341st CS wins best in AFSPC

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dillon White
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  The 341st Communications Squadron won the 2007 Lt. Gen. Harold W. Grant award recognizing it as the best small communications squadron in Air Force Space Command. 

The squadron achieved this recognition while overcoming the third budget cut in two years and a one-third loss in manpower. 

"Our top achievement wasn't something that was highlighted on the award package submitted for our squadron," said Maj. William Belei, 341st CS commander. "It [was] our ability to provide our customers with solid and steady communication services through sizeable budget cuts." 

Major Belei described the squadron's budget cuts as having been targeted at Air Force contracts, and since 94 percent of the squadron's overall budget pays the communication service contracts, the ability to serve the customers was strained with each budget cut. 

"I believe we've been very successful at minimizing the overall negative impacts and have kept key communication services reliably available to our customers," he said. 

The 341st CS is managing the high level of change associated with the rapidly evolving world of information technology services. 

"Capt. A.J. Curtis, [341st CS operations flight commander], not only stayed on top of these changes, but in many cases, led the command," Major Belei said. 

The squadron was the first in AFSPC to upgrade the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, or SIPRNet, for 250 users and nine servers. They also assisted other bases in the command with this project. 

The squadron was also the first in AFSPC to migrate 39 Web pages to the Air Force Portal five months ahead of schedule and saved more than $1 million by using net-based emergency messaging systems. 

These were not the only trail-blazing accomplishments for the squadron. 

"Master Sgt. Mike Saultzman led Malmstrom to be the first base in AFSPC to consolidate our dwindling supply of base information managers at the group level," the squadron commander said. 

The squadron is also working with the local Great Falls community on a $200,000 project led by 2nd Lt. Kort Koser from the 341st CS, to develop cyber defenses necessary to keep terrorists and criminal minds from doing things such as shutting down the city water supplies, power grids, 911 call centers and raiding banking systems or corrupting hospital computer networks, he said. 

"Air Force bases are very dependent on their local community for many services like this," Major Belei said. "It is important that we help communities learn some of the information assurance techniques the Air Force has learned over many years as being a target of cyber attacks. We have a lot of young blood in the squadron resulting in the communication squadron being able to embrace technological advances." 

The squadron also streamlined emergency operations information flow through improved online chat capability which is used during exercises and real-world events. 

Capt. Shauntell Guillory-Hawkins and 1st Lt. Harold Sham both introduced more advanced chat systems to the base for use at no cost, he said. 

"We've got great folks in [the squadron] who kept plugging along through the uncertainty and challenges [of budget and manpower cuts] and have in my eyes become a smaller, yet closer, family," Major Belei said. "From my commander's perspective, I see morale being very strong."