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It was business as usual in terms of function but not location for the 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s Current Operations Integration Cell during exercise Agile Challenge Aug. 23 to 27 on Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern.
The command’s nerve center packed up and moved to a deployable rapid assembly shelter tent staked out at the barracks as part of exercise Agile Challenge 2010 Phase IIIB.
“It was our aim to make the move invisible to our subordinate units and higher headquarters,” said Col. Bob Gagnon, assistant chief of staff for operations. “People who reached us by phone or e-mail didn’t know we were operating somewhere without our fancy coffee pots and cushy chairs.”
Colonel Gagnon said AC 10 Phase IIIB was all about testing the unit’s continuity of operations. A continuity of operations is an organization’s plan of how to continue its operations during catastrophic events that would somehow disable the organization’s normal place of operation.
“A lot of agencies talk about COOP, but we stressed how to actually do it and did so,” Colonel Gagnon said. “We tested our plan and were able to identify some things we missed such as computer server and systems
compatibility.”
More than 135 Soldiers, civilians and contractors received the notification to leave the COIC on Panzer Kaserne with nothing more than a laptop in hand and become fully operational a few hours later.
“Our commanding general’s intent was to basically evacuate the COIC as if something had cut off all communications,” said Maj. Jay Cash, deputy chief of operations and COIC battle major.
Major Cash said the exercise met the requirement mandated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in which all federal agencies are required to implement their continuity of operations and be operational within a certain amount of time. That requirement also includes testing, training and exercising of personnel, equipment, systems, processes and procedures.
“We went a step further,” Major Cash said. “Normally, we would move into a facility with some established capabilities. We tested moving into a tent and establishing the physical structure in field conditions and integrating our COIC staff into that environment.”
The COIC is comprised of representatives from the 21st TSC staff as well as partner support agencies. In conducting its 24/7 operations and information processing, the COIC uses a myriad of complicated data and video systems.
Bringing that capability to life in the tent was the job of G6. The heart of that environment was setting up secure and non-secure Internet communications and a multitude of complicated data and video systems.
“Upon notification, we were up and running within the established time frame,” said Master Sgt. James Hall, operations NCOIC, information services. Sergeant Hall and a crew of more than 20 Soldiers and civilians provided miles of cable, video inputs, audio systems, servers, routers and other equipment to set up the network backbone.
“It was good training,” Sergeant Hall said. “The Soldiers and civilians did an excellent job of making sure we were able to do continuity of operations.”
Power was supplied by 21st Special Troops Battalion in the form of field generators that maintained 24-hour basic life support systems.
Department of the Army civilian Nelida Rabassa said she didn’t mind working out of the tent as she is used to doing that as a former Soldier.
“I think most of the retirees didn’t mind,” said Ms. Rabassa, a G3 operations specialists. “It was a suitable environment for civilians. We had nice facilities, and nearly everything we had back in our office. It was good training for civilians, especially those who are mission essential and have to go forward.”
Ms. Rabassa did say there were some hiccups, such as minor system capability issues and sharing telephones.
“All-in-all, it was a great exercise,” she said. “The support from G6 was great. There were no disruptions to daily operations and, as a staff, we didn’t miss a beat.”
