Col. Timothy Brown, 435th Contingency Response Group commander, executes an airborne jump out of a C-17 Globemaster III over the drop zone in Alzey, Germany, June 14, 2010. Five NATO countries participated in the annual event to support one of U. S. Air Forces in Europe's top priorities, building partnerships. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nelson Perkins draws lines in the dirt to show a soldier of the Djiboutian Army’s 1st Quick Reaction Regiment his sector of fire during a training scenario at Camp Ali Oune, Djibouti, February 2, 2011.

Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Lindsey

ALI OUNE, Djibouti– Under an overcast sky, nearly 200 members of the Djiboutian Army’s elite 1st Rapid Action Regiment honed their infantry skills, mentored by members of the U.S. Army National Guard’s 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment.

The training included instruction on squad movements, convoy operations, contact drills, camp security and marksmanship, and was part of a one-month course which began Jan. 16 and culminated with a graduation Feb. 10. The instruction included mortar crew training and a combat engineering course, according to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nelson Perkins, mission commander and member of Charlie Company.

“Our mission here is to mentor the Djiboutian military as they prepare for upcoming missions. We’re trying to help them so they are capable of preventing conflict, establishing regional stability, and protecting coalition interests here,” said Staff Sgt. Travis Elder, an infantry squad leader with the 137th, who is a sheriff’s deputy in his hometown located near Topeka, Kan.

“My team and I are out here mentoring the soldiers and helping them along, basically giving them more tools for their toolbox. We’re showing them things that have helped us get through certain operations, and we want to help them so they can get through their future missions without any problem,” he said.

One of the biggest challenges the instructors faced was the language barrier due to few Djiboutian soldiers speaking English, according to Sgt. Jonathan Moyer, a team member with Echo Company. Instructors relied heavily on 2nd Lt. Omar Ali, Djibouti Army 2nd Company commander, who is fluent in four languages, and Mohamed Said, a Somali-born U.S. Army interpreter.

Throughout the morning, the small groups practiced team movements, and communicated contact and direction of fire. Loud whistle bursts signified enemy contact, and the Djiboutian soldiers moved succinctly, went into the prone position and assumed their staggered firing positions.

The regiment, which was established in 1991 and is comprised of a number of 20-year combat veterans, is the first unit in the Djiboutian Army called to deploy during a contingency, according to Ali. The regiment also provides border security on the Somaliland border located approximately seven miles from the camp.

“The goal for my soldiers is to prepare them for their mission and especially for a deployment under the United Nations, like they did in Haiti and Central Africa,” Ali said, who has been in the army since 2001. He attended an officer’s course with Germany’s mountain troops from 2004-2008 and will soon attend the Infantry Career Captain’s Course at Fort Benning, Ga.

According to Ali, the training is part of a continuation of training that began in September 2010 that included effective methods of instruction, commander operation skills course, a command post exercise, and company grade and noncommissioned officer courses.

Just one month ago, the newly-formed training camp consisted of just six concrete pads. Today the camp consists of about 12 tents, a mosque and a large covered classroom area.

“Camp Ali Oune is actually the first of its kind. The Djiboutians don’t have any bases here on the Somali border, and this camp is supposed to be here for quite a while. They will be utilizing the camp as a training area and for continuing operations to keep this region safe,” he said.

About two miles away in the shadow of a steep hill, other members of the Rapid Action Regiment sharpened their marksmanship skills using the Russian PKM 7.62-mm machine gun, which is the equivalent of the M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Automatic gunfire and the ricochet of rounds echoed from the large rock-covered hill as each two-man team practiced firing in staccato bursts of three and five rounds.

“Very well done,” one of the instructors exclaimed after seeing a bullseye on the target of one team.

Ali said the training and mentoring provided by the 137th is beneficial because the cadre of instructors bring real-world operational experience.

“We already had a good relationship with the U.S. Army, and I have to say it’s a good thing and we have a good image of the U.S. Army,” Ali said.

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Vimeo video channel: www.vimeo.com/usarmyafrica

LADOT - Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Special Traffic Operations, Transportation and Traffic Management Plan and Program Contingency Engineers during the operation of the Ciclavia Meets The East, Central and West Hollywoods Open Streets for the People Powered Bikes and Pedestrians with Non-Motorized Vehicular Traffic in the Cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood Open Streets Bicycle Route followed by La Brea Avenue is a (Anti-Gridlock Zone and Do Not Block Intersection signage) general crossing point for automobiles and bikes to cross traffic for automobiles intersection traffic signal green lights, left turn protected permissive yellow green arrow lights (No U Turn signage), pedestrian crosswalk crossing white walking lights located at Hollywood area in Los Angeles, California 90038 and the City Limits of West Hollywood, California 90046 - 90069.

This is the continuous Ciclavia Meets The Hollywoods between East and West Hollywood Bike Route.

(Los Angeles Police Department Hollywood Division Patrol Station Number 6, LAPD West Traffic Division Station Number 27, LADOT - Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s Parking Enforcement Hollywood Division Agency 54 on 411 North Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, California 90004-3512, Los Angeles City Council District 13 Office of Councilmember Mitchell O’Farrell transitioning into Hugo Soto-Martinez)

(Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Division Sheriff’s Station Patrol Station Number 9, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor Sheila Kuehl District 3, West Hollywood City Hall Government Administrative Offices with Mayors and City Councilmembers)

#Ciclavia

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NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria – The U.S. Army Europe's Contingency Command Post, established as a rapidly deploying, forward command and control element in support of missions directed by USAREUR, is staged in the parade field of Novo Selo Training Area for Saber Guardian 2014. Saber Guardian 2014, hosted by USAREUR and the Bulgarian Land Forces, is a multinational military exercise involving approximately 700 military personnel from twelve participating nations including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.S., as well as representatives from NATO. The exercise, which runs until April 4, 2014, is designed to strengthen international agency and military partnering while fostering trust and improving interoperability between NATO and partner nations involved in foreign consequence management and peace support operations with U.S. forces. Saber Guardian 2014 is part of the U.S. Army Europe annual training and exercise program and has been planned for since 2013. Last year’s iteration of the training exercise was conducted at the Romanian Land Forces Combat Training Center in Cincu, Romania. The training at Saber Guardian 2014 will reinforce USAREUR commitment to increasing regional flexibility, preserving and enhancing NATO interoperability, and facilitating multinational training. (Photo by Sgt. Brooks Fletcher, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs)

Contingency X: Custom stippling on Sig Sauer P250/P320 frame.

Bush receives Combat Action Badge.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Lt. Col. Brandon Grubbs, commander, 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kan., presents Spc. Warren Bush, a native of Albany, Ga., a Combat Action Badge at Contingency Operating Site Warrior Jan. 20, 2011. Grubbs also presented CABs to Capt. Taylor Simpson, Spc. Miguel Martinez, Spc. Jason Mekee and Pfc. Juan Vargas; Soldiers assigned to Company A, 101st BSB, 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div.

(U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Alyxandra McChesney, 1st AATF PAO, 1st Inf. Div., USD-N)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq –

Specialist Carlos Hernandez, mechanic, 370th Transportation Company, 275th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, from Brownsville, Texas:

“Always be prepared, keep your head on the swivel, even when you’re just walking to chow.”

