Hanscom officials complete first fixed site security installation in Southwest Asia

  • Published
  • By Rhonda Siciliano
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AFNS) --  Members of the 642nd Electronic Systems Squadron here recently completed the first fixed site security installation in the Southwest Asia area of responsibility for the Air Force's Combined Air and Space Operations Center. 

The project came in as a direct request to the Electronic Systems Center in October 2007 as an immediate need from Lt. Gen. Gary North, the then U.S. Air Forces Central commander.

The 642nd ESS staff built a flexible acquisition strategy to work around the delays in building construction, ensuring that the security system was in place before the CAOC became operational. Once a known baseline was established, the security installation was delivered on-time, on-cost and now provides enhanced situational awareness for security forces personnel overseas protecting vital resources in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"We're proud to deliver this first ever AFCENT fixed site intrusion detection system to our warfighter on cost and on schedule with full capability to meet their needs," said Lloyd Corricelli, the Combatant Commands Integrated Base Defense Security System program manager.

"The installation of fixed site security sensors at the CAOC provides security forces personnel with greater internal access controls of their on-base facilities in addition to a more enduring system similar to that found at our CONUS bases," Mr. Corricelli said. "It takes base security beyond expeditionary, to a longer range security solution to better meet AFCENT's force protection requirements."

With the new security install, information will be sent from the fixed site sensors installed at various facilities across the base to a central annunciator or terminal where security forces personnel can monitor the health of the system and respond to any security concerns.

"This is just the first step, we expect this to be an ongoing incremental process," Mr. Corricelli said. "We will continue our work of leveraging technology to further enhance base security as additional facilities come on-line."

"With this install we've taken overseas base security to the next level and we're looking forward to continuing this work to ensure that our customers have all the tools they need to meet their mission of protecting warfighting resources and personnel," said Patrick Marr, the 642 ELSS director.