202nd completes 'high tech' ops center for 1st Air Force
May 18, 2007 - The 202d Engineering Installation Squadron of the Georgia Air National Guard was joined by other E&I squadrons from Tennessee, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania installing a significant communication project for the new Air Operations Center at Tyndall AFB, Florida. The new AOC will support 1st Air Forces’ new mission of homeland security.
With the mission focus of 1st Air Force changing more toward detecting and intercepting possible threats to U.S. airspace security, the requirements for a highly sophisticated communications and intelligence system were apparent. Interceptors of the North American Aerospace Defense Command whose support is provided by 1st Air Force, have logged tens of thousands of sorties per year, flown predominantly by Air Guard pilots.
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| A 202nd Engineer works to prepare wiring at the new Ops Center. |
The telecommunications requirements for 1st Air Force are managed by engineers of Macon’s 202d EIS. Officials consulted with CMSgt Mike Robinson, System Telecommunications Engineering Manager about the project and the decision was made to turn a large part of the massive engineering project over to the Air Force’s E&I community.
The outside-plant work included installing and terminating 2,900 feet of fiber optic cable interconnecting the AOC with two other existing buildings. According to MSgt Glenn Dalton, the 202nd project engineer, the hard part was the interior work, especially as construction modifications required 19 significant engineering changes.
“It’s like trying to hit a moving target which kept changing direction,” admitted Dalton.
The sophisticated comm network involved the installation of cabinets, racks, fiber optic and shielded CAT 6 cable throughout the communications, operations and intelligence areas. More specifically, Guardsmen installed, bayed, and grounded 77 cabinets, as well as the grounding grid system in the communications rooms. Under the Center’s raised flooring was installed 1,100 feet of wire baskets for cable. Another 143 feet of ladder rack was installed overall, and 63 cable troughs were placed above the network cabinets.
Engineers installed and terminated more than 5,000 feet of fiber optic cable in the communications room. Another 7,500 feet of shielded cable for 25 secure phone drops in the OPS and INTEL areas were placed. A total of 18,400 feet of CAT 6 cable for 64 Voice over IP drops in the OPS area. And 14,000 feet of fiber optic cable to connect 68 fiber drops of 12 fibers each in the INTEL area were placed and terminated. More than 45,000 feet of cable were installed and. the Georgia Air Guard engineers spliced and tested a total of 5,256 fibers throughout the new facility.
Work on the AOC began at the end of November 2006, and was scheduled to finish at the end of March. However, E&I engineers working split shifts and weekends expedited the project finishing almost one month earlier to avoid Florida’s hurricane season.
Brigadier General Steven Westgate, Chief of staff, Georgia Air Guard, currently on an AEF rotation as Air Commander at the AOC at Tyndall, noted that the 202nd's work was outstanding work and greatly enhances the communications capabilities of the Noble Eagle mission.
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