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD – N PAO)

Royal Marines from 42 Commando Boarding RFA Mounts Bay

Members of 42 Commando Fleet Contingency conducting high vertical assaults on RFA Mounts Bay as part of the Autonomous Advance Force 4.0 trials. 42 Commando Royal Marine’s Fleet Contingency Troop have been conducting high vertical assault drills onto RFA Mounts Bay in Portland Harbour, supported by Offshore Raiding Craft and Coxswains from 47 Commando RM.

The training forms part of the Autonomous Advance Force 4.0 trials, utilising modern communication systems and autonomous capabilities, including mobile ad hoc networking radios MPU5, Ghost drone, which provides a live feed to ground commanders and the MADFOX unmanned surface vessel, used to provide deception and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

Photos: LPhot Joe Cater

An Airman assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing guides a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft onto a ramp during a joint operations access exercise (JOAX) Sept. 12, 2011, at Mackall Army Airfield, N.C. JOAX is a joint airdrop exercise designed to enhance service cohesiveness between Army and Air Force personnel, allowing both services an opportunity to properly execute large-scale heavy equipment and troop movement. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Quinton Russ)

Staff Sgt. Ryan Boyles waits during sling load training along with a CH-53E Super Stallion at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurt, N.J. Sling load training enables both air and ground units the opportunity to practice moving large or urgent cargo into areas where aircraft cannot reach. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres/621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs)

NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria – U.S. Army Europe's Contingency Command Post was established as a rapidly deploying, forward command and control element in support of missions directed by USAREUR. Saber Guardian 2014, hosted by USAREUR and the Bulgarian Land Forces, is a multinational military exercise involving approximately 700 military personnel from twelve participating nations including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.S., as well as representatives from NATO. The exercise, which runs until April 4, 2014, is designed to strengthen international agency and military partnering while fostering trust and improving interoperability between NATO and partner nations involved in foreign consequence management and peace support operations with U.S. forces. Saber Guardian 2014 is part of the U.S. Army Europe annual training and exercise program and has been planned for since 2013. Last year’s iteration of the training exercise was conducted at the Romanian Land Forces Combat Training Center in Cincu, Romania. The training at Saber Guardian 2014 will reinforce USAREUR commitment to increasing regional flexibility, preserving and enhancing NATO interoperability, and facilitating multinational training. (Photo by Sgt. Brooks Fletcher, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs)

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group set up a mobile airfield operations center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 17, 2014, in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The Airmen are operating an Intermediate Staging Base in Dakar to funnel humanitarian aid into affected areas, working in concert with Soldiers from the U.S. Armyâs 689th Rapid Port Opening Element to staff a Joint Task Force-Port Opening. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District’s Forward Engineer Support Team – Advance participate in Exercise Arctic Edge April 20-30, 2010, where they assisted with aerial route reconnaissance, bridge assessment and contingency gap crossing expertise. Read more about it at www.army.mil/-news/2010/04/07/36961-europe-engineer-suppo... (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria – Generators provide power to U.S. Army Europe's Contingency Command Post, established as a rapidly deploying, forward command and control element in support of missions directed by USAREUR, during Saber Guardian 2014. This year's exercise is hosted by USAREUR and the Bulgarian Land Forces, is a multinational military exercise involving approximately 700 military personnel from twelve participating nations including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.S., as well as representatives from NATO. The exercise, which runs until April 4, 2014, is designed to strengthen international agency and military partnering while fostering trust and improving interoperability between NATO and partner nations involved in foreign consequence management and peace support operations with U.S. forces. Saber Guardian 2014 is part of the U.S. Army Europe annual training and exercise program and has been planned for since 2013. Last year’s iteration of the training exercise was conducted at the Romanian Land Forces Combat Training Center in Cincu, Romania. The training at Saber Guardian 2014 will reinforce USAREUR commitment to increasing regional flexibility, preserving and enhancing NATO interoperability, and facilitating multinational training. (Photo by Sgt. Brooks Fletcher, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs)

Apollo 17 Scissors and Lanyard

One of my favorite “story” artifacts. This pair of scissors was removed from the Lunar Module and brought to the Moon’s surface during all three extravehicular activities (EVAs) as a contingency tool.

Each member of the Apollo 17 crew was issued a pair of scissors. However, Command Module Pilot Ron Evans temporarily “misplaced” his scissors during the trip from Earth. The scissors were needed for a variety of tasks, none more important than opening food bags (and the scissors were needed to cut the heavy-weight bags). So the Moonwalkers left one of the two pairs they had with Evans who flew solo up in the Command Module during the lunar landing.

The second pair of scissors was put into the ETB (equipment transfer bag) to go out onto the lunar surface. As the ETB was being lowered out of the Lunar Module, the scissors fell out of the bag and were almost completely buried in the Moon’s regolith dust!

Mission Control in Houston had to remind the Moonwalkers to bring the scissors back into the Lunar Module after each EVA or they might not be able to eat.

The transcript of the comments between Moonwalkers Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt indicated their concerns about finding the scissors:

•Schmitt: “You didn’t by any chance pick up those scissors, did you?”

•Cernan: “No, sir.”

•Schmitt: “They’re going to be hard to find….”

•Cernan: “Well, they were right down there (on the ground below the porch).”

•Schmitt: “Oh, boy. I can just still barely see the scissors.”

•Cernan: “We ought to get those, before we go hungry.”

The three-foot long lanyard, which is tied to the end of the scissors, is a separate NASA artifact with its own identification number indicated on the tag with a metal snap.

30x15" in frame

---

From “Mooncollector” Jim Ruddy lifetime collection, When Jim turned 82 and his health was failing, he wanted to bundle his collection of lunar surface artifacts together in a single sale to someone who would care for them, and so he contacted me. I agreed to procure the collection and spent some time with him discussing each artifact at his home in Palm Springs. He was meticulous and carefully framed each precious treasure. Soon after I added this to the FV space collection in 2015, he passed away.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Fitzpatrick (left), a surgeon assigned to a Forward Resuscitive Surgical System unit, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Tony Hayden, an aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group, secure cases of red blood cells and frozen plasma to a C-130 cargo pallet at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 10, 2014, in support of Operation United Assistance. The medical supplies and Fitzpatrick's unit were bound for Liberia to support Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response AFRICOM. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

More information: www.nationalguard.mil/News/ArticleView/tabid/5563/Article...

American Soldiers of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division and Danish soldiers of Dragoon Regiment, 1st Armored Battalion, 1st Danish Tank Squadron, participated in a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise at the Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland June 16, 2015. The Soldiers are participating in Saber Strike 15, a long-standing U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise. This year’s exercise objectives facilitate cooperation amongst the U.S., Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland to improve joint operational capability in a range of missions as well as preparing the participating nations and units to support multinational contingency operations. There are more than 6,000 participants from 13 different nations. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brandon Anderson, 13th Public Affairs Detachment/Released.)

The U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element (FCE) is a self-contained, mobile command post capable of worldwide communications, and can deploy within 72 hours.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Office

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

When the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element rolls onto a C-130 to head to Ghana in August, it will be with state of the art electronics allowing worldwide communications.

The USARAF FCE, similar to a tactical operations center with sophisticated internet and video teleconference capabilities, is a flexible command post that responds to deployment requests through U.S. Africa Command.

