JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- A service member of 24th Air Force was honored with a prestigious award at the Army Cyber Ball, Aug. 19, 2017, at Fort Belvoir, Va.
Maj. James Crawford, an Airman of the 67th Cyberspace Operations Group currently assigned to Joint Task Force-ARES, was awarded the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association-sponsored Saint Isidore Army Cyber Award. The Saint Isidore Award recognizes those whose exceptional initiative, leadership, insight and cyber knowledge have made significant contributions to the promotion of the Army Cyber mission. Crawford was the only Airman to receive the award at this year's Ball.
Joint Task Force-ARES provides unified, sustained cyberspace support to counter-ISIL efforts in Iraq and Syria. Because the task force falls within ARCYBER's purview its personnel, who hail from all branches of service, are therefore eligible for the Saint Isidore Award.
"I chose [to nominate] Maj. Crawford because I could see in him technical and tactical capability and global situational understanding, which he deftly displays through his analysis and reports," said Lt. Col. Joseph O'Hanlon, Chief of Current Operations for JTF-ARES. "Maj. Crawford is a leader for tomorrow and we are blessed to have him in the JTF-ARES formation."
Crawford serves as the Deputy Chief of Operations for JTF-ARES. In this role he is responsible for the day-to-day mission tracking, execution, and future operations planning for the Task Force's mission. He also serves as the sitting team lead for the 400th Combat Mission Team.
During his first year as a team lead, Crawford was directly responsible for the standup and initial operational capability declaration of four combat mission and support teams. He was also instrumental in bringing three of those teams to full operational capability, six months ahead of schedule. In addition he was hand-selected as the lead assessor for two Combatant Command-level exercises in which the AFCYBER teams were assessed for their initial operational certifications.
Crawford's work led to the simplification and codification of processes used to command and control geographically dispersed forces. His efforts produced a tasking and orders process that reduced the processing time from two weeks to just 48 hours for planned operations. His team also assembled and published the first set of standardized special instructions (SPINS), which are instrumental in the normalization of task force operations.
Crawford credits his success to the combined JTF-ARES team. "Lt. Col. O'Hanlon and I decided early on that our goal would be to leave the JTF a better place than we found it, and the team worked tirelessly towards that goal," said Crawford. "I hope the award is a reflection of the work that our staff put into simplifying and streamlining processes and I am humbled and honored to be the recipient."
Crawford received his award from Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, Commanding General of U.S. Army Cyber Command, who hosted the Army Cyber Ball.
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ABOUT US: United States Army Cyber Command directs and conducts integrated electronic warfare, information and cyberspace operations as authorized, or directed, to ensure freedom of action in and through cyberspace and the information environment, and to deny the same to our adversaries.
Interested in becoming an Army cyber Soldier or civilian employee? Check out the career links at www.arcyber.army.mil
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