HQ RIO Public Affairs
11/26/2014 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- A team led by a reservist is providing command and control capabilities in Monrovia, Liberia, for the fight against the Ebola virus.
Maj. Kyle Johnson commands the Joint Communications Support Element at the Barclay Training Center. His detachment of more than 30 civilian and military command-and-control specialists supports communications at the nerve center for Operation United Assistance.
The JCSE is a tactical communications outfit supporting regional combatant commands, Special Operations Command and other agencies.
"When I heard we were deploying in support of OUA, I was very excited to make a difference in the lives of people who are suffering," said Johnson, an individual mobilization augmentee assigned to Headquarters Readiness & Integration Organization Detachment 3, Peterson AFB, Colorado.
Johnson learned in early September his unit would be needed as the Department of Defense began scaling up operations to fight the deadly outbreak in West Africa, One week after receiving the call, his first team was on the ground at Barclay Training Center, providing communications support to the Joint Forces Command.
Johnson and the rest of the team arrived Oct. 19 aboard three C-17 transport aircaft laden with 185 tons of communications equipment. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Defense Department civilians, and contractors from his detachment in Italy and another detachment in Tampa, Florida, had the core command and control elements operational in 44 hours; four hours under their 48-hour deadline.
"My team worked around the clock in searing heat, humidity and heavy rain to make the operational timeline," Johnson said.
The gear they delivered had everything needed to set up communications for a tactical JFC headquarters, including tents, generators, air conditioning units, computers, communications infrastructure, tables and chairs. The team brought the most sophisticated communications equipment available, including classified and unclassified communications, computers, phones, technical support and video teleconferencing capability.
Johnson's team also deployed four rapid response kits to locations around Liberia and Senegal to support command and control and logistics hubs.
He said the Barclay Training Center's beauty is juxtaposed with evidence of the civil wars that have racked Liberia in recent years. The center is surrounded by makeshift homes, poverty is rampant, and everything is dirty. Despite these hardships and the threat of deadly disease, Johnson said the locals seem to work hard, and he sees children out playing.
His team is only a few kilometers from a treatment facility, making everyone a little apprehensive. However, they have no contact with those suffering from Ebola and strict precautionary measures are in place, such as bleach hand-washing stations, hand sanitizer and twice-daily temperature checks to ensure the disease is not spread.
"I feel confident that my team is safe," he said.
With the initial command and control elements in place, Johnson and his team continue to operate and maintain the equipment. The skilled communications specialists also provide network and administrator support, help desk functions and generator mechanics to the JFC.
"[I] have the best professional communicators and maintainers in the Department of Defense, and I'm extremely proud to serve with them," Johnson said.
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