“The USARAF FCE can move out and be in any given African country in less than 72 hours,” said Sgt. Maj. Aaron Miller, non-commissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post.

During a recent tour of the mobile command center, USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg saw firsthand the power and flexibility of the mobile command post.

“Our C-130 version of a crisis command headquarters makes USARAF capable of deploying anywhere in the world if needed, but more specifically, anywhere in Africa. We can roll off the plane and within two hours have a fully operationally command and control system to cover any environment, Army pure, joint or inter-agency. We have tremendous capability now,” Hogg said.

Hogg expressed his gratitude to Soldiers of the USARAF G-6, Communications and Information Services and higher headquarters.

“Colonel Joe Angyal and his G-6 staff have done a wonderful job and none of this would have happened without the support of Headquarters Department of the Army. So we definitely want to thank them,” Hogg added.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS GEAR GIVES WORLDWIDE REACH

Recently, USRAF communications Soldiers with the FCE took on the challenges that new electronics can pose. The new system provides worldwide communications capability along with the added ability to work from a remote location with few amenities.

“We have about two weeks of training to smooth out some of the wrinkles” said Maj. Gary Philman, the USARAF signal operations officer and acting chief of the CCP. “We’ve been fortunate to get the new communications package and we’re integrating it with some of our existing systems.”

Philman said the FCE is the deployable headquarters for USARAF, and can be the first organization to hit the ground in advance of a joint task force.

“The FCE staff size depends on the mission request and can vary from eight to more than 20 personnel,” Philman said. “Our commanding general comes with the FCE when requested by an ambassador, [but] it can be commanded by a USARAF staff colonel or the CCP chief,” Philman said.

USARAF Spc. James Lagerstrom, information technology specialist with the CCP, deploys with FCE as one of the Soldiers ensuring the command element’s communications gear is up and running.

“Wherever we go … we can communicate,” Lagerstrom said. “We have internet and even have video teleconference ability [as well as] highly mobile.”

In August the FCE will get a chance do a live shakedown test of its communications equipment in the Republic of Ghana.

Sgt. Victor Aguirre, 509th Signal Battalion (rear) observes Spc. James Lagerstrom adjust cables on a satellite dish on communications gear associated with the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Office

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

When the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element rolls onto a C-130 to head to Ghana in August, it will be with state of the art electronics allowing worldwide communications.

The USARAF FCE, similar to a tactical operations center with sophisticated internet and video teleconference capabilities, is a flexible command post that responds to deployment requests through U.S. Africa Command.

“The USARAF FCE can move out and be in any given African country in less than 72 hours,” said Sgt. Maj. Aaron Miller, non-commissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post.

During a recent tour of the mobile command center, USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg saw firsthand the power and flexibility of the mobile command post.

“Our C-130 version of a crisis command headquarters makes USARAF capable of deploying anywhere in the world if needed, but more specifically, anywhere in Africa. We can roll off the plane and within two hours have a fully operationally command and control system to cover any environment, Army pure, joint or inter-agency. We have tremendous capability now,” Hogg said.

Hogg expressed his gratitude to Soldiers of the USARAF G-6, Communications and Information Services and higher headquarters.

“Colonel Joe Angyal and his G-6 staff have done a wonderful job and none of this would have happened without the support of Headquarters Department of the Army. So we definitely want to thank them,” Hogg added.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS GEAR GIVES WORLDWIDE REACH

Recently, USRAF communications Soldiers with the FCE took on the challenges that new electronics can pose. The new system provides worldwide communications capability along with the added ability to work from a remote location with few amenities.

“We have about two weeks of training to smooth out some of the wrinkles” said Maj. Gary Philman, the USARAF signal operations officer and acting chief of the CCP. “We’ve been fortunate to get the new communications package and we’re integrating it with some of our existing systems.”

Philman said the FCE is the deployable headquarters for USARAF, and can be the first organization to hit the ground in advance of a joint task force.

“The FCE staff size depends on the mission request and can vary from eight to more than 20 personnel,” Philman said. “Our commanding general comes with the FCE when requested by an ambassador, [but] it can be commanded by a USARAF staff colonel or the CCP chief,” Philman said.

USARAF Spc. James Lagerstrom, information technology specialist with the CCP, deploys with FCE as one of the Soldiers ensuring the command element’s communications gear is up and running.

“Wherever we go … we can communicate,” Lagerstrom said. “We have internet and even have video teleconference ability [as well as] highly mobile.”

In August the FCE will get a chance do a live shakedown test of its communications equipment in the Republic of Ghana.

A U.S. Air Force Airman part of the Joint Task Force-Port Opening team of the 621st Contingency Response Wing assigned to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., helps to augment airport security along with local security personnel during Operation United Assistance, Oct. 16. The JTF-PO is supporting a comprehensive U.S. government effort led by the U.S Agency for International Development, to support the World Health Organization and other international partners to help the Governments of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone respond to and contain the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez/ Released)

Everyone rallied round and the tent was moved over the fire.

U.S. Army Africa Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg (center), inspects new communications capabilities of the unit’s Contingency Command Post.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Office

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

When the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element rolls onto a C-130 to head to Ghana in August, it will be with state of the art electronics allowing worldwide communications.

The USARAF FCE, similar to a tactical operations center with sophisticated internet and video teleconference capabilities, is a flexible command post that responds to deployment requests through U.S. Africa Command.

“The USARAF FCE can move out and be in any given African country in less than 72 hours,” said Sgt. Maj. Aaron Miller, non-commissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post.

During a recent tour of the mobile command center, USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg saw firsthand the power and flexibility of the mobile command post.

“Our C-130 version of a crisis command headquarters makes USARAF capable of deploying anywhere in the world if needed, but more specifically, anywhere in Africa. We can roll off the plane and within two hours have a fully operationally command and control system to cover any environment, Army pure, joint or inter-agency. We have tremendous capability now,” Hogg said.

Hogg expressed his gratitude to Soldiers of the USARAF G-6, Communications and Information Services and higher headquarters.

“Colonel Joe Angyal and his G-6 staff have done a wonderful job and none of this would have happened without the support of Headquarters Department of the Army. So we definitely want to thank them,” Hogg added.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS GEAR GIVES WORLDWIDE REACH

Recently, USRAF communications Soldiers with the FCE took on the challenges that new electronics can pose. The new system provides worldwide communications capability along with the added ability to work from a remote location with few amenities.

“We have about two weeks of training to smooth out some of the wrinkles” said Maj. Gary Philman, the USARAF signal operations officer and acting chief of the CCP. “We’ve been fortunate to get the new communications package and we’re integrating it with some of our existing systems.”

Philman said the FCE is the deployable headquarters for USARAF, and can be the first organization to hit the ground in advance of a joint task force.

“The FCE staff size depends on the mission request and can vary from eight to more than 20 personnel,” Philman said. “Our commanding general comes with the FCE when requested by an ambassador, [but] it can be commanded by a USARAF staff colonel or the CCP chief,” Philman said.

USARAF Spc. James Lagerstrom, information technology specialist with the CCP, deploys with FCE as one of the Soldiers ensuring the command element’s communications gear is up and running.

“Wherever we go … we can communicate,” Lagerstrom said. “We have internet and even have video teleconference ability [as well as] highly mobile.”

