Soldiers with Delta Co., 53rd Signal Battalion, stand under the artillery on the deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon at JBPHH. The Soldiers traveled from the WSOC, located in Wahiawa, to tour the communications section of the ship and...

Soldiers with Delta Company, 53rd Signal Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, (Satellite Control), U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, visited the guided-missile destroyer, USS Chung-Hoon, here, recently.

These Soldiers are satellite control operators who work at a Wideband Satellite Operation Center, or WSOC, in Wahiawa.

They monitor the entire space network and provide pertinent customer service to ensure all satellite communication missions are supported in the Pacific theater. When underway, Navy ships in the Pacific depend on Delta Company, to ensure they get the satellite communications they've requested.

This tour was scheduled so Soldiers could gain insight into the daily life of the telecommunications Sailors aboard a ship.

Navy Lt. Peter Lesaca, combat systems officer, USS Chung-Hoon, led the tour.

"Guided-missile destroyers are multi-mission, anti-air warfare, antisubmarine warfare and anti-surface warfare surface combatants," Pelsaca explained.

When the USS Chung-Hoon is under attack, satellite communications provide capabilities for command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, he added.

After seeing the three levels of sleeping racks and a minimal amount of shower space, Spc. Ryan McNeal, Delta Company, said, "I'll never complain about the barracks again!"

"This tour gave our satellite controllers working knowledge of the warfighters' types of equipment and communication capabilities," said Staff Sgt. Jacob Hackenberg, operations noncommissioned officer, Delta Company. "This becomes useful in improving our customer service," Hackenberg said. "When operators see a satellite access authorization for a user like the USS Chong-Hoon, we now have personalized them and will continue to build working relationships."