JMAST Supports Maritime Security Operations

Courtesy Photo | Operation Lifeline officers utilize the Joint Mobile Ashore Support Terminal (JMAST) Mediterranean operations center during Pakistan relief efforts. Thanks to JMAST, U.S. and coalition forces at Disaster Assistance Center Pakistan (DAC-PAK) were able to send and receive naval messages, and keep Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) updated as to the progress of the humanitarian relief effort. 'We were the communications for the operation, period,' said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Sharon Walters, JMAST leading petty officer. U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Chief Operations Specialist Darrell LaFrenz.  

MANAMA, BAHRAIN

04.20.2006

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

By Journalist 2nd Class Cassandra Thompson

MANAMA, Bahrain - Joint Mobile Ashore Support Terminal (JMAST) Mediterranean located on Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain returned from a 175-day deployment to earthquake-hit Pakistan April 3.

JMAST is a self-contained, mobile Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) system that provides Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) the ability to command and control assigned forces via video, voice and data media forms during all aspects of joint military operations. JMAST provides deployable connectivity for a joint task force commander, with naval forces afloat and other services.

During their deployment to Pakistan, the 10-member JMAST team at Chakala Air Base was the sole communications hub for the joint forces Disaster Assistance Center (DAC-PAK) in Islamabad, led by Adm. Michael LeFever.

"We provided [Defense Switch Network] phones, secure fax capabilities, NIPRnet [the unclassified network], SIPRnet [the classified network] and VTC [video-teleconferencing]," explained Information Systems Technician 1st Class Sharon Walters, JMAST leading petty officer. "We were the communications for the operation, period."

JMAST, which is normally 80 percent operational as the backup communications hub for NAVCENT, was on the ground in Pakistan supporting the U.S. humanitarian mission three days after the earthquake hit. Chief Operations Specialist Darrell LaFrenz, JMAST leading chief petty officer, said that setting up the JMAST and coordinating communications with units scattered across the ravaged region was challenging and physically taxing at times.

"I think the person who went the least without sleep was up for about 32 hours straight," said LaFrenz, from Kalama, Wash. "Everybody else was up longer than that. In the beginning, it was very chaotic. My guys were running around, getting up in the middle of the night. We were sending out 40 [naval] messages a day. Typically our network has 20 SIPR and 20 NIPR machines. By the time [the mission] was done, we had 80 machines running to support everybody."

Lt. Jay Helvig, JMAST officer in charge, said the living arrangements that greeted his team and their ability to work through it was a tribute to their dedication.

"We were living in tents, eating MREs [meals, ready-to-eat], that sort of thing," said Helvig, from Chesapeake, Va. "But you look at what happened there: 75,000 people killed, 300 million now homeless, and you can't help but put up with the no [toilets] and no showers."

Helvig said even though the communications network, which includes computers, phones, faxes, a generator and a satellite connection, kept his team on their toes. They routinely sacrificed their off-duty hours to help the earthquake victims on a more personal level.

"Each one of my personnel had the opportunity to go up in helos and take a look at some of the places that were flattened," said Helvig. "We helped unload humanitarian aid, load wounded onto helicopters, carry gurneys. People put in some long days to be able to do that, but it was just an amazing thing to participate in something that was for humankind vice what we oftentimes train for in the military."

LaFrenz said the deployment was marked by many successes. The JMAST team set up their equipment at Chaquala Air Base and were operational 32 hours after receiving word of the deployment, he said. They flawlessly moved their equipment from the air base to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, when the onset of winter and personnel safety became an issue, and worked through the night to ensure that the move did not aversely affect communications.

"In less than 24 hours, we brought everything down, moved it all to the Embassy and set it up again," LaFrenz related. "We were up and running in less than a day."

"We had an advancement, a petty officer that made first class and got frocked out in Pakistan," added Walters. "And we had a retirement ceremony; the member actually went home from Pakistan."

The JMAST team credits their success to teamwork, flexibility and training.

"I'm extremely proud of my team and the can-do spirit they exhibited throughout the mission to make things happen," said Helvig. "Everybody stepped out of their rate to learn JMAST. Everybody had a unique skill set they brought to the table. It was really amazing."

• Date Taken: 04.20.2006
• Date Posted: 04.20.2006 17:40
• Story ID: 6080
• Location: MANAMA, BH