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Communication, information -- Keesler claims 3 AETC awards <br>Sergeant Sims, 338th TRS, 333rd TRS honored for performance

  • Published
  • By Angela Cutrer
  • Keesler News staff
KEESLER AFB, Ms. --  Keesler was recognized with three awards in Air Education and Training Command's communications and information awards competition.

The communications information individual award went to Senior Master Sergeant James Sims, superintendent of cyber systems curriculum development in the 81st Training Support Squadron.

Lt. Col. Janet Haug, squadron commander, nominated Sergeant Sims due to accomplishments that included posturing his department for success through readying and deploying 12 engineering and installation Airmen to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom operations; executing $3 million in Department of Defense command, control, communications and computers command projects; eliminating training gaps in 11 new cyberspace Air Force specialty codes through spearheading 47 radar training packages; and overseeing a training program that helped provide 46,000 cyber technicians with up-to-date training.

Sergeant Sims was also credited with overseeing the Air National Guard $55,000 antenna system upgrade, which provides the Federal Emer-gency Management Agency's command control training platform for 17,000 guardsmen yearly; leading the $25,000 Army Ranger school giant voice project by expediting information dispersal that secured training for 3,000 warriors a year; and facilitating a $1.2 million Air Force Northern Command fiber network upgrade project that secured a command and control platform for 14 airframes and 14,000 Airmen.

The communications and information unit award went to the 338th Training Squadron, commanded by Lt. Col. Daniel Gottrich.

The squadron's accomplishments included providing first-class communication electronics training with 316 staff members to worldwide to tri-service and international students; leading the conversion of 56 courses and eight AFSCs, resulting in 2,200 graduates; developing the MyBase virtual classroom prototype collaborative training; authoring an AETC study of the conversion of 1,300 seven-level course slides and student materials to 3-D virtual environment; rebuilding the radar apprentice course by merging similar tasks and reducing academic days by 14, saving AETC $712,000; deploying 18 warriors to maintain a $2 million system jammer, resulting in preventing Taliban attacks on personnel and convoys; expertly managing $1 million in resources for the training group's largest training squadron; sustaining 90 courses and 900 students and staff members; and building the migration plan for the move back to Keesler of $37 million worth of equipment and 62 personnel.

The outstanding information assurance element award went to the 333rd TRS, led by Lt. Col. Scott Solomon.

The squadron's accomplishments included producing 600 cyber warriors through outstanding leadership; conducting 319,000 student-training hours in 60 classes; graduating 449 security technicians key to the Defense Information Systems Agency; maintaining the largest communications security account at Keesler valued at $1 million; and coordinating the Internet security scanner software utility update, which kept the 81st Training Group's $6.4 million cyber campus network up and running by avoiding training deficiencies and zero failures.

The 333rd TRS expertly managed the communications security class, resulting in the Department of Defense's decision to select the 333rd TRS to develop the next-generation course and be the sole source for joint continental United States training; maintaining 100 percent student accountability for five information assurance courses during severe weather, ensuring the safety of the No. 1 resource; and sustaining 265 training computers and implementing 75 time-critical updates to ensure stable training environment for troops.

The three will represent AETC in the Air Force awards competition.
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