Westover tests communications package.(Round the Reserve)

Reservists at Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass., conducted field exercises in April using a new mobile communications package.

The 439th Communications Squadron is the first Air Force Reserve Command unit to receive the Joint Incident Site Communications Capability system, said Capt. Jeremy Downer, the organization's officer in charge. He and a group of communications Airmen started the field exercise the morning of April 1 by rolling out components of the mobile communications kit, all of which fit inside of a 19-foot trailer and on the back of two flat-bed trucks.

The National Guard developed the system in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to address the problems military and other government agencies who responded to the disaster encountered in communicating with one another, Captain Downer said. AFRC is adapting the capability to provide its bases with flexible emergency response communications.

Captain Downer said the package will allow Westover communications Airmen to respond to a man-made or natural disaster on site with a "command post in a box."

"Hurricanes, floods--whatever we would be asked to do inside or outside the wire, we can do with this system," he said.

JISCC includes satellite equipment, communications terminals, a 30-foot antenna, a trailer and a tent. The entire package costs more than $300,000 to field, but the capability it provides, in terms of saving lives and property, is immeasurable for organizations responding to disasters.

During the field exercise, JISCC proved its value by providing for the constant flow of vital information in a seamless manner, Captain Downer said.

Its radio systems are compatible with those of other military and government agencies. In addition, the package provides local area networking capability for laptop computers to access the Internet and other key networks. It comes with everything necessary to make JISCC completely self-sufficient in the field.

Plans call for 11 other AFRC bases to eventually receive the mobile communications package, Captain Downer said. (Andre Bowser/Tech. Sgt. Andrew Biscoe, 439th Airlift Wing public affairs, Westover ARB)