TASS capability brought to Africa, improves security

by 2nd Lt. Adam Kelly
Force Protection Branch

4/30/2014 - HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Force Protection Branch recently began installing a critical force protection system that safeguards forward-deployed warfighters in U.S. Africa Command's area of responsibility.

In December 2013, AFLCMC received an urgent request from the 17th Air Expeditionary Forces commander to support service members deployed to imminent danger areas. The Hanscom-based force protection team responded in kind and swiftly developed and implemented a plan to meet the expeditionary need through rapid acquisition, deployment and installation of the TASS IDS.

Adding a Tactical Automated Security System, or TASS, onto an existing Installation Intrusion Detection System, or IDS, will give Security Forces the ability to maintain a wide area of situational awareness outside its operating location. With TASS, defenders are able to remotely monitor and detect intruders attempting to breach an installation.

"The installation of TASS is going to greatly impact our ability to detect intrusions and respond accordingly," said Master Sgt. Christopher Rochefort, a Security Forces non-commissioned officer in charge of one of the receiving bases. "Our defenders will be better equipped to protect lives and vital assets stationed here with this integrated security system. The rapid delivery of TASS was absolutely crucial, and the team more than met that requirement to support our mission as defenders and the mission of our base."

TASS is a rapidly deployable, relocatable, integrated security system designed for various force protection missions. It utilizes sensors and radars to alert operators and uses cameras and thermal imagers to determine threats, which then relay all signals back to command and control devices. This allows operators to rapidly deploy response forces.

According to the program office, the Air Force designed the system to provide 24/7 security to bases in high-threat environments that previously had little or no automated or extended intrusion detection capability.

"This has been an incredible display of what we do here: delivering rapid protection solutions to our warfighters," said Lt. Col. Jason Avram, Force Protection Branch deputy chief. "When it comes to delivering tactical or fixed-site intrusion detection systems - both nuclear and non-nuclear - we have some of the best minds in the Air Force in this office. That's what makes this organization such a great place to work."

According to Air Force officials, the Force Protection team delivered the TASS IDS capability at record pace - essentially, 80 percent faster than the average time for such an effort.

Through inter-service collaboration with the Army Natick Contracting Division, the Force Protection program office executed a contract 56 days after receiving the request and only 16 days after receiving funding. A mere 21 days later, "boots were on the ground" and the TASS equipment delivered.

Not only did the security system make its way to the AOR ahead of schedule, but also at a reduced cost.

By cutting a quarter of the allotted labor costs while increasing maintenance support, the team saved approximately $215,000 for the service, according to Avram.

The end result was a teaming effort that spanned four continents, seven time zones and 10 different organizations, including U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Air Forces Africa, Air Force Central Command, the Force Protection Branch IDS team and the Army Natick Contracting Division.

"This was an incredible experience to take part in," said 2nd Lt. James Ellis, the deputy program manager for the project. "Everything came together just as we intended, and it's owed in large part to the team we have here as well as the team members at various other locations in the U.S. and abroad. It's an accomplishment we can all be proud of - doing our job for deployed Airmen."