Clear skies of communications

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Malia Jenkins
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The mission of combat crew communication members is to save lives and aircraft by providing the best communication security, safe passage procedures and aircrew training.

The Minot Air Force Base Combat Crew Communications office employs countless measures and countermeasures to ensure aircrew communications remain secure and out of reach from enemies who wish to impede their ability to maintain a secure connection.

Senior Airman Javier Peralta, 5th Operations Support Squadron combat crew communication technician, said it's cool to see how his job is crucial to mission success.

"Without combat communications, I don't think the mission could be completed because our job actually does more than just having the radios working," he added. "We help prevent aircrew members from getting shot down by friendly fire. We're more of the defensive side of the jet itself. It's pretty important and special to know the lives of the aircrew lay in our hands, that we have that much of an impact on the mission."

They also provide and prepare 5th Bomb Wing aircrews to operate and communicate in conventional and nuclear environments.

"The aircraft really can't fly if they don't have any type of communications, they would be grounded," Peralta said. "Knowing that I can affect the actual flying mission is pretty mind blowing. It makes me feel hardcore."

With some of their Airmen deployed to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, Senior Master Sgt. Erica Robinson, 5th OSS flight chief of combat crew communications, works approximately 50 hours a week to resolve issues and ensure their Airmen are taken care of.

At Minot AFB, communication crews work Monday through Friday, with a 24-hour alert standby roster. Their primary responsibility is to train and equip aircrews in the areas of communications security, flight Information publications, communications connectivity and friendly aircraft identification.

These skills are needed to successfully support command-directed operations, Joint Chiefs of Staff assessments and U.S. Strategic Command taskings.

"I try and make sure everyone knows the plan to get things done, time management is important," Robinson said. "I know the importance of my job and safety and communications responsibility is the focus of our office."

"I don't want aircrew members to worry that we aren't proficient at our job and they might get shot down," she added. "I want them to rely on us and trust what we issue them is correct and they will be able to perform their mission successfully. I take our reputation seriously and always strive to answer any aircrew member's question."