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A small nestle of tents with overarching satellites was the scene at the 1st Combat Communications Squadron’s Healthy Star exercise at Bitburg Air Base.
For one week, 35 communicators treat Bitburg like a deployed location where they set up their equipment as if they are supporting a camp of 500 customers. Within hours, the Airmen established secure and non secure e-mail, Internet, telephone lines, DSN lines, video teleconference capability and a radio navigation system for aircraft.
The exercise was designed to keep 1st CBCS Airmen sharp on operating their equipment and to give young officers the opportunity to lead in between real-world deployments, said Lt. Col. Joe Sublousky, 1st CBCS squadron commander.
“Our buildings on Ramstein should never be full of people,” said Colonel Sublousky, who is authorized approximately 400 Airmen in his squadron. “Our job is to deploy and support missions in bare-base locations, so if we are home we should be busy training for that deployed mission.”
The 1st CBCS differs from a base communications squadron. The 435th Communications Squadron supports Ramstein Air Base with a full spectrum of secure and non secure communication needs. Meanwhile, 1st CBCS supports communication needs in deployed locations. They are the only deployable communications capability for U.S. Air Forces in Europe.
The Healthy Star exercises, conducted about every two months, are a way for 1st CBCS to grade themselves and make sure everyone is ready to accomplish the mission.
“Every time I come out, I learn something new,” said Senior Airmen Christopher Campbell, 1st CBCS technical controller. “If you are not on a real-world mission, the field is the next best environment for us to train in.”
In addition to phone lines and e-mail capabilities, the Airmen also installed a TACAN, a system designed for use at remote landing strips and forward operating areas. The system provides radio navigation information to aircraft, acting as a beacon to guide them safely into austere airfields, said Senior Airman Justin Cheeks, 1st CBCS Airfield Systems Flight.
Beside the TACAN, a mobile microwave landing system is also installed to provide highly reliable localizer and glideslope facilities for aircraft approach and landing at the airfield, said Staff Sgt. Steven Bauch, 1st CBCS Airfield Systems Flight.
As the camp is established, the communicators also ensure there are hot lines established with emergency responders in the host nation, said 2nd Lt. Keith Ross, Healthy Star commander.
The training pays off for 1st CBCS Airmen when they are deployed around the globe.
“The Healthy Star training helped me organize priorities when I arrive at a bare-base location,” said 1st Lt. Kenneth Malloy, who recently deployed to Niger with a 1st CBCS team. “I also learned about the importance of communicating with local nationals and building strong relationships. The training is essential to our mission.”
