Airmen participate in Combined Endeavor 2004

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Cindy Dorfner
  • Combined Endeavor Regional Forward Group Public Affairs
CAMP SARAFOVO, Bulgaria (AFPN) --  Airmen from the 735th Communications Squadron and the 1st Combat Communications Squadron arrived here for exercise Combined Endeavor 2004.

In roughly a day, a group of 26 communications experts from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, provided access to phones, the Internet and e-mail for more than 200 people from eight countries.

Combined Endeavor began May 6 and runs through May 19. It is a U.S. European Command-sponsored exercise designed to identify and document command, control, communications and computer interoperability between NATO and Partnership for Peace nations.

For the first time in exercise’s 10-year existence, Combined Endeavor takes place in two countries -- here and at Lager Aulenbach, Germany.

The overall exercise objective is to achieve a level of communications interoperability and compatibility that will allow partner nations to conduct future humanitarian, peacekeeping and disaster relief operations, officials said.

To achieve the objective, different tests take place each day. Some of those tests involve digital and analog switchboards, information systems, information assurance, and wide- and local-area networks.

“Through coordination with network operations in Lager Aulenbach and great cooperation with our multinational counterparts (here), we’ve been able to overcome ongoing challenges of interoperability,” said Capt. Robert Kitchen, 735th ECS commander.

He said those challenges create opportunities for his troops.

“You can’t expect that your equipment will be compatible with everything you might find on site,” he said. “Making our equipment work as a coalition network, without the luxury of going to the local electronics store for parts, is exactly what we would expect in future military operations. This means we have to scrutinize our own planning efforts and build a coalition mindset into our readiness training.”

The best part about being here, said Staff Sgt. Jason Bryant, of the 1st Combat Communications Squadron, is having access to equipment not available at Ramstein AB.

“I get to test out equipment here that I can’t even touch in my shop. This is a great learning bed,” Sergeant Bryant said. “There is a great knowledge base with the U.S. Marine Corps and military members from countries such as Bulgaria. We all work together to figure things out.”

And working together makes for a great learning environment, said Master Sgt. Ronald Rouse, superintendent of the 735th ECS.

“One thing is that we found out that we all do things in different ways,” said Sergeant Rouse. “Building the network, telephone switches and providing Internet [connection] are sometimes done completely different than in the United States. But, it’s an interesting concept.”

And it is a concept that requires teamwork to get things done, said Captain Kitchen.

“(Participants in Combined Endeavor 2004) see these challenges as puzzles to solve,” he said. “The willingness of this international team to overcome any obstacles in our path is our greatest strength. Without this attitude, interoperability of machinery brings nothing to operations.” (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)