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NGB/A6 - Communications Directorate and Chief Information Officer
 Air National Guard Recognized Worldwide as a Leader in IT Innovation
Last year was a banner year for the Air National Guard's Communications Directorate (NGB/A6), Chief Information Officer, Randy Headrick, his Deputy Director, Colonel Bruce Babcock and Associate CIO, Ronald Housch. Located in Arlington, Virginia, NGB/A6 is responsible for planning, programming, operating and maintaining Air National Guard (ANG) units tasked with Air Traffic Control, Base Communications, Combat Communications and Engineering and Installation missions.
As the information technology (IT) arm of the Air National Guard, NGB/A6 was the recipient of two, internationally recognized awards in business and IT excellence -- the 2007 CIO 100 and the 2008 Computerworld Premier 100 award. According to Abbie Lundberg, Editor in Chief of CIO magazine, "This year's winners demonstrate extraordinary results in a variety of important areas, including business transformation, collaboration, customer innovation and top line contributions."
The accomplishments that led to such notable awards were inspired in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricanes and the need to improve first-responder communications in the event of a disaster. During Hurricane Katrina, cellular service was not working, regular telephone service was not working, and those with radios could not communicate with anyone else. The goal was to provide each of the 10 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regions the capability to respond to a myriad of incidents ranging from small to catastrophic, ultimately sustaining the resources available to state and local authorities. The Air National Guard Communications and Chief Information Officer Directorate set a course to develop the systems, architectures, and concepts of operations that would transcend traditional boundaries between the civilian, local, state authorities, private sector and US military.
As a result, the ANG has put in place capabilities to reach back from remote locations or locations severely devastated and create interoperability, not only among deployed National Guard units from different states, but also with all parties involved in the event -- supporting the National Guard Bureau's ultimate objective of assisting trusted information sharing among all partners.
The project had four major innovations. The first was the use of the Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC), using satellite technology to allow first responders communications capability with home units and families. The JISCC is a highly specialized communications suite capable of providing video, internet access, video telecommunications, networking and cross-banding to link up to a dozen radio networks.
The second innovation was to use web technology to allow all FEMA regions to cross-connect radio and television systems of first responders. Radio systems can now connect to telephone systems.
The third innovation was to equip 51 ANG installations with deployable wireless systems, intended to be used both at home station and deployable to an incident site during emergency situations. These wireless hotspots remain in travel cases and are subject to being immediately deployed to higher priority needs.
The fourth innovation is cellular dial-tone restoration to support mobile communications in an emergency and those first responders who are not on a radio. This capability is available to rapidly deploy into situations where cell phone service is needed but the environment is too hostile for commercial service providers to operate. ANG units now have an ability to restore "cellular dial tone" and link it back into fixed communications infrastructure until the commercial carriers are back on line.
NGB/A6 successfully provided all 10 FEMA regions with JISCC and cellular telephone restoration capability. The deployable wireless solution is also now on the ground at all 51 locations and ready to respond to a major disaster.
The Future of Information in Cyberspace
Today, the Communications Directorate provides the medium for voice, data, video and imagery transmission, fixed and deployable Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems and Air Traffic Control (ATC) Operations. It also facilitates the transformation to knowledge-based operations. For the future, they look to expand their capabilities within the "cyberspace domain" as Cyber Warriors under the newly formed Cyberspace Command announced in November 2006 by Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne. With the Air Force mission expanded to "air, space and cyberspace," NGB/A6 understands that the capability they bring to the fight -- the delivery and management of information -- is now recognized as a weapons system. With over 24,000 Guard members in 200 field units and 54 States and Territories, the road ahead for the IT arm of the Air National Guard is as exciting as it is purposeful in Guarding America and Defending Freedom.
Link to CIO article
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