Command post ensures distribution of mission essential information to Wolf Pack

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Every Wednesday Wolf Pack Airmen have come accustomed to hearing the weekly test of the giant voice system. During exercises, this giant voice alerts Kunsan of changing alarm and MOPP levels. The Wolf Pack knows whether or not to dawn their service blues on Monday's by checking in with the commander's access channel. Aircrews, maintainers, security forces members, base leadership have all communicated with this central hub of base operations.

Who is responsible for these life-saving and mission essential tasks?

The answer is found in a small office of highly-trained and capable Kunsan Airmen located directly adjacent to the installation control center. Here one finds the command post.

"The command post is the eyes, ears and voice of the wing commander," said Senior Airman Shawn Steele, 8th Fighter Wing command post controller. "Working in the command post is very important. It provides information up and down the chain of command with the goal of providing military members what they require to perform their jobs."

Information has quickly become a valued commodity for the current generation of war fighters. The information Kunsan's command post receives and is tasked with disseminating is paramount to overall mission success. The command post's superintendent, Master Sgt. Michelle Liethen, describes what makes this information so essential.

"We alert wing leadership of real-world and exercise situations occurring both on the peninsula and globally," she said. "This allows leadership to make informed decisions in order to place its personnel and resources in the best possible position to meet its challenges."

Challenging? Yes. But according to one controller, these challenges are what make life worth living and can amount to one of their career's most memorable moments.

"I had the honor of playing taps on the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks," said Staff Sgt. Dominick Streeter. "It was an honor taking part in paying tribute to all the lives that were lost on that day."

Right in step with her troop, Liethen said, looking back at her career, her most treasured memory has been as a mentor.

"The most memorable moment of my career has been working with my Airmen," she said.

One of Liethen's Airmen, Senior Airman Brandon Norton, explained what a typical day in the command post is like and why he enjoys the work.

"Outside of the 12-hour shifts, things vary greatly day-to-day," he said. "One minute you're tracking aircraft and the next you're over the giant voice during exercises announcing alarm and MOPP conditions. So it all depends on that day's specific mission requirements."

However, according to Steele, these mission requirements tend to vary from base-to-base.

"Our mission greatly differs based upon location," he said. "At the most basic level, it supports the mission. Wherever controllers are sent, they are expected to aid the mission to the best of their abilities. This can be accomplished here by supporting the well-known Wolf Pack mission, by processing emergency actions traffic or facilitating emergency management."

At Kunsan, honing in on excellent emergency management skills has become a crucial component to the Wolf Pack's recent excellent rating in their last operational readiness inspection held in April this year. However, with the high operations tempo and swift switch out rate of personnel, providing bases must train their Airmen for whatever lies ahead of them, even if that assignment is Kunsan.

Regarding the emergency management portion of his job, Steele said his experience at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., has prepared him for much of what he has accomplished here.

"I remember one night very vividly as I worked the night shift by myself," he said. "There was a series of real-world emergencies that occurred and it was up to me to handle them. Some of these emergencies included an Airman who shot himself in the foot and a few operational reports from satellite anomalies."

But what made it all worth it, he said, was when leadership personally showed their gratitude for his hard work.

"At the end of the shift, the wing commander came into the command post and thanked me for what I had accomplished."

Noting the importance of sound leadership, Maj. Bryan Dutcher, 8th FW command post flight chief, said he's very proud of what his Airmen have accomplished.

"Every work day is a new and fast paced experience," the major said. "I spend most of my day learning about the ins and outs of the command post and trying to relate them to previous experiences, so I can accomplish the mission and stay in step with the cadre of professionals I work with here."

These professional Dutcher refers to are but just a piece of the pie who ensure the Wolf Pack is a name feared by enemies worldwide.

"One thing that always stays with me from my entire career is the cohesiveness of Airmen when the mission needs to be accomplished," he said. "Throughout all the austere and remote conditions I've experienced, when the mission needs to get done, Airmen come together as professionals and accomplish that mission with success."