Fort McCoy Network Enterprise Center employee Kenneth O’Connell disconnects the last legacy Time Division Multiplexing equipment for telecommunications Nov. 21, 2024, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Fort McCoy changed its telecommunications to voice over internet protocol in 2024. (Contributed photo)

A&T employees stand alongside Fort McCoy Network Enterprise Cemter employee Kenneth O’Connell in the Dial Central Office on Nov. 21, 2024, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Their employees supported the decommissioned system and will continue to support the new voice over internet protocol telecommunications system at Fort McCoy. Pictured from left to right are Norman Glister, Michael Jarrett, Kenneth O’Connell, and Michelle Jones. (Contributed photo)

The Fort McCoy Voice Modernization Project, led by Kenneth O'Connell and other team members with the Fort McCoy Network Enterprise Center, was ultimately completed after four years of work in early January 2025.

The project's primary objective was to provide the warfighter with a modern and sustainable voice communication system by replacing the existing, aging, non-supportable phone systems on Fort McCoy with a modern Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system.

The project was a complex undertaking that involved several stages, including core installation, phone migration, and the decommissioning of the old analog/TDM system.

The team faced several challenges along the way including supply chain problems and contract renegotiation issues, along with the changing all Fort McCoy phone numbers, but their expertise and cooperation ensured that the project was successfully completed.

One of the key benefits of the new VoIP system is its ability to optimize circuits, reducing the need for expensive T1/PRIs (Primary Rate Interface) and resulting in significant cost savings for the Army.

The telecom, networking, server team, Information Management Communications Services III contractor personnel, and the cooperation and support provided by U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy and tenant organizations played a crucial role in the project’s completion.

These teams and organizations worked together to ensure the project was completed effectively in accordance with Army and Department of Defense standards.

The change to the new phone system also changed the phone numbers at Fort McCoy. All phone numbers that previously began with 608-388 are now with a different area code and prefix — 502-898.

To see a complete updated list of the Fort McCoy phone numbers, visit the Fort McCoy website at https://home.army.mil/mccoy/contact/phonebook.

The updated phone book will also be available at the Fort McCoy DVIDS page in the 2025-26 Fort McCoy Guide by April 30, 2025.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”

(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Network Enterprise Center.)