In August the FCE will get a chance do a live shakedown test of its communications equipment in the Republic of Ghana.

www.usaraf.army.mil

U.S. Army Africa command team visit peacekeeping training sites in Rwanda, Burundi

Story and photo by Sgt. Maj. Kimberly Williams

U.S. Army Africa

ENTEBBE, Uganda – Capacity building is a top priority for U.S. Army Africa. Therefore, during a visit to Rwanda and Burundi Oct. 19-20, Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III and Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Bronson, the command team for U.S. Army Africa, seized the opportunity to see Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance sites in both countries.

“I was very impressed by the ACOTA programs in Rwanda and Burundi, where we are working closely with our partners to increase their capacity to support peacekeeping operations,” said Garrett.

Managed and funded by the Department of State, ACOTA is an initiative designed to improve African ability to respond quickly to crises by providing selected militaries with the training and equipment required to execute humanitarian or peace support operations.

At each site, civilian facilitators work closely with U.S. military noncommissioned officers, sent to the countries as mentors, in order to provide the most up-to-date and realistic learning experience possible.

Bronson, as U.S. Army Africa’s senior NCO, took the opportunity to meet with the U.S. facilitators and mentors in both countries to determine the road ahead. In the future, said Bronson, U.S. Army Africa needs to develop a process to prepare U.S. Army mentors for their role and to match up the right individuals with the skills needed.

But, Bronson said he is very impressed with what he has seen so far in both Rwanda and Burundi.

The ACOTA program is Rwanda is focused on preparing soldiers for peacekeeping operations while deployed in Darfur, Sudan. The site in Rwanda also has a computer simulation lab, which is the only simulation center for peacekeeping support operations in Africa.

“The partnership is doing great,” said Col. Aloys Muganga, commandant of the Rwanda Military Academy at Gako, which hosts the ACOTA in Rwanda. “They have trained my people so well that we can now train ourselves.”

Similar to Rwanda, the ACOTA program in Burundi focuses on preparing soldiers for peacekeeping operations, but in this case, to Mogadishu, Somalia.

This is the seventh iteration of ACOTA in Burundi.

The four-week program in Burundi includes individual skills, collective skills, lane evaluations, weapons familiarization and live fire ranges.

The 1st Battalion of the Burundi Land Forces took part in the first ACOTA rotation in 2007 and just recently returned from deployment to Mogadishu. Now, the Burundi Land Forces are bringing in these experienced soldiers to train the next rotations.

Sgt. Norberto Ramos, from the U.S. Army National Guard’s Co. B, 165th Infantry Battalion from Puerto Rice, is in Burundi along with two other NCOs to provide mentorship during the four-week program. Ramos said he believes the ACOTA program is successful.

“This has been great,” he said. “You can see the Burundi soldiers’ eagerness to learn in their eyes. “They are a beautiful people.”

“I’m happier and more satisfied with what I’m doing here than any time before,” Ramos said. “It builds me up as a leader and a person. It is a pleasure and an honor to be here.”

CAPTION: Command Sgt. Maj. Gary Bronson (center), U.S. Army Africa command sergeant major, spends time with U.S. facilitators and military noncommissioned officers serving as mentors for the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program in Rwanda. The Rwandan soldiers attending the program are preparing for peacekeeping operations in Darfur, Sudan.

Photographer - Cpl Wes Calder RLC

Pictured - Soldiers from 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) Battle Group (BG) disembark a German CH-53G Stallion Helicopter

Exercise BAVARIAN CHARGER is the first of three large contingency operation exercises being undertaken by 20th Armoured Brigade between May – October 2013. Contingency Operations training is known as Hybrid Foundation Training or HFT.

The aim of this exercise is to train the 5 Rifles, The Queens Dragoon Guards (QDG) Battle Groups and 1 Logistic Support Regiment in combined arms manoeuvre.

The exercise is split into 3 main phases. The first phase consists of a two week live firing exercise in Grafenwoer, Southern Germany, that enables the units and soldiers to refine their skills with their equipment and weapons. Training is constructed to develop skills from the individual level through to the Battlegroup level and culminates in a final attack that sees the use of helicopters, tanks, artillery and infantry combined.

The second phase will see all the exercising units transition from Grafenwoer to Hohnfels, some 100 km further south and simulates the kind of movements that are undertaken when moving an Armed force into hostile territory.

The third, and final phase is designed to test the planning and execution of combined arms manoeuvre operations in a hostile environment. The units will execute orders based on the delivery of Brigade Orders to defeat the enemy within the scenario.

2100 personnel with upto 768 vehicles ranging from Landrover, to Tanks to Apache helicopters are being exercised from 20th Armoured Brigade whose Headquarters are based in Sennelager, Germany. Approximately 500 personnel are required to support those training to ensure that supplies are maintained, vehicles are fixed and soldiers fed.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain crown copyright.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Wes Calder RLC

Email: wescalder@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

U.S. Army Chaplain, Capt. John Barkemeyer, of the 1-3 BTB, 1 BCT, 3rd Infantry Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, holds mass for Soldiers on a remote Contingency Operating Base (COB) in Ramadi, Iraq on September 20, 2007. Chaplain Barkemeyer's mission consists of traveling to various COBs along the outer perimeter of Ramadi to deliver the religious and spiritual support the Soldiers need. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kieran Cuddihy) (Released)

Learn more: www.expertinfantry.com

Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Support Battalion, 27th Brigade Combat Team, a New York Army National Guard unit, deployed with the 401st Army field Support Brigade across the battle space in Afghanistan were recognized for their work supporting equipment retrograde missions during several awards ceremonies recently.

About the 401st:

The 401st Army Field Support Brigade provides Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines, the tools and resources necessary to complete the mission. If they shoot, drive it, fly it, wear it, eat it or communicate with it, the 401st helps provide it. The brigade assists coalition partners with many of their logistical and sustainment needs. The brigade also handles the responsible disposition of equipment in Afghanistan to support evolving missions. We are the single link between Warfighters in the field, and working through Army Sustainment Command, we leverage Army Materiel Command’s worldwide Materiel Enterprise to develop, deliver, and sustain materiel to ensure a dominant joint force for the U.S. and our Allies.

For More information please visit us online:

401st AFSB Facebook

Army Sustainment Command

Army Materiel Command

www.usaraf.army.mil

U.S. Army Africa supports Burundi's peacekeeping efforts in Somalia

By Rick Scavetta, U.S. Army Africa

BUJUMBURA, Burundi – When U.S. Army Col. Steve Smith recently joined discussions with Burundian generals about how Burundi conducts peacekeeping efforts in Somalia, he was leading the way for U.S. Army Africa partnerships on the continent.

In mid-January, Smith led a team to work with Burundian officers on ways to enhance Burundi’s leadership capacity as their military prepares to deploy its next rotation of peacekeepers to Mogadishu. Smith, of the U.S. Army’s Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute and Lt. Col. Ronald Miller, an Africa expert from U.S. Army Africa headquarters, held discussions with senior Burundian military officers at the Ministry of Defense in Bujumbura.

“We discussed the U.S. military’s way of planning for operations at the brigade level, using what we call MDMP, the military decision making process,” Smith said. “We also talked about how U.S. Army officers run a brigade-level command post.”

