USAG HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Far East District held a communications equipment training at the FED motor pool, April 14, for District personnel to have hands-on use of specific communication contingency devices.
This biannual course gives personnel the opportunity to be trained on handling the Broadband Global Area Network, Tele-Engineering Communications Deployable (TCE-D), radio, and satellite phone.
Jerome Giefer, an operations specialist from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center based in Vicksburg, Mississippi, explains what it means to have strong communications capabilities.
“The absence of communications seriously damages the armed forces’ ability to move and fight within the battlefield effectively.
“When normal communications can no longer be relied upon, tools like the TCE-D, will be relied on to mitigate the situations where no communications infrastructure exists,” said Giefer.
Giefer demonstrated how to set up a satellite receiver, how to use an alternate power source and how to dial on various devices.
“FED has communications equipment that can be employed even when the in-country infrastructures like the cell network are gone,” said Master Sgt. Danny Kim, FED Operations NCO. “Knowing how to use FED communications devices will enable the teams to communicate vital information back to headquarters.”
Lt. Col. Michael Pope, FED deputy commander, discusses the importance of communications equipment training and how it strengthens the readiness of the force.
“Having this communications equipment training on a regular basis is especially critical, because establishing communications is one of the top priorities in any operation,” said Pope. “If we are not able to establish communications, we won’t be able to accomplish our missions.”
Due to the organization relying heavily on the mostly civilian workforce, trainings like this are especially important, because they provide an opportunity for the workforce to be well-equipped in accomplishing their missions in any environment, ultimately strengthening readiness.