1st Combat Comm joins 17th Air Force in supporting presidential visit

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Jim Fisher
  • 17th Air Force Public Affairs
ACCRA, Ghana --  Setting up forward communications is the bread and butter of the 1st Combat Communications Squadron. The unit routinely deploys to remote and bare-base environments to set up communications from scratch. On arrival at Accra, Ghana June 30, the team was met with their standard challenges - austere conditions and little infrastructure. The mission itself, however, was a little more unique than usual. This time, they would be supporting the President of the United States.

"It's a massive honor to be selected for this mission," said Senior Airman Kirk Rodgers, a network control technician, as he watched preparations for the President's arrival at Kotoka International Airport July 10. "Up till now we've been focused on our mission. When you are working on a computer, working on a router, you don't really think about it. But the heart of the mission is the fact that the President Obama is coming to Ghana. Now, seeing this, you really see what it's all about. As it all comes together, it's really powerful."

The troops from the 1st Combat Comm adopted the mantra of "putting phones on target" and joined with more than 150 Airmen and Marines in Accra and over 1,000 Sailors and Marines aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), to form a task force to support the President's visit, which concluded July 11.

The historic mission was planned and conducted by 17th Air Force, also known as Air Forces Africa, at Ramstein, Germany. Seventeenth Air Force is the air component for U.S. Africa Command.

Included in the task force were aerial port and aircraft maintenance teams, along with forward communications, medical, helicopter support, early warning and air domain safety and security elements to support the President's visit. This was his first to sub-Saharan African continent since taking office in January.

The communications capabilities supplied by Combat Comm were extensive, according to Officer In Charge 1st Lieutenant A.J. De La Fuente. Upon arrival, his team began providing for a range of communications capabilities, including internet, land-line telephone services, network administration, and radio.

"We pretty much have a hand in every form of communications outside of the commercial cell phones," the Lieutenant said. "When the rubber meets the road, it's really awesome to see it all working out well."

The Lieutenant cited the quality of expertise and performance on his team for making this happen.

"This is my A-team, the cream of the crop, and that's what they do," Lieutenant De La Fuente said. The team is a mix of qualified technicians on their first deployment and experienced experts who have set up similar operations again and again. But for everyone, this mission is "a pretty big deal."

The Lieutenant, who was taking part in his first deployment, said the experience was very gratifying.

"It's nice to know that there are professionals that work hard and get the job done," the Lieutenant said.

Tech. Sgt. Scott Dorofee, who serves as the team's facilities chief, said the group gained valuable experience for future deployments as well: expect the unexpected.

"You probably will never be completely prepared," Sergeant Dorofee said. "The biggest thing we can do is to pass on what we learn here to the next group so that maybe the little bit that we don't get gets smaller and smaller each time. You have to go with what you have."

Challenges overcome by the team included gaining access to the Global Information Grid and making it through each of the way stations controlled by various network control centers across the DoD. Pinpointing the sticking points in traversing the GIG required diligence and determination, according to Lieutenant De La Fuente. But as Sergeant Dorofee explained, improvising on the part of the "A-team" got the job done.

"These guys are so smart, they are the backbone," Sergeant Dorofee said, referring to his team. "We had some issues setting up part of the network, and they found a workaround. They've done great."

Col. Mark Vijums, normally the commander of 17th's 404th Air Expeditionary Group at Ramstein, is leading the task force in Ghana. He said communications support was integral to successful operations in Ghana.

"There is no higher priority mission than this. The eyes and ears of the world are upon us and we need to have the conduit of Combat Comm here to help us maintain worldwide connectivity. Once we were up, our connectivity was flawless. They certainly did a tremendous job," Colonel Vijums said

Now that President Obama has departed, the team will dismantle the networks and other capabilities they assembled here and, according to Lieutenant De La Fuente, they will leave satisfied with a job well done and a sense of partnership with their new Ghanaian friends.

"I'm really thankful to be on a mission of such notoriety with such qualified professionals across the spectrum," the Lieutenant added, noting that in addition to fostering teamwork on the Task Force, the mission also enhanced the partnership with the Ghanaians. "They are going out of their way to be helpful. It's really a pleasure to work with them."