Burundi and Uganda share peacekeeping duties under the African Union Mission in Somalia, an operation designed to stabilize Somalia’s security situation following decades of war and chaos. African peacekeepers in Somalia face daily challenges as they mentor Somalis in security operations and work to counter extremist groups like al-Shabaab.

The U.S. Army effort is part of a larger effort by the U.S. government to support Burundi in its peacekeeping efforts, said Brig. Gen. Cyprien Ndikuryio, chief of Burundi’s land forces. The U.S. has helped with training and equipment, followed by these senior leader discussions, he said.

“My colleagues and I are senior officers. One of them, or I, could be appointed to higher responsibilities in Somalia’s peacekeeping mission and use what we have learned,” Ndikuryio said.

Until now, Burundi’s military planned missions similar to the way Belgian and French militaries work. The Ugandan People’s Defense Force, Burundi’s partner in AMISOM, already employs a planning system that is similar to the U.S. military, Smith said.

“It’s incredibly important for Burundi, as they are working alongside other armies using the U.S.-based model, to promote interoperability and overall efficiency,” Smith said.

In 2006, Burundi ended its 12-year civil war. Since then, Burundi has made strides toward partnering with its East African neighbors and the United States.

In October 2009, Burundian troops took part in Natural Fire 10, a U.S. Army Africa-led humanitarian and civil assistance exercise held in Uganda. During that time, Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III, commander of U.S. Army Africa, visited Bujumbura to watch Burundian troops undergoing training with the U.S. State Department-led African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program.

Burundian senior leaders then asked U.S. Army Africa to help with a familiarization event on brigade-level peacekeeping operations. Leaders from PKSOI at Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania offered their expertise for the event.

“This effort in Burundi has been a great opportunity for the U.S. Army to engage with a partner nation’s land forces on the continent,” Smith said. “There’s a tremendous potential here, a great thirst for knowledge.”

Smith’s Burundi assignment also benefits PKSOI in their efforts, he said.

“I’m taking back with me a better understanding of U.S. Army Africa operations and what’s happening on the ground in Africa,” Smith said. “That knowledge will help PKSOI plan to support future missions.”

The talks came at a key time for the Burundian military, as they prepare to deploy a new rotation of peacekeepers to Somali.

“This support was very important and effective,” Ndikuryio said. “We appreciate this cooperation with U.S. Army Africa. We hope to interact with the command in the future.”

Cleared for public release.

Photos by Rick Scavetta, U.S. Army Africa

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-328

INTERNATIONAL CASH-BASED FOOD ASSISTANCE: USAID Has Developed Processes for Initial Project Approval but Should Strengthen Financial Oversight

Notes: Funding from the International Disaster Assistance (IDA) account includes amounts designated by Congress for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). Specifically, according to data from USAID, the targeted food voucher program in Syria was funded with IDA, including amounts designated for OCO, in 2013 and was entirely funded with IDA funds designated for OCO in 2014.

a) The Syria regional award includes countries in the region that are hosting Syrian refugees—namely, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.

b) A $10 million EFSP grant was for assistance responding to the Central America drought in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

CAMP MARMAL, Afghanistan – Tech. Sgt. Donnell Williams, an aircraft maintenance technician assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., signals that the wingtip of a Dover Air Force Base C-5M Super Galaxy is clear of obstructions as it is pushed into a parking spot at Camp Marmal, Afghanistan Jan. 26, 2013. The 621 CRW is forward deployed to the NATO camp to assist with the scheduled movement of two U.S. Army aviation task forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Skeens, a command post controller for Joint Task Force-Port Opening Senegal, coordinates air movement from a mobile airfield operations center Oct. 18, 2014, at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal. Skeens and more than 70 other Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group are operating a cargo hub in Senegal to funnel humanitarian supplies and military support equipment into West Africa as part of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to respond to the Ebola outbreak. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

An aerial view of the newly built U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Livestock Contingency Inspection Facility along the Mexican border in Nogales, AZ on Sep. 25, 2014. USDA photo by Abby L. Fritz.

Pfc. Marshall O. Hughes, satellite communications operator and maintainer, Signal Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 25th Infantry Division from Asheboro, N.C., relaxes after competing in the Modern Army Combatives Program competition on Contingency Operating Base Adder.

Volvo B10BLE Wright Renown Y151 HRN is technically a spare bus, part of a contingency fleet. To the untrained eye it would look as if somebody part-painted this bus into Unibus colours and then couldn't be arsed to finish the job, but actually this is the spare bus livery for a vehicle that can then go on any route be it a York local service, Coastliner, or Unibus... the main reason for this being complaints from the university body responsible for Unibus who are not happy with Transdev putting buses on the 44 with pretty much every Transdev fleet livery in the north, and so 1051 has been done to look a bit like a Unibus but with a bit of blue so it can do other work too.....

With thanks to Chris Nelson for the above text.

www.flickr.com/photos/10110677@N07/11847482276/

Today the bus is doing the Yorkshire Coastliner 844 service. Note the new Transdev logo on the dash.

An Armenian soldier of Armenian Company, Peacekeeping Brigade conducts fire phobia training during a Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission rehearsal exercise (MRE) at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels, Germany, Oct. 1, 2014. The KFOR MRE is based on the current operational environment and is designed to prepare the unit for peace support, stability, and contingency operations in Kosovo in support of civil authorities to maintain a safe and secure environment. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Lloyd Villanueva/Released)

Tresnic Media - ift.tt/1Suxxho

The Pallasseum formerly known as 'Wohnen am Kleitspark', as well as colloquially as 'Sozialpalast' was constructed over a WW2 Bunker, used as a contingency food store for West Berlin.

Opened in 1977, the architect Jürgen Sawade *1937.

James Turrell, Skyscape, The Way of Color, 2009, stone, concrete, stainless steel, and LED lighting 228 x 652 inches © James Turrell (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas)

Learn More on Smarthistory

Soldiers train inside the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element (FCE), a self-contained, mobile command post capable of worldwide communications that can deploy within 72 hours.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Office

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

When the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element rolls onto a C-130 to head to Ghana in August, it will be with state of the art electronics allowing worldwide communications.

The USARAF FCE, similar to a tactical operations center with sophisticated internet and video teleconference capabilities, is a flexible command post that responds to deployment requests through U.S. Africa Command.

“The USARAF FCE can move out and be in any given African country in less than 72 hours,” said Sgt. Maj. Aaron Miller, non-commissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post.

During a recent tour of the mobile command center, USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg saw firsthand the power and flexibility of the mobile command post.

“Our C-130 version of a crisis command headquarters makes USARAF capable of deploying anywhere in the world if needed, but more specifically, anywhere in Africa. We can roll off the plane and within two hours have a fully operationally command and control system to cover any environment, Army pure, joint or inter-agency. We have tremendous capability now,” Hogg said.

Hogg expressed his gratitude to Soldiers of the USARAF G-6, Communications and Information Services and higher headquarters.

“Colonel Joe Angyal and his G-6 staff have done a wonderful job and none of this would have happened without the support of Headquarters Department of the Army. So we definitely want to thank them,” Hogg added.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS GEAR GIVES WORLDWIDE REACH

Recently, USRAF communications Soldiers with the FCE took on the challenges that new electronics can pose. The new system provides worldwide communications capability along with the added ability to work from a remote location with few amenities.

