POPE ARMY AIRFIELD- N.C. -- The efficient and effective flow of information is a key component to any mission. Throughout the year, the 43rd Communications Squadron (CS) safeguards the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group (AMOG) communications to keep the mission on Pope Army Airfield successful.
The squadron works to provide a reliable and secure cyberspace capability to maximize warfighters’ ability to attain cutting edge decision superiority. The 43rd CS Squadron keeps Airmen across Pope connected to each other in many ways. From fixing technical issues to ensuring the communication ports are secure. These Airmen utilize many tools to keep warfighters connected and ready.
“We are the connecting point,” said Senior Master Sgt. James Hoover, 43rd CS senior enlisted leader. “Without NIPR [Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router] and SIPR [Secure Internet Protocol Router] at Pope, units would be forced to go back to runners, line-of-sight radios, or other unsecured transmission mediums leaving units without the ability to get the classified data critical to operational planning and execution.”
Airmen in the 43rd CS work between two flights, Cyberspace Operations and Plans and Programs. Cyberspace Operations maintains customers’ continuously secured and unsecured channels by providing technical and systems support to the network. Plans and Programs maintains a focus on the future of the network through planned and coordinated implementation of changes across the network while enforcing rigid information technology (IT) security standards. These two flights consist of more than 60 Airmen working to meet the demands of over 3,600 servicemembers and civilians.
“The only time you notice [communications] is not there is when it goes down,” said Hoover. “But it’s that connective background tissue that keeps operations flowing and operations flowing fast.”
Though the 43rd AMOG operates on an Army installation, the organization’s focus is on the Air Force network. The squadron shares the responsibilities of maintaining the data transmission ability on Pope with its U.S. Army counterparts. Airmen handle a lot of issues that customers see up front while the Army focuses on issues in the background. The squadron and Army partners coordinate joint efforts for technical issues that reach farther than what Airmen maintain.
“There are certain programs and other data pieces that are on the Air Force network that flyers and our tenant units need that are not on the Army network,” said Maj. Kayla Haven, 43rd CS commander. “Without us, there are certain things they wouldn’t be able to do and they’d have to go through the Army.”
For any mission to take off, communicating with one another is key. Being able to share information quickly and securely is an irreplaceable tool for mission success. The Airmen of the 43rd CS ensure that the units on Pope have secure communication channels that are ready and available to guarantee the 43 AMOG mission success.