Grecian Firebolt '99
By Maj Herb Porter - Photos courtesy Air National Guard & the 319th Signal Bn - Posted Aug, 1999
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Nearly 300 members of the 252nd Combat Communications Group (CCGP), Camp Murray, Tacoma, WA, participated in this year's Grecian Firebolt exercise - a joint service communications exercise involving both active duty and reserve components, considered the largest peacetime signal exercise of its kind in the world.
Exercise Grecian Firebolt is an annual Communications Exercise (COMEX), designed to practice and develop integration and interoperability between active component and reserve component units.
This exercise is designed to permit the implementation of different types of communications equipment, ensuring that all components are familiar with the procedures required for successful interoperability. Training centers around plans to provided connectivity between the 8th U.S. Army, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, its Major Subordinate Commands (MSCs), some of which are based in Hawaii and at Fort Lewis, WA, and their counterparts in the South Korean military.
This year's participants included the U.S. Army and Air Force, U.S. Army Reserve, the Army and Air National Guard, and U.S. Marine Corps. The Washington Air National Guard has played a major part in this exercise in the past and this year was no exception. Guardsmen from the 252nd Combat Communications Group (CCGP) and its subordinate units from locations throughout Washington provided a wide array of state-of-the-art communications equipment.
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Spread out over 27 sites throughout the United States and overseas, the military wide-area network (WAN) that was brought into being during Exercise Grecian Firebolt '99 had the capability of handling large volumes of voice, data, and video traffic. A wide variety of communications equipment was used including tactical and long-haul satellites, computers, video teleconferencing, mail servers, routers and network equipment, tactical telephones, wideband, HF and FM radio communication services.
One of the primary hubs for this exercise was at Fort Lewis, WA, where the Army's hi-tech 'Battle Simulation Center' (BSC) acted as a gateway to the Defense Information Infrastructure for units in Hawaii, California, Oregon, Virginia and Washington.
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The 252nd CCGP was collocated with the U.S. Army's 29th Signal Battalion and 142nd Signal Brigade, providing long-haul satellite communications. Approximately 25 Air National Guardsmen from the 143rd Combat Communications Squadron (CBCS) (Seattle), the 242nd CBCS (Spokane), the 256th CBCS (Cheney), and the 262nd CBCS (Bellingham), together with 10 members from the 252nd CCGP Headquarters (Camp Murray, Tacoma) were tasked with installing and operating that communications site.
Over 50 personnel from the 262nd CBCS deployed via military airlift to Fort Hunter-Liggett, in the central mountains of CA in support of the 422nd Signal Battalion, Nevada Army National Guard. Several Air National Guard C-130 Hercules transport aircraft from the states of Ohio, Oklahoma, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, and Texas, transported personnel and equipment to and from the remote airstrip at Fort Hunter-Liggett and the Bellingham headquarters of the 262nd CBCS.
Similarly, the Oregon Air National Guard's 272nd CBCS, headquartered in Portland, deployed 45 personal overland, some to Fort Lewis, WA and the remainder to the Oregon National Guard's High Desert Training Center (HDTC), in Redmond, OR. Their mission was to provide voice and data communication services to their Admin-Logistic Operation Center (ALOC) sites.
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Another Oregon Air National Guard unit, the 244th CBCS from Portland, sent over 90 of its members to Camp Rilea on the Oregon coast, to establish wideband relay sites connecting Camp Rilea to Redmond OR, and to provide signal support to the 41st Infantry Brigade of the Oregon Army National Guard. This included voice and data communications to the brigade's Tactical Operation Center (TOC) and Brigade Support Area (BSA). They were assisted by Washington's 111th Air Support Operations Squadron Center (ASOC) from Camp Murray, WA, with wideband communications equipment and personnel augmentation.
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Most units initiated the communications portion of the exercise on the 10th of July and finished up on the 24th, fulfilling their Annual Training requirement of two weeks.
As the Managing Director of Exercise Grecian Firebolt '99, Lt Col Mike Thompson put it: "What we did in Grecian Firebolt was to peel away the mystery of how the reserve and active forces will fight and win on the information battlefield of the next century".
Due to the scope and importance of this exercise numerous dignitaries, both from within state and out of state, visited the various sites including Brig Gen William Doctor, Commander of the Oregon Air National Guard, and Colonel Michael Stewart, ACC/SCC, Air National Guard Liaison to Air Combat Command from Langley AFB, VA.
From an Air Guard perspective, Grecian Firebolt '99 was a great opportunity to venture into new areas of military communications, a field that is rapidly increasing in importance to all military operations with unprecedented developments in that technology. Colonel William Canavan, the Deputy Commander of the 252nd CCGP, called the exercise an outstanding success overall. "It challenged us more and stretched us further than ever before. It was a great training opportunity for both the states of Washington and Oregon."
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Lt Col Gary Phillips, the Commander of the 262 CBCS, echoed similar sentiments regarding the tremendous training opportunity working with the Nevada Army National Guard's 422nd Signal Battalion. He lauded the spirit of cooperation between the two units. Also, despite the high mid-Summer temperatures prevalent in the mountains of Central California, he found working in a field environment other than the more temperate Washington to be a real plus, lending a high level of realism to the operation. The tactical airlift to and from Fort Hunter-Liggett provided as close to a 'real world' deployment airlift, without actually leaving the country. "We met and exceeded all training objectives in the communications arena, both for our new people and experienced team members, and the support we received from the staff at Fort Hunter-Liggett was nothing short of tremendous" said Lt Col Phillips.
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The Army Signal Command, headquartered at Fort Gordon, GA sponsors and directs the annual Grecian Firebolt exercise. It provides the 'backbone' communications network for the exercise, and coordinates critical support from a wide range of other concurrent proficiency-training exercises involving medical, transportation, logistics and engineer units from across the United States. The 311th Theater Signal command, an Army Reserve unit, headquartered at Fort Meade, MD is responsible for the overall planning and execution of the exercise.
During Grecian Firebolt '99 communication and signal units deployed from locations throughout the world to Korea, Puerto Rico, and to 14 states within the continental United States. Overall, approximately 2000 Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and civilians participating in the exercise.
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