“We have about two weeks of training to smooth out some of the wrinkles” said Maj. Gary Philman, the USARAF signal operations officer and acting chief of the CCP. “We’ve been fortunate to get the new communications package and we’re integrating it with some of our existing systems.”

Philman said the FCE is the deployable headquarters for USARAF, and can be the first organization to hit the ground in advance of a joint task force.

“The FCE staff size depends on the mission request and can vary from eight to more than 20 personnel,” Philman said. “Our commanding general comes with the FCE when requested by an ambassador, [but] it can be commanded by a USARAF staff colonel or the CCP chief,” Philman said.

USARAF Spc. James Lagerstrom, information technology specialist with the CCP, deploys with FCE as one of the Soldiers ensuring the command element’s communications gear is up and running.

“Wherever we go … we can communicate,” Lagerstrom said. “We have internet and even have video teleconference ability [as well as] highly mobile.”

In August the FCE will get a chance do a live shakedown test of its communications equipment in the Republic of Ghana.

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Capt. Brian Roeder (center) leads his troops on a joint patrol with Iraqi army soldiers in Samarra, Iraq, on Oct. 21, 2006. Roeder is the commander of Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. DoD photo by Spc. Joshua R. Ford, U.S. Army. (Released)

A C-130J Hercules assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., performs an engine-running offload at Geronimo Landing Zone on Fort Polk, La., Oct 17, 2012. The aircraft provided resupply to a major Joint Readiness Training Center exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

www.usaraf.army.mil

U.S. Army Africa supports Burundi's peacekeeping efforts in Somalia

By Rick Scavetta, U.S. Army Africa

BUJUMBURA, Burundi – When U.S. Army Col. Steve Smith recently joined discussions with Burundian generals about how Burundi conducts peacekeeping efforts in Somalia, he was leading the way for U.S. Army Africa partnerships on the continent.

In mid-January, Smith led a team to work with Burundian officers on ways to enhance Burundi’s leadership capacity as their military prepares to deploy its next rotation of peacekeepers to Mogadishu. Smith, of the U.S. Army’s Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute and Lt. Col. Ronald Miller, an Africa expert from U.S. Army Africa headquarters, held discussions with senior Burundian military officers at the Ministry of Defense in Bujumbura.

“We discussed the U.S. military’s way of planning for operations at the brigade level, using what we call MDMP, the military decision making process,” Smith said. “We also talked about how U.S. Army officers run a brigade-level command post.”

Burundi and Uganda share peacekeeping duties under the African Union Mission in Somalia, an operation designed to stabilize Somalia’s security situation following decades of war and chaos. African peacekeepers in Somalia face daily challenges as they mentor Somalis in security operations and work to counter extremist groups like al-Shabaab.

The U.S. Army effort is part of a larger effort by the U.S. government to support Burundi in its peacekeeping efforts, said Brig. Gen. Cyprien Ndikuryio, chief of Burundi’s land forces. The U.S. has helped with training and equipment, followed by these senior leader discussions, he said.

“My colleagues and I are senior officers. One of them, or I, could be appointed to higher responsibilities in Somalia’s peacekeeping mission and use what we have learned,” Ndikuryio said.

Until now, Burundi’s military planned missions similar to the way Belgian and French militaries work. The Ugandan People’s Defense Force, Burundi’s partner in AMISOM, already employs a planning system that is similar to the U.S. military, Smith said.

“It’s incredibly important for Burundi, as they are working alongside other armies using the U.S.-based model, to promote interoperability and overall efficiency,” Smith said.

In 2006, Burundi ended its 12-year civil war. Since then, Burundi has made strides toward partnering with its East African neighbors and the United States.

In October 2009, Burundian troops took part in Natural Fire 10, a U.S. Army Africa-led humanitarian and civil assistance exercise held in Uganda. During that time, Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III, commander of U.S. Army Africa, visited Bujumbura to watch Burundian troops undergoing training with the U.S. State Department-led African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program.

Burundian senior leaders then asked U.S. Army Africa to help with a familiarization event on brigade-level peacekeeping operations. Leaders from PKSOI at Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania offered their expertise for the event.

“This effort in Burundi has been a great opportunity for the U.S. Army to engage with a partner nation’s land forces on the continent,” Smith said. “There’s a tremendous potential here, a great thirst for knowledge.”

Smith’s Burundi assignment also benefits PKSOI in their efforts, he said.

“I’m taking back with me a better understanding of U.S. Army Africa operations and what’s happening on the ground in Africa,” Smith said. “That knowledge will help PKSOI plan to support future missions.”

The talks came at a key time for the Burundian military, as they prepare to deploy a new rotation of peacekeepers to Somali.

“This support was very important and effective,” Ndikuryio said. “We appreciate this cooperation with U.S. Army Africa. We hope to interact with the command in the future.”

Cleared for public release.

Photos by Rick Scavetta, U.S. Army Africa

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica

Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica

U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Swanker, assigned to the Ohio National Guard's 1194th Engineer Company, 682d Engineer Battalion, carries the American Flag during the 25K Danish Contingency, or DANCON, ruck march at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, May 3, 2016. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Megan Doran)

Maj. Gary Philman (third from left), U.S. Army Africa signal operations officer and acting chief of the unit’s Contingency Command Post, briefs USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg (center) on the capabilities of new communications gear for the unit’s mobile command post.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Office

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

When the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element rolls onto a C-130 to head to Ghana in August, it will be with state of the art electronics allowing worldwide communications.

The USARAF FCE, similar to a tactical operations center with sophisticated internet and video teleconference capabilities, is a flexible command post that responds to deployment requests through U.S. Africa Command.

“The USARAF FCE can move out and be in any given African country in less than 72 hours,” said Sgt. Maj. Aaron Miller, non-commissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post.

During a recent tour of the mobile command center, USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg saw firsthand the power and flexibility of the mobile command post.

“Our C-130 version of a crisis command headquarters makes USARAF capable of deploying anywhere in the world if needed, but more specifically, anywhere in Africa. We can roll off the plane and within two hours have a fully operationally command and control system to cover any environment, Army pure, joint or inter-agency. We have tremendous capability now,” Hogg said.

Hogg expressed his gratitude to Soldiers of the USARAF G-6, Communications and Information Services and higher headquarters.

“Colonel Joe Angyal and his G-6 staff have done a wonderful job and none of this would have happened without the support of Headquarters Department of the Army. So we definitely want to thank them,” Hogg added.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS GEAR GIVES WORLDWIDE REACH

Recently, USRAF communications Soldiers with the FCE took on the challenges that new electronics can pose. The new system provides worldwide communications capability along with the added ability to work from a remote location with few amenities.

“We have about two weeks of training to smooth out some of the wrinkles” said Maj. Gary Philman, the USARAF signal operations officer and acting chief of the CCP. “We’ve been fortunate to get the new communications package and we’re integrating it with some of our existing systems.”

Philman said the FCE is the deployable headquarters for USARAF, and can be the first organization to hit the ground in advance of a joint task force.

“The FCE staff size depends on the mission request and can vary from eight to more than 20 personnel,” Philman said. “Our commanding general comes with the FCE when requested by an ambassador, [but] it can be commanded by a USARAF staff colonel or the CCP chief,” Philman said.

