Courtesy Photo | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Aaron Solis, an Intelligence Imagery Analyst with the 217th...... read more read more
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RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – When U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Aaron Solis enlisted in the Michigan Air National Guard’s 110th Wing nearly 16 years ago, he never thought he’d be where he is today, serving at the 603d Air Operations Center (AOC), Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
The 603d AOC provides planning and directing initiatives, and assesses operational level command and control of integrated air, space, and cyber power in support of two combatant commands: U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM). The facility has been Solis’ workplace for the past six months.
“I joined the 110th WG at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Michigan in 2005, mostly as a way to pay for college,” Solis said. “I started as an A-10 Thunderbolt II weapons maintainer, but when the A-10s were reassigned to another base in 2009, I had to find something else.”
Pushing through moments of doubt, Solis seized the opportunity to become an Intelligence Imagery Analyst with the 217th Air Operations Group, a component of the 110th Wing also based at Battle Creek with a rare mission to provide reserve-component augmentation for the 603d AOC.
“I found a career I liked,” said Solis. “I love what I do – and I’m good at it.”
Over the past five years, Solis’ high-demand skillset has taken him around the world. A six-month deployment to Qatar in 2017 was followed in 2018 with work in Germany and in Latvia. He has also served stints at Department of Defense facilities in Alabama, Virginia, and Florida.
With deep reservoirs of experience like his, Solis points out that Air National Guard members can provide mission-critical continuity, stability, and backfill when called upon to augment their active duty counterparts – especially in dynamic, high-pressure environments like the 603d AOC. The Michigan Air National Guard presently has about a dozen members activated at Ramstein Air Base.
“Since 2018, I have been coming out [to Ramstein AB] to support the 603d AOC about once a year, never for less than three months at a time,” Solis says. “I have been able to lend insight to long-running issues, providing instant expertise and leadership without the long spin-up that comes with an inbound active duty Airman. I am also able to keep up to date on the current processes here and then provide training to the drill status members back in Michigan.”
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact normal workflow process and manning procedures, Solis says these last few months have presented new challenges that make that continuity even more important.
“It’s been a rough year for everyone, but I’ve been happy to be here during this time,” Solis said. “I’ve had to step in several times with the experience of a non-commissioned officer when the team needed me; overall, I have been extremely impressed with the way everyone here has accomplished the mission even with an ever-increasing workload and fluctuating [COVID-19 risk-mitigation] protocols on and off-base.”
Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, Solis says he has found new gratification this year in his work with the European Partnership Integration Enterprise (EPIE). EPIE collaboratively paves the way in coalition intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, melding the capabilities of intelligence professionals from multiple NATO ally countries under one roof.
Solis participated in the first EPIE field deployment in Latvia in 2018, led by the Michigan Air National Guard, which has had a flourishing link with Latvia under the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program since 1993. His recent work has involved the refinement of processes and workflow between EPIE, NATO Allied Air Command, and the 603d AOC.
“Building those relationships to recognize and leverage our NATO partners’ experience and talent is the most rewarding part of the job,” said Solis. “Those partnerships are the way forward.”
He has also been involved with Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Dynamic Execution (IDEX), an intuitive web-based application built to enable both strategic-level thinkers and tactical-level warfighters to task, monitor, and re-task active and future intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
“IDEX is considered an innovative program,” Solis said. “It’s changing the way ISR tasking is done.”
While IDEX was developed for use in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, Solis has been working to adapt it for USEUCOM and USAFRICOM requirements, and to help make it usable for all combatant commands.
With the advantages of experience, continuity, and long-term relationships, Air National Guard members like Solis continue to be recognized for their innovative contributions to Department of the Air Force initiatives, as evidenced by the christening of the Kelly Johnson Joint All-Domain Innovation Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan in September 2020. The center is a venue for service members and industry partners to solve problems, apply technology solutions, and solve crucial needs.
More than a decade after his unexpected career field change, Solis now sees opportunities to literally shape the future with his own innovative solutions each time he puts on the uniform.
“I am happy to learn and grow in my career, and of course, have opportunities to travel the world,” Solis said. “I have made a lot of lasting friendships and I am thankful to have had an opportunity to support the teams I’ve been a part of – the journey has been worth it.”
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2021 05:56 |
| Story ID: | 389467 |
| Location: | RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 569 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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