Page 18 - Desert Lightning News 11-6-15

18 November 6, 2015 Desert Lightning News
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41st EECS Scorpions defend the force with Compass Call

Maj. Tony Wickman “The mission crew commander is in charge of all aspects of the mis-
sion not related to the flying of the aircraft. My job is to manage the crew
455th Air Expeditionary Wing in the back as they perform the counter-information and electronic at-
tack mission, and I do the coordination between the ground forces and
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN -- On the combat frontier the aircraft,” said Yuen.
in Afghanistan, the ability to disrupt or exploit enemy command and
control communication is vital to protecting the lives of U.S. and coali- Someone who helps the mission crew commander is the mission
tion tactical air, surface and special operations forces. crew supervisor, who is an experienced cryptologic linguist.

A big part of that mission is entrusted to the Airmen of the 41st Ex- “I help the mission crew commander use our information to aid the
peditionary Electronic Combat Squadron who fly the EC-130H Com- forces on the ground do their job,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Berry, EC-130H
pass Call, which executes airborne electronic warfare to limit adversary mission crew supervisor. “We make it easier for our forces to do their
coordination to attack friendly forces in the Combined Joint Operation job; we give them the security of knowing that what we’re doing is mak-
Area-Afghanistan. ing it safer for them to do their operations.”

“The EC-130 is the only airborne electronic attack asset not only in Two key Airmen to make the electronic attack aircraft go are the flight
Afghanistan, but also the Air Force,” said Lt. Col. Karl Weinbrecht, 41st engineer and the airborne maintenance technician.
EECS commander who redeployed this week. “If we went away, there
would be a gap in capability that couldn’t easily be filled. Without the “I’m the conduit between the pilots and the aircraft. I monitor the
EC-130H capability, you lose a lot of the things special operations forces systems and subsystems to ensure the checklists are completed, and I
and other tactical units have come to rely on. It’s not sexy like dropping monitor the fuel and power distribution and things of that nature,” said
a bomb or shooting a gun, but it’s a uniquely important asset.” Tech. Sgt. John Rorie, EC-130H flight engineer. “I like my job because
even though it’s demanding and requires quite a bit of attention to detail
The EC-130 flies with an aircrew that handles the flying and naviga- and accuracy, at the end of the day you know you were a significant part
tion of the aircraft, as well as several Airmen who operate and employ of mission accomplishment.”
offensive counter-information and electronic attack equipment that is
permanently integrated in the cargo compartment. Airman 1st Class Chase Krol, EC-130H airborne maintenance techni-
cian, is responsible to get the equipment in the back of the aircraft ready
According to Capt. Christina Lakey, EC-130H pilot, the mission they for the rest of the crew to do their duty.
perform is important because it keeps troops on the ground safe.
“I’m the airborne maintenance technician, so my job is to initialize the
“If we weren’t here, the enemy would have better communications and systems and make sure everything is working,” said Krol, who is com-
could possibly be more aggressive against our forces. Everyone has a spe- pleting his first deployment. “I then hand it off to the mission crew so
cific job on the aircraft, and teamwork is vital to what we do,” said Lakey. they can do their job. If anything goes wrong with the systems while in
flight, it’s my job to make it work again. I like everything about my job.”
Capt. Satchell Bachar, EC-130H copilot, agreed that it takes team-
work to deny and disrupt enemy communication. As the 41st EECS Airmen complete their tour of duty, all are proud of
their service to support the mission here in Afghanistan.
“Each member of the crew has a specific duty. We have a flight deck
and a mission crew, but we all work together to get the mission done,” For Weinbrecht, he is proud of his team’s efforts here.
said Bachar. “I like flying and protecting the guys on the grounds; it’s “I’m most proud and got the most satisfaction by watching them do what
nice to come back to base and run across guys who you supported and they trained to do every day here to support our forces,” said Weinbrecht.
know what you did to assist them.” The 41st EECS has been continuously deployed in support of opera-
tions Enduring Freedom and Freedom’s Sentinel since 2002, flying more
First Lt. Alan Yuen, EC-130H mission crew commander, said com- than 40,000 hours over 6,900 combat sorties.
munication and coordination is vital to delivering the capabilities the
aircraft brings to the fight.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Joseph Swafford) (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Bryan Bouchard)

Airmen assigned to the 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron talk during an EC- U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Adam Luna, a 41st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit aerial repair
130H Compass Call aircraft final mission meeting on the flight line at Bagram Airfield, Af- technician deployed from the 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air
ghanistan, Sept. 6. The Compass Call is an airborne tactical weapon system using a heavily Force Base, Ariz., conducts a post operations check on a EC-130H Compass Call aircraft follow-
modified version of the C-130 Hercules airframe. ing a mission Oct. 20, 2015, Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. The Compass Call is an airborne
tactical weapon system using a heavily modified version of the C-130 Hercules airframe.