NCTAMS PAC Individual Augmentee Experience: Q&A with LT Erik Morales, USN

Photo By Lt.j.g. Erica Kobashigawa | NCTAMS PAC is pleased to introduce LT Erik Morales. LT Morales is currently serving as an Individual Augmentee (IA) at Camp Lemonnier and we are thrilled to hear about his experiences in this Question and Answer (Q&A).  

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04.26.2023

Courtesy Story

Naval Information Forces

NCTAMS PAC is pleased to introduce LT Erik Morales. LT Morales is currently serving as an Individual Augmentee (IA) at Camp Lemonnier and we are thrilled to hear about his experiences in this Question and Answer (Q&A).

• What is your role and what experiences in your career prepared you to excel in your role?

I am currently Camp Lemonnier’s COMSEC Division Officer. My division provides communications security (COMSEC) support to tenant commands under USAFRICOM, (and sometimes to coalition partners) for missions across Africa. The missions we support at Camp Lemonnier range from Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) all the way to global peace operations initiatives that include anti-piracy and anti-terrorism operations. My experiences as the Cyber Officer, COMSEC Account Manager, and Information Systems Security Manager back on the USS CHAFEE, as well as, working in the Joint Fleet Telecommunications Operations Center (JFTOC) at the Naval Computers and Telecommunications Area Master Station Pacific (NCTAMS PAC), have proven useful for preparing me to manage and coordinate. As a collateral, I also serve as the officer representative for the Diversity Committee, which helps in remembering and initiating cultural and ethical changes, celebrate contributions of different people from many walks of life, from past to present, and continue to support equal opportunity for all service members and civilians. I have supported a number of initiatives, and most recently presented at CLDJ’s Women’s History Month celebration. It is rewarding to be able to support diversity and inclusion initiatives while deployed.

• What do you hope to learn while here? What types of professional growth opportunities are there?

I had hoped to learn how joint operations work and learn about other cultures. Camp Lemonnier definitely exposes you to so such because there are multiple branches of the U.S. military, coalition forces from partner nations, and the local Djiboutian populace working here. Depending on one’s occupation and workload, multiple professional growth opportunities include: joint and coalition operations, contracting work, and courses to take as well as certifications to attain with the help of the University of Maryland Global Campus and fellow certified troops teaching courses, among others. I have taken a Security+ course taught by the Army and even by one of my own Sailors. I have also taken a ten-week French language course taught by a local Djiboutian teacher that works here, along with native French speakers that visit from the nearby French base.

• What was most surprising about the pre-deployment process for you?

I volunteered for this deployment, so nothing really surprised me. My Command Individual Augmentee Coordinator (CIAC) along with my chain of command provided me enough time and resources to prepare for it. If anything, the one thing that did surprise me was that, I was issued another set of brown boots in pre-deployment processing.

• Not many sailors get the opportunity to fire weapons, ruck, or even perform counter-IED training. Why was ECRC important for you and what did you take away from that experience?

On top of being trained on multiple subjects to include comms, land navigation, weapons from pistols all the way to heavy machine guns, basic counter-IED training, tactical combat movements and casualty care, and basic convoy operations, ECRC was important in building camaraderie with the people you’re going downrange with. There is also the fact that some of the Sailors have never trained in some or any of these subjects before. I really appreciated the ECRC experience.

• Life at Camp Lemonnier is unlike back in the US, but still not like other GWOT tours to Iraq and Afghanistan—we have salons, gyms, and Pizza Hut. What is your quality of life like, and what are some of your favorite things to do?

Speaking just for myself who considers himself a minimalist, my quality of life here is similar to what I’m already used to, especially coming from a destroyer. There are a few minor things, but there’s generally more good around. We live in these Modified Shipping Container Express (CONEX) boxes known as Containerized Living Units (CLUs) with installed A/C, electrical outlets, lights, a phone, and internet connection, shared with one other person in the same room and “Ablution Units” which include sinks, toilets, and showers, on a separate CLU for communal use. It gets better after we move to “private” CLUs where you get your own room with a sink, share a shower, and a toilet with only one other person on a separate room on the other side. There is a concern of burn pits outside of Camp Lemonnier that causes smoke plumes on camp, but those can be managed by turning off the exhaust fan in the back of the CLU and wearing a mask when it starts. The food in the galley here is good and there’s always other alternatives like Pizza Hut and Subway that’s open 24/7. There are many sports and fitness programs to participate in gyms (I like going to HIIT class), the pool, and other open recreational fields. There is the Wardroom for officers, the Goat Locker for E-7 and above, and 11D multi-purpose building for anyone who wants to attend MWR-sponsored events, drink and snack, or just hang out in general. You can also go out in town given you have the approved paperwork and don’t go to prohibited areas. I definitely enjoy participating in karaoke at the Wardroom weekly and attend concerts at 11D when there are some. Last but not least, I can still communicate with my friends and family through online services, albeit I have to be careful due to OPSEC purposes.

• What is it like living in a desert climate and what types of unique wildlife have you seen?

Djibouti is one of the hottest places in the world and living here can be challenging. It gets humid since it is right next to major bodies of water. It doesn’t rain often, but when it does, prepare for an uptick of mosquitoes flying about. Trees are around, but they are very sparse. I got lucky to have a palm tree outside of my CLU providing shade. As far as wildlife, I’ve seen a pack of about twenty camels, random goats out in town, green parakeets, pigeons, an agama lizard the size of an iguana with Navy colors (gold head and blue tail), asp snakes (stay away from these as they’re venomous), your typical dogs and cats, and lots and lots of crows. In fact, one morning, I got the living daylights scared out me while walking on the third deck of one of the CLU blocks when two crows came flying out with a loud caw almost crashing into me. Some of them apparently sleep in between the CLUs at night. As long as you hydrate often, limit your skin exposure, and be on the lookout for dangerous animals, you’ll be fine.

• Deploying to a combat zone is something only a handful of Americans do. What does it mean for you to serve in this way?

It means a lot of things for me. I’m covering down for my buddies back in my parent command, some of which would have had a hard time here if they went instead. I’m supporting my country’s efforts in fighting the world’s problems from terrorist groups to natural disasters by bringing the fight closer to where the trouble is. I’m helping build good relationships with our coalition partners. In fact, I had the opportunity to go with my chief and two of my sailors on a French aircraft carrier to provide some assistance. I’m contributing to the cultivation of a force that finds strength in diversity. Finally, on a personal note along with my younger sister that’s also deployed elsewhere, we’re doing work that protects our friends and family.


LT Morales and other command members have dutifully supported many Individual Augmentation requests during the past couple of decades, and we are all proud of their sacrifices and steadfast dedication to the nation, Navy, and overall larger Joint Force.

• Date Taken: 04.26.2023
• Date Posted: 04.26.2023 16:45
• Story ID: 443441
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)