FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Oct. 6, 2016) -- Food, shelter and water make up the basic needs of each individual Soldier -- without them, the Soldier cannot maintain the standard. He or she cannot accomplish the mission.
For the larger unit as a whole, the basic needs -- the mission-critical essentials -- change. Although shelter remains a priority, security and communications become paramount; without any one element, the unit as a whole is compromised. For the larger unit, readiness depends on secure communications, and for that, it depends on the S-6 (communications) shop.
For Soldiers on the S-6 team, field training in particular requires quick, efficient movement to establish safe and secure connections.
The team must do so regardless of what provisions have already been made. When the 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade's S-6 team convoyed into an open, empty, sandy field for a field training exercise on Sept. 26, members found next to nothing. No shelter. No communications. No security.
In that moment, readiness meant establishing all three elements with haste and efficiency. And though shelter and physical security became the responsibility of each Soldier in the field that day, with all hands on deck in building tents and digging foxholes, it was the ongoing priority of the S-6 shop to take the lead and establish the secure communications that would allow the unit to move forward and get to work.
While Soldiers in the field stand armed at the unit's entry control point, monitoring who comes and goes throughout the exercise, the S-6 (communications) office works closely to ensure the field mission is not compromised by lack of secure communication.
"Our shop provides communication -- it provides that link for the brigade to communicate with its subordinate units," said Sgt. 1st Class Ramon Fonfrias, a telecommunications operations chief with the brigade. "We have to make sure all of our link systems are up and operational to provide communication to the brigade TOC (tactical operations center)."
From the moment the convoy rolls into the field, Fonfrias explained, establishing good connection starts with location.
"That has to be one of our first considerations. It's really crucial to get a good line of sight regarding satellite," he said.
Then, he said, terrain was a major factor in setting up the necessary equipment -- as well as reserve satellite time.
"It's not like you can just set up when you want," he explained. "There are specific times. That kind of thing comes down from (10th Mountain) Division."
And so, in the name of readiness and mission continuity, the S-6 shop must take it upon itself to hit the ground running, getting electricity and secure lines of communication in the field as quickly as possible.
Of course, if anything were to threaten the security of those connections, it could mean mission failure. That, explained Pfc. Jeremy Bauer, is where the intelligence and security office comes into play.
"During (field exercises), we're usually co-located with S-6," Bauer said. "In the office, in garrison, I deal with personal, informational and physical security," he said. "Here, it's all (intelligence) work. We make intel products for command briefs. We basically have to track the enemy."
But, in order to do that, the intel shop needs not only regular Internet connection, but secure lines of communication -- and therefore relies on the communications team to provide them with nonsecure network (NIPR), for nonclassified material, and secure network (SIPR), for classified information.
"There's classified information being communicated here in the TOC," said Capt. Anthony Rykard, 10th Headquarters and Special Troops Battalion S-6 officer in charge.
"We have to provide the same services in the field as in the garrison, but out here, we're under a little more strain," he continued. "We're not on the same rest cycles, the resources we have at our disposal are obviously different."
Rykard elaborated on the challenges of running a TOC in a field setting.
"Being in a more austere environment, there are more things to consider. Communications aren't as robust because of how exactly we're getting the signal here," he said. "Everything depends on satellite here, where in garrison there's infrastructure. There are more variables to consider."
And with S-6 Soldiers being tasked out for various details and training assignments, the team has to work together to ensure communications run smoothly no matter what.
"You're always going to have hiccups," Fonfrias said, "but that's why you have contingency plans in place to deal with them. This is by far one of the best teams I've worked with -- cohesion, morale, everything."
Soldiers participating in the Muleskinner Summit had food, shelter and water. While perhaps uncomfortable at times, their basic needs were met; they were able to fulfill their mission. They were ready.
And just as those basic needs enabled the individual Soldier to complete his or her tasks, the team approach -- and specifically the quick and efficient movement of the S-6 team -- ensured shelter, security and communications for the brigade, and the mission continued on.
Social Sharing