News

Reserve Airmen travel from California, New York to help prepare for inspection

  • Published
  • By Sandra Pishner
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MCCHORD FIELD, Wash. --  When faced with a challenging task, it helps to have family pitch in. Stepping up to the plate to help out our active-duty family is why Reservists from California, and one from New York, came to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington in June.

Seeing the 627th Communications Squadron here leaning forward to prepare for a Command Cyber Readiness Inspection this fall, Master Sgt. Diana Feeley, 446th Airlift Wing Network Operations, put out a call to Reserve units across the country offering up McChord as a great place for an annual tour. The goal was to provide assistance to the 627th CS in their inspection preparations.

Reservists from the 23rd Combat Communications Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, California, and one from the 914th Communications Squadron, Niagara Falls, N.Y., answered the call for help. They brought to bear a combination of skills in computer support technicians, cyber transport, cyber operations, and radio frequency transmissions technicians.

"Just when you leave the house and it starts to pour, a friend comes along to share their umbrella," wrote Maj. Donovan Cirino, 627th CS commander in an e-mail to Col. Bruce Bowers, 446th AW commander. "This time around, it was you and your team with the amazing gift of your Reserve manpower. From my team to yours, thank you so much for taking the time and effort to find these wonderful augmentees from Travis, Beale, and assorted other units to come in and assist us in preparing for the CCRI --- we appreciate every minute of it!"

According to Feeley, there will be Reservists inbound from Beale Air Force Base, California and a couple of other units between now and Aug. 21.

The Reservists worked on major projects such as printer moves to the printer network, repairing outdated antivirus clients on more than 500 computers across the base, repaired and inventoried radio equipment assigned to 446th AW units, and even did an operational check on the audio equipment that will be used for the wing's upcoming family day picnic in July.

But the main focus of their time here was helping the active-duty 627th CS.

The objective of the Defense Information Systems Agency Command Cyber Readiness inspection is to ensure commanders have the tools and information they need to ensure their unit's cyber security posture. What they are looking for is consistent methodology in maintaining a secure network by validating compliance with mandated IA/CND directives and USCYBERCOM operational orders.

"Although the 627th CS will be the "inspected" unit, McChord Field will receive one grade on the security of the Air Force Network, so reliance and remediation actions across all McChord Field units are necessary for a successful inspection," said Feeley.

Meetings with all computer support personnel and functional systems administrators have been taking place since March.

"We (McChord) received an Outstanding in our last inspection in 2010, so we are pushing for the same level of success in security practices this time around," said Feeley.