USARAF Spc. James Lagerstrom, information technology specialist with the CCP, deploys with FCE as one of the Soldiers ensuring the command element’s communications gear is up and running.

“Wherever we go … we can communicate,” Lagerstrom said. “We have internet and even have video teleconference ability [as well as] highly mobile.”

In August the FCE will get a chance do a live shakedown test of its communications equipment in the Republic of Ghana.

Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agents (left and far right) and a Department of State (DoS) MED Guardian Medic (second from right) meet with a member of the 21st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team at a contingency medical/decontamination site in New York during the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Sept 27, 2019. DSS worked with the DoS Bureau of Medical Services, Operational Medicine and partners like the National Guard to mitigate potential medical or weapons of mass destruction threats to DSS protectees during UNGA. (U.S. Department of State photo)

Spc. James Lagerstrom adjusts a satellite cable during new equipment training on the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Office

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

When the U.S. Army Africa Forward Command Element rolls onto a C-130 to head to Ghana in August, it will be with state of the art electronics allowing worldwide communications.

The USARAF FCE, similar to a tactical operations center with sophisticated internet and video teleconference capabilities, is a flexible command post that responds to deployment requests through U.S. Africa Command.

“The USARAF FCE can move out and be in any given African country in less than 72 hours,” said Sgt. Maj. Aaron Miller, non-commissioned officer in charge of the USARAF Contingency Command Post.

During a recent tour of the mobile command center, USARAF Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg saw firsthand the power and flexibility of the mobile command post.

“Our C-130 version of a crisis command headquarters makes USARAF capable of deploying anywhere in the world if needed, but more specifically, anywhere in Africa. We can roll off the plane and within two hours have a fully operationally command and control system to cover any environment, Army pure, joint or inter-agency. We have tremendous capability now,” Hogg said.

Hogg expressed his gratitude to Soldiers of the USARAF G-6, Communications and Information Services and higher headquarters.

“Colonel Joe Angyal and his G-6 staff have done a wonderful job and none of this would have happened without the support of Headquarters Department of the Army. So we definitely want to thank them,” Hogg added.

NEW COMMUNICATIONS GEAR GIVES WORLDWIDE REACH

Recently, USRAF communications Soldiers with the FCE took on the challenges that new electronics can pose. The new system provides worldwide communications capability along with the added ability to work from a remote location with few amenities.

“We have about two weeks of training to smooth out some of the wrinkles” said Maj. Gary Philman, the USARAF signal operations officer and acting chief of the CCP. “We’ve been fortunate to get the new communications package and we’re integrating it with some of our existing systems.”

Philman said the FCE is the deployable headquarters for USARAF, and can be the first organization to hit the ground in advance of a joint task force.

“The FCE staff size depends on the mission request and can vary from eight to more than 20 personnel,” Philman said. “Our commanding general comes with the FCE when requested by an ambassador, [but] it can be commanded by a USARAF staff colonel or the CCP chief,” Philman said.

USARAF Spc. James Lagerstrom, information technology specialist with the CCP, deploys with FCE as one of the Soldiers ensuring the command element’s communications gear is up and running.

“Wherever we go … we can communicate,” Lagerstrom said. “We have internet and even have video teleconference ability [as well as] highly mobile.”

In August the FCE will get a chance do a live shakedown test of its communications equipment in the Republic of Ghana.

Pictured:

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

AIM-9L/M Sidewinder

AIM-7F/M Sparrow

All rights reserved.

www.142fw.ang.af.mil/

The 142nd Fighter Wing's rich history began just prior to World War II as the United States increased its military readiness while war raged across Europe and Asia.

Today, as a vital Air National Guard asset to Air Combat Command and Air Expeditionary Force structures, the 142nd Fighter Wing conducts Air Sovereignty Alert operations 24/7 in the Pacific Northwest. The wing also participates in contingency operations in support of state and federal authorities.

.

The Oregon Air National Guard and the 142nd Fighter Wing's history began just prior to World War II when the United States, monitoring the war raging in Europe and China, began focusing less on neutrality and more on preparedness. Answering the call to arms was Major G. Robert Dodson, an Oregonian serving with the 321st Observation Squadron, U.S. Army Reserve at Pearson Field in Vancouver, Washington. He requested the National Guard Bureau's authorization to form an Oregon flying unit. His short, official request -- "We've got people, we've got a place, and we're ready!" -- launched the 123rd Observation Squadron on April 18, 1941. The newly formed unit began operations with two officers, 108 enlisted men and two aircraft, a North American BC-1A (like the AT-6) and a Douglas O-46A.

Five months later, on September 15, 1941, the squadron was federally activated and deployed to Gray Field at Fort Lewis, Washington from which it conducted coastal patrol and training operations in the Pacific Northwest with the North American O-47. This included one of the first missions flown from a U.S. base on December 7, 1941. In March 1943 the 123rd was redesignated as a Reconnaissance Squadron, and redesignated again in August 1943 as the 35th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (PRS). From September 1944 to August 1945 the unit flew the F-5 reconnaissance variant of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning in combat operations in the China-Burma-India theatre as part of the Fourteenth Air Force, the famous "Flying Tigers." The squadron received credit for participation in seven campaigns in World War II. Not all 123rd personnel served with the 35th PRS, as some were diverted to other units as early as 1942 and served elsewhere in the Pacific and in Europe. As part of the large drawdown of forces after the war, the 35th PRS inactivated on November 7, 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.

Less than a year later, the 35th PRS was revived, redesignated as the 123rd Fighter Squadron (Single Engine, SE) and allocated to the State of Oregon National Guard, effective 26 June, 1946. At a similar time, and as part of a larger ANG reorganization, the 371st Fighter Group was allocated to the State of Oregon, and redesignated as the 142nd Fighter Group on May 24, 1946. The 123rd FS (SE) fell under the 142nd Fighter Group at Portland Air Base. The 142nd inherited the lineage and honors of the 371st FG, which flew combat missions with the P-47 Thunderbolt in the European Theater of Operations in World War II and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for exceptional heroism in 1945. Thus the 142nd FG began fighter operations for the first time in the North American P-51D Mustang with 75 officers and 800 enlisted. men.

Beginning in 1950, the group mobilized in response to the Korean War. Individually activated pilots of the 123rd FS flew over 1,000 combat missions with active duty squadrons of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing in the F-51D Mustang. The 142nd Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron deployed to Alaska to bolster ground radar coverage in remote areas against the growing Soviet bomber threat, while the 142nd Fighter Group performed the air defense mission as part of the Continental Air Command. In 1952 both the group and squadron were redesignated Fighter Interceptor units.

After supporting the Korean conflict the 142nd Fighter Interceptor Group remained very active in air defense matters through the Cold War years. In the summer of 1958, the 142nd began standing 24-hour air defense alert and continues to this day. As an example of the unit's readiness and capability, in 1976, the unit won top honors at a pair of Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) competitions, the Weapons Loading Competition and the famous William Tell Air Defense Competition. SMSgt Alan Kaser, TSgt Lane Hoffman, TSgt Mark Wiebold and TSgt Joe Woodburn won the Weapons Loading Competition with two near perfect loads, a high test score and maximum points on the tools and equipment checks. In William Tell 1976, the 142nd garnered first place in the F-101 category and Lt. Col. Don Tonole and Maj. Brad Newell captured the overall "Top Gun" title flying the McDonnell F-101B Voodoo. Success came again at William Tell 1984 when the unit placed first in the F-4 category flying the McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II and beat many of its F-15 Eagle and F-106 Delta Dart rivals in the overall competition. Majors Ron Moore and Bill Dejager were the overall F-4 "Top Guns" of the competition. In the 50th Year of William Tell Anniversary Competition held in 2004, the 142nd Fighter Wing was rated first in Maintenance, Element Attack and Gun categories. These William Tell successes demonstrate Oregon's long history of excellent performance and readiness to accomplish the real world mission.

