RAF MILDENHALL, England -- The 100th Communications Squadron won the 2018 Lt. Gen. Harold W. Grant Award for Best Small Communications Squadron in United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa.
The award honors information dominance and cyberspace units for sustained superior performance and professional excellence. The 100th CS also won the award in 2015.
The 100th CS provides network, telephone, radio, cyber security, records management and cyber plans for all mission partners on RAF Mildenhall, which includes the 352d Special Operations Wing, the 488th Intelligence Squadron and the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron. They are also the central hub for seven other bases in the United Kingdom.
“This year’s package highlighted our squadron’s broad scope of responsibility,” said Chief Master Sgt. Jeremy Linder, 100th Communications Squadron chief enlisted manager. “Every Airman knows that no idea is off the table. We are operationally focused and have a culture that is innovative. We’re not your typical comm squadron. We work with everybody.”
In 2018, the 100th CS innovated and improved processes across the base. Specifically, the records management section eliminated additional duties for 840 Airmen and saved over 3,000 man-hours. They also created a virtual UK-wide Defense Reutilization and Marketing System that re-utilized $3.4 million in equipment.
“We took the time to align all our lines of effort with the higher headquarters all the way up to the National Defense Strategy,” Linder said. “Our innovations and process improvements were taken by the Secretary Chief Information Officer as a benchmark for their Air Force-wide rapid improvement event.”
The radio team created a zero-cost land mobile radio network to assure communication in a degraded environment, and the cyber team devised a mobile shared drive to eliminate paper and cut-down on administrative hours.
“We have bold Airmen of character here and their drive is unreal,” said Maj. Erica Fountain, 100th Communications Squadron commander. “They know what’s at stake if they do not act, so every day they come to work willing to make sure the missions go off without a hitch. The award is an incredible recognition of the kind of men and women that I have in this organization. I’m super happy for them to be recognized.”