 371st Sustainment Brigade Signal Detachment, Ohio National Guard Soldiers, Sgt....... read more read more
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By Spc. Zachary R. Fehrman
Ohio Army National Guard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As more than a million people gathered at the National Mall outside the Capitol building for 56th Presidential Inauguration, Jan. 20, the Ohio Army National Guard's 371st Sustainment Brigade Signal Detachment, Joint Incident Site Communications Capability team was providing communications support to the 168th Infantry Regiment, Iowa Army National Guard, as part of Task Force Train.
The JISCC team provided secure and unsecured Internet, Voice over Internet Protocol phone service and radio communications as part of TF Train, operating out of Gage Eckington Elementary School, just north of the Capitol.
"As a team, we are not successful unless the task force is successful. Our job is to find out what their needs and expectations are, and do our best to fulfill that role," said Capt. Don Flowers, the detachment commander.
Days earlier, as part of mission preparation, the team conducted a communications exercise in a small classroom at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., where the JISCC was completely assembled and tested.
The room filled with a dull whir as the Antenna Control Unit was powered up and illuminated with green indicator lights. Some of the cables attached ran out into the parking lot where Spc. Jeremiah Jones and Spc. Jerry Britt had set up the satellite that began its southerly scan for the host satellite. The other half were Category 5 cables that ran to VoIP phones that Sgt. William Walters tested.
"With any equipment, with a communications exercise or a mission, the more familiar you are with it, the more you get your hands on it- the better," said Walters, a detachment squad leader.
"These guys have done real, live missions in the past for Gustav, the FOC [Joint Task Force 73 Fully Operational Capable exercise], and annual training," said 1st Lt. Christian Kuntz, a platoon leader on his first mission with the team. "The first mission for me is about getting more familiar with the equipment and learning everyone's niche."
Once the equipment was checked and any technical or hardware issues fixed, the 11-man team loaded the gear back on the JISCC trailer and prepared to move to Gage Eckington Elementary School.
The trailer was packed with video teleconferencing equipment, VoIP phones, laptop computers, servers, generators and the satellite in large cases. The trailer is packed in such a way that no weight can be added without putting it off balance or out of Department of Transportation regulations. The JISCC Standard Operating Procedure manual, which Flowers and the detachment are constantly updating, diagrams specifically the order and placement of each bag and case, Flowers said.
When the team arrived at the school Jan. 18, they met with Sgt. Maj. Dan Cain, in charge of operations with the 168th Infantry, and decided to set up the tactical operations center, in a basement classroom of the large, run-down school.
The mission of the Iowa National Guard Soldiers was to provide hard cordons to guide bus traffic to and from the Mall near the Capitol building, ws well as providing cordons for pedestrian traffic to the inaugural attendees.
The JISCC team encountered more problems than usual with the set-up at the school, which "Our record is 1:45, so it taking a day and a half is just painful."
A lot of the problem was on the other end, at Camp Roberts, Calif. Because Camp Roberts controls many of the firewalls and allows the JISCC satellite to access their satellite, many processes were delayed, according to Staff Sgt. Brian Nagy, the non-commissioned officer-in-charge.
"They had some issues getting things up and running, but we are very grateful," Cain said. "This equipment is new to us, and they have really been working hard."
Having Internet and access to Army Knowledge Online helped the Iowa unit use templates and plans they had created in their home state and apply them at the TOC. It also helped to have VoIP phones and multiple types of radios that could be used during the operations, Cain said.
One way the JISCC team ensures radio and phone communication is the Wide Area Information System. The WAIS works as port for a radio or phone to call, and be patched through to a similar of different signal.
The operations began at 11 p.m., Jan. 19, to allow Iowa Soldiers to get into position prior to high numbers of pedestrians and cars that traveling to the Mall on Inauguration Day.
"Stay focused. If they're not successful, we aren't successful. If they're successful, no one else will care that we are here," Flowers said.
The operations on Inauguration Day for the JISCC team continued throughout the day, ensuring that the patrols could check in with the TOC and report any incidents or emergencies. The VTC device also allowed for those in the TOC to pause while the new commander-in-chief took the oath of office and addressed the nation, as well as monitor other national news.
The operation ended and the JISCC team quickly packed the cases and wrapped cords to prepare them to be skillfully load back into the trailer.
"It was a really great experience for us. They've really been great to work with and provided all the support we needed," Cain said.
| Date Taken: | 01.26.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 01.26.2009 15:22 |
| Story ID: | 29284 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 199 |
| Downloads: | 153 |
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