Air Force EWOs protect servicemembers from IEDs

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman James Bolinger
  • CJTF-101 Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan --  Classified is the only word that can truly explain the job of a U.S. Air Force Electronic Warfare Officer in Afghanistan.

These men and women work directly with Coalition and International Security Assistance Forces supporting the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in the fight against the Taliban.

The job of an EWO is to combat the greatest danger to troops in Southwest Asia -- the Improvised Explosive Device. IEDs kill and injure more servicemembers than any other weapon employed by enemy forces.

The success of the counter-IED mission "is vital to countering enemy efforts to disrupt the ISAF mission, by helping protect friendly forces from IED attacks," said Maj. Dale Williams, Task Force Pheonix EWO.

Major Williams, an 18-year Air Force veteran, is on his first deployment as an EWO.

"This deployment has been rewarding, knowing that I have had even a small role in ensuring that friendly forces are better trained, equipped, and protected from IEDs as they conduct their missions," said Major Williams, who is deployed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

EWOs spend much of their time training troops on counter-IED devices they will use throughout their deployment.

"I teach (reception, staging, onward movement, and integration) classes for personnel in-processing to CJTF Phoenix concerning the electronic warfare equipment they may be using along with the (tactics, techniques, and procedures) associated with it," said Major Williams.

He added that the most important part of his job is ensuring that the Task Force he is attached to has the electronic warfare support it needs, whether it is training, fielding and management of equipment or integration of different types of assets

EWOs work closely with task force, brigade and battalion commanders to integrate air electronic warfare platforms in support of ground operations, said Lt. Col. Michael Linschoten, TF Paladin electronic warfare chief. Aerial platforms supporting counter-IED operations are vital to the safety of servicemembers fighting insurgents throughout Afghanistan.

The EWOs of TF Paladin take joint and combined operations to new levels for Airmen. EWOs train all U.S. servicemembers and many foreign-nation servicemembers attached to the TFs they support.

"We have EWOs who have trained Polish and Italian personnel, and right now we are training Army EWO in an effort to make the Army self-sufficient in electronic warfare and counter-IED operations," said Colonel Linschoten.

Airmen assumed the electronic warfare mission for Afghanistan from the Navy and plan to eventually hand over responsibility to the Army at the brigade and battalion levels. Until then, Airmen will stand watch over the servicemembers stationed in Afghanistan.

"We will leave this theater in a far better position in this fight than we found it, all in a short six months," said Major Williams. "I am very proud of all that we have done and I am proud to have been deployed with such an outstanding group of people."