Staff Sgt. Michael Shoup, Senior Airman Nathan brooks, and Senior Airman Mayra Christian, 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron cable and antenna team, climb local antenna towers to conduct a safety climbing class on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 11, 2012. The 1st CMXS provides Tier II maintenance that installs, upgrades, removes and performs emergency repairs on antenna systems for 16 bases across the European theater. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Chris Willis)
Senior Airman Sidney Berthold, 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron cable and antenna team, displays seven strands of optical fiber on Kapuan Air Station, Germany July 11, 2012. The 1st CMXS provides specialized communication maintenance support for cyberspace systems within the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Chris Willis)
Senior Airman Nathan Brooks, 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron cable and antenna team, terminates an optical fiber on Kapuan Air Station, Germany July 11, 2012. The 1st CMXS provides specialized communications maintenance support for cyberspace systems within the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Chris Willis)
Senior Airman Roberto Reyes, 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron cable and antenna team, puts a load at the end of an antenna cable to test for any technical or mechanical problems on Kapuan Air Station, Germany July 11, 2012. The 1st CMXS provides specialized communication maintenance support for cyberspace systems within the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Chris Willis)
An Anritsu displays the test results of a working antenna cable during a routine equipment check on Kapuan Air Station, Germany July 11, 2012. The 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron provides Tier II maintenance that installs, upgrades, removes and performs emergency repairs on antenna systems for 16 bases across the European theater. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Chris Willis)
Senior Airman Roberto Reye, 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron cable and antenna team, performs a preventive maintenance inspection on a 197 antenna on Kapuan Air Station, Germany July 11, 2012. The 1st CMXS provides specialized communications maintenance support for cyberspace systems within the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Chris Willis)
Senior Airman Sidney Berthold, 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron cable and antenna team, displays a butterfly knot on Kapuan Air Station, Germany July 11, 2012. The 1st CMXS provides climb and rescue certifiers for all personnel in the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Theater, training more than 70 technicians annually saving the Air Force $384 thousand in contractor fees. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Chris Willis)
Senior Airman Nathan Brooks, 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron cable and antenna team, prepares knots for a safety climbing class on Ramstein Air Base, Germany July 11, 2012. The 1st CMXS provides climb and rescue certifiers for all personnel in the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Theater, training more than 70 technicians annually saving the Air Force $384 thousand in contractor fees. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Chris Willis)
Master Sgt. Mark Malloy, Staff Sgt. Michael Shoup, Senior Airman Nathan Brooks, and Senior Airman Mayra Christian, 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron cable and antenna team, conduct a safety climbing training class on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 11, 2012. The 1st CMXS provides climb and rescue certifiers for all personnel in the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Theater, training more than 70 technicians annually saving the Air Force $384 thousand in contractor fees. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Chris Willis)
by Senior Airman Chris Willis
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
7/24/2012 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) -- Airmen assigned to the 1st Communication Maintenance Squadron are in high demand, providing specialized communication maintenance technicians that support cyberspace systems throughout U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility.
In 2012, the 1st CMXS spent more than 5,200 combined days on the road throughout the theater, visiting 45 sites in 11 countries on four continents.
"So far in FY12, the 1st CMXS has spent over 3,000 days on the road and is currently in our busiest time of the year," said Maj. Angela Freeman, 1st CMXS commander.
The 1st CMXS is Maj. Freeman' s first command and she has witnessed the unit's ability to solve complex problems and provide expert emergency restoration, preventative maintenance, training expertise, and maintenance support throughout the theater.
"Commanding the 1st CMXS has been an amazing experience, "she said. "The personnel in this unit are hand-selected, so they are the best our cyberspace community has to offer."
Additionally, the unit maintains a vehicle fleet of 86 vehicles and is valued at more than $7 million. This vehicle fleet includes specialized vehicles to perform theater-wide emergency repairs within 24-48 hours.
The Cable Antenna Systems Maintenance Special Communications Team (SCT) falls under the 1st CMXS and is a handpicked team that installs, inspects, upgrades, removes and performs emergency repairs on more than 667 antenna systems valued at $106 million supporting 109 thousand missions per year for Department of Defense, NATO, and EUCOM.
"There are very few bases that actually maintain the antenna side of the career field," said Master Sgt. Mark Malloy, 1st CMXS cable and antenna field supervisor. "Like the bases in the U.S., here we tend to assist and maintain several projects engineering and installing infrastructure across U.S. Air Forces Europe and Royal Air Force."
The Cable Antenna Systems Maintenance SCT's are heavily involved in an Air Force wide High Frequency Global Communications System decommissioning effort, setting the stage for system upgrades. The most recent decommission was at Royal Air Force Croughton where 11 antennas and 25 thousand of equipment was removed. Using the 1st CMXS for this decommissioning saved the Air Force $5 million in contractor fees to accomplish the same mission.
Whether it is providing 24 hour communication maintenance response or traveling to repair antenna towers in remote locations across the European theater, the 1st CMXS has proven time after time their unit's ability to provide some of the most highly trained technicians the Air Force has to offer.
Comments
7/24/2012 12:38:55 PM ET Is 25 thousand of equipment supposed to be 25 thousand pounds of equipment?
