Photo By Staff Sgt. Renee Crugnale | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chavez Rollins, an RF Transmission Specialist and U.S. Air...... read more read more
MONTGOMERY, Ala. –The 226th Combat Communications Group (CCG) conducted a large-scale contested environment exercise, 5-8 September 2024. COPPERHEAD BEACON 2024 is an Expeditionary Communications (XCOMM) exercise built to simulate deploying units to support Agile Combat Employment (ACE) training objectives by operating tactical/expeditionary communications capabilities in a global area of responsibility (AOR). The increased coordination and synergistic relationships between disparate Total Force units and the AFFOR Communications Coordination Center (ACCC)
command entity is invaluable in preparing for the future fight.
The four-day exercise tested the ability of more than 20 Air National Guard (ANG), Active-Duty Air Force, and special operations communications units’ ability to coordinate and synchronize communications assets throughout Continental United States (CONUS) and Outside the Continental United States (OCONUS) locations, including Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Germany. The exercise simulated real-world scenarios in a contested environment to identify and address communication vulnerabilities in an increasingly competitive and complex operating environment.
"The lessons learned from this exercise will not only bolster our efficiencies as a tactical communications capability but provide a communications interoperability framework that can be refined to preserve critical expeditionary communications infrastructure in a near-peer/peer altercation," said MSgt Gordon Hallmark of the 226th Combat Communications Group. "We are able to conduct these joint training opportunities to best equip our units to work together, with a better understanding of any limitations and risks in a controlled environment.”
Effective communication in austere conditions can be critical to mission success. With evolving technology and potentially large theaters of operations, expeditionary communications units must ensure interoperability between legacy and new systems. The exercise provided valuable insights into the communication requirements such as Mobile User Objective System, High Frequency, and Integrated Waveform for supporting agile combat employment operations. It highlighted the critical role of combat communications in ensuring constant connectivity.
"We want our members to have the confidence to execute mission command in any scenario," said Maj. Jason McKenzie, Section Chief for Plans and Resources, 226th Combat Communications Group. "However, having the most current information boosts that confidence needed to move and conduct actions accordingly. This exercise provided a realistic test of our ability to work together and ensure our equipment functions effectively in a contested environment. If we can win in the communications domain, our Servicemembers, the Nation’s greatest asset, will be best equipped to make the defining difference in this era of Great Power Competition."
The key focus areas included communication pathways, synchronization, and interoperability across multiple operating bases. The 226 CCG operated the ACCC providing operational coordination and clear lines of reporting to higher-level headquarters for the following participating units: 5 CCG, 7 ASOS, 13 ASOS, 20 ASOS, 52 CS, 103 RQS, 156 CBCS, 224 JCSS, 232 CBCS, 263 CBCS, 265 CBCS, 269 CBCS, 271 CBCS, 280 SOCS,
282 CBCS, 283 CBCS, 290 JCSS, 292 CBCS, and 820 BDG.
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2024 12:43 |
| Story ID: | 480485 |
| Location: | ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 226 CCG conducts annual Copperhead Beacon XCOMM Exercise, by Capt. Michael Luangkhot, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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