Westover is first in AFRC to receive JISCC system

  • Published
  • By Andre Bowswer
  • 439 Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. --    Communications squadron reservists notched another first for the Patriot Wing in April with the first field exercise of a new mobile communications package conducted at an Air Force Reserve Command base.
  The Airmen put their new Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC) system to the test, said Capt. Jeremy Downer, 439th Communications Squadron officer in charge. He and a group of communications Airmen started the field exercise the morning of April 1 by rolling out components of the mobile communications kit, all of which fit inside of a 19-foot trailer and on the back of two flat-bed trucks.
  An extensive set up kicked off the exercise at 8:30 a.m., including satellite and antennae arrays; a tent that serves as the mobile command center, as well as a variety of communications equipment. The demonstration started in the early afternoon once the Airmen built a mock emergency site in a grassy field on base.
  The ravages of a raging hurricane several years ago left more than scarred lands in the southeastern portion of the country. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the lesson of stronger communications between different agencies left its mark, too.
  The National Guard built the JISCC to make the job of responding to natural or man-made disasters a little easier. Now AFRC is adapting the capability to allow its bases flexible emergency response communications.
  The JISCC is a communications innovation born after Hurricane Katrina in response to the challenges faced by multiple agencies in communicating with each other, Captain Downer said. It came about as a marriage of technology and common sense, created after failed communications attempts between military branches and government agencies responding to the devastation caused by the 2005 hurricane, he said.
  Captain Downer said that with Westover being the first AFRC base to receive the emergency package, the new capability will allow communications squadron Airmen to respond on site with a command post in a box should an incident arise that requires it.
  "Hurricanes, floods -- whatever we would be asked to do inside or outside the wire, we can do with this system," he said.
JISCC includes satellite equipment, communications terminals and devices; a 30-foot antennae, a trailer and tent. It cost more than $300,000 to field each JISCC package, but the capability provided is immeasurable for organizations responding to disasters to save lives and property, Captain Downer said.
  The efficiency of the new system was on display in a simulated emergency setting that required the constant flow of vital information. Its ability to allow agencies to communicate seamlessly proved its value, he said.
  The JISCC includes satellite connection capabilities using the latest Department of Defense technology; radio systems compatible with those of other military and government agencies; local area networking capabilities for laptops to access the Internet and other key networks; video teleconferencing capabilities; a collection of portable radios; as well as trailers, tents and generators, which render the system entirely self sufficient.
  "It is all necessary to combat the unforeseen with information; for natural or man-made disasters whenever and wherever they may strike," Captain Downer said.
  The system has been used by other military and government agencies. Plans call for 11 other AFRC bases to eventually receive the mobile communications package, he said.
  Westover communications Airmen first started training with the mobile communications kit in February, after receiving the final pieces in the extensive package. Those drills led to the first of many field exercises.
  Tech. Sgt. Peter J. Murphy, JISCC noncommissioned officer-in-charge, said his squadron introduced an AFRC innovation to the package by re-purposing a trailer on base as a central mobile unit for some of the equipment.
  "Otherwise, we would have to carry all of the equipment in and out of the tent," Sergeant Murphy said.
Wires, fed through a hole in the trailer, connected the larger communications equipment to work stations set up inside of the mobile command tent, erected mere feet from the trailer. Inside the tent, work stations were set up on a padded platform with laptops, telephones and a large television for video teleconferences, as well as a few creature comforts.
  "The tent is rigged so that we have lighting ... heat and air conditioning depending on where we deploy; it's a self-contained command post," said Tech. Sgt. David Halat, who works in network support for the squadron. "If we have a disaster where communications are down, the JISCC allows us to get in and let all the different entities involved in disaster response communicate effectively."
  During the April 1 exercise, Sergeant Murphy said about nine squadron members assisted in the set-up, running of the exercise, as well as the breakdown of the equipment in the end.
  "The package is such that it doesn't take a lot of people to set it up; all of the equipment is a two-man lift at most," Sergeant Murphy said. "We could do it with a lot less people, but it's easier the more you have -- and it's good for training."
  After an exercise in which the potential loss of human life is lessened or averted on the tail of a mock-natural or man-made disaster, the sense of accomplishment rested easily on the faces of the communications squadron's Airmen.
  Captain Downer was honored to lead the charge in AFRC, and it was a distinction that he felt was well deserved by Westover.
  "We are leaders in excellence," he said. "We received this package because the command has a great deal of trust and confidence in Westover."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Tech. Sgt. Andrew Biscoe contributed to this story. For a video of the JISCC exercise please visit www.westover.afrc.af.mil/news/video/index.asp?cid=320&sid=12503.