Since the end of the Cold War, the 142nd has served as the principle air defense unit of the Pacific Northwest. In 1992, as part of a large USAF reorganization, both the group and squadron were redesignated yet again as the 142nd Fighter Group and the 123rd Fighter Squadron, respectively. In 1995 the group was elevated to wing status, beginning its current designation as the 142nd Fighter Wing. The wing participated in a wide variety of expeditionary and humanitarian assistance missions in the turbulent post-Cold War environment while providing air defense of the Pacific Northwest. These included major deployments to Turkey in 1998 for Operation NORTHERN WATCH and to Saudi Arabia in 2000 for Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, patrolling the no-fly zones then in place over Iraq. The wing deployed aircraft to Panama in 1998 in support of counterdrug missions, helping stem the flow of the drug trade by air. Wing personnel deployed on various other missions, sending medical troops to Belize, civil engineers to Macedonia, and to such places around the globe as Curacao, Denmark, Germany, Guam, Kuwait, Spain and the United Kingdom.

On September 11, 2001, the wing was one of the first units to respond to the dastardly terrorist attacks on the east coast with increased air defense to enhance security on the west coast, and subsequently participated in Operation NOBLE EAGLE, the national military response to homeland defense. In 2004, unit personnel provided humanitarian aid in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 2007 floods in Vernonia, Oregon. The wing also supported ongoing contingency operations in Southwest Asia, including Operations IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM, such as in the 2004 deployment of medical personnel to Qatar and the 2009 deployment of Security Forces Squadron personnel to Iraq.

From its creation, the 142nd Fighter Wing has flown the P-51/F-51 Mustang, F-86 Sabre, F-94 Starfire, F-89 Scorpion, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-101 Voodoo, F-4 Phantom II fighter planes and a host of support aircraft.

Today, the fighting "Redhawks" are proud to continue service as a vital part of the Total Force team, defending our nation with the F-15 Eagle, providing both continuous air defense and air superiority capabilities. With more than 1,000 officers and airmen, the 142nd Fighter Wing guards the Pacific Northwest skies from northern California to the Canadian border, on 24-hour Air Sovereignty Alert as part of Air Combat Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The wing also stands ready to participate in state and federal contingency missions as required.

Regional Transit System

Gainesville, Florida

510: 2001 RTS Nova

0108: 2001 Gillig LowFloor Ex-Palm Tran

322: 1997 Gillig Phantom Ex-Lynx

319: 1997 Gillig Phantom Ex-Lynx

283: 1996 Gillig Phantom Ex-Lynx

0117: 2001 Gillig LowFloor Ex-Palm Tran

515: 2001 RTS Nova

2015 RTS Bus Roadeo

This is the Patterson Grade beneath Sonora Pass. This shot was taken on May 24th. It wasn't supposed to be snowing! Read the long version below.

This picture pretty much sums up why I didn't take any pictures on this trip. It was nearly always so miserable all I wanted to do was soldier through and chew miles.

I had arrived in Santa Cruz shaking so bad I had to go buy some gear to get me warmed up and ready for the rest of the trip. Contrary to my normal packing mode, which is for every contingency, I had decided to go minimal due to the proximity to June. I couldn't have been more wrong. After buying warmer socks, waterproof pants, polypro long johns, and a thermal hoody I used the bathroom at the store to suit up and get ready for the trip to San Fran where I was meeting the guy selling the Wharram Tane (see set). The ride was much nicer, not so much wind and it was starting to warm a bit. The only downer was all the smoke from the fire in Santa Cruz.

I made it to Brisbane Marina and we took the cat out for a short sail, I bought it, then headed east towards Sonora pass. I was hoping to get over that and make my way down to Bishop to catch up with my girls who were celebrating Mule Days as best they could.

As I got closer to the foothills it started raining again, then thundering, then pouring. I made a stop in Jamestown to make a few calls and see if the pass was open. It still was. I met some awesome folks at the gas station (Craig and Stephanie of Oakdale) who offered me a place to stay in Kennedy Meadows just in case it was too big a push to try for the pass or if it was closed. After leaving Jamestown the weather seemed to clear for a bit. I was feeling elated and thinking I might be able to make it over the pass and see my girls.

It was nice to know I had something to fall back on just in case but I was still aiming for 395 and Bridgeport. As I made my way up towards the pass the weather deteriorated rapidly till it was foggy and rainy. Darkness was approaching a lot faster than I had anticipated. I was really soaked and freezing cold despite the new gear. It was a relief to see the sign that said "Kennedy Meadows 8 miles", but it was the longest 8 miles I have ever ridden.

I pulled into Kennedy Meadows knowing I would be there for the night and that trying for the pass would be foolish in the condition I was in. Craig and Stephanie were still taking their time getting up the mountain. I had made it up before them so I headed in till I saw some action in the dark, this is where I discovered "Willies Watering Hole". This place was a serious anachronism. The jukebox played old country. Most everyone I took in with my first sweep of the place almost appeared to be in costume, but they weren't. They were just seriously real cowboys dressed in garb indiscernible from 50 years ago. When I walked in the place kind of paused for a second. I must have looked like an astronaut with my big jacket and boots. About 30 seconds after I walked in a guy looked at me and said "Here ya go, you look like you really need this" and handed me a shot of tequila. I promptly downed it and thanked him profusely.

After milling about with these fine new friends I made my way to cabin number 7 and found it to be unlocked. Stephanie knew they would be late so she called ahead and had it open for me. Did I mention how cool these people were? I went in and cranked the heat and layed my gloves out to dry. I threw my pad down on the floor and attempted to make it past the buzzing and shuttering in my brain from the days riding. It was hard work but I finally made it to sleep.

I was excited for the next day to come so I could ride over the pass and get to the fun happening in Bishop. However when I woke in the morning I opened the cabin door to find my bike covered in slushy wet snow. I was geared up and ready to go so I made for the pass anyway. I got a short ways up the road to find it gated and the pass closed.

I was in a bit of a pickle here because it was starting to snow for real. I didn't have much time to make a plan. I headed back to Kennedy Meadows to see if amyone there knew if the pass was going to stay closed. By their estimates it would stay closed and if it was closed so was Tioga, but I might try up north on one of the bigger roads. That was out of the question for me. I decided right there that I would head out of the mountains and south towards Bakersfield.

Getting down the mountain was only half the battle as it was snowing the whole way down, but once I was down it was cold and rainy again.

I opted for the 49 south to the 41 south to the 99 south to the 155 east over to Lake Isabella and on to the 178 east to the 14 north to the 395 north to Bishop. I wasn't sure if it was possible to do in one day but I would give it a proper go.

I started riding at 7:30AM. I arrived in Bishop just after 10PM. This was my version of "The Long Way Round"