New cyber transport course combines three specialties

Staff Sgt. Patrick Etheridge, center, 338th TRS instructor, trains Airman Alexander Grilho, left, and Airman 1st Class Emilio Dominguez on equipment known as a theatre deployable communications/integrated communications access package. In the background, Tech Sgt. Wayne Mangiardi instructs Airman 1st Class Sam Bessinger and Airman Michael Nichols on server configuration. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Published Nov. 18, 2009
By Angela Cutrer
Keesler News staff

KEESLER AFB, Miss. -- Nov. 9, Keesler kicked off the first block of a new cyber transport course that combines three former primary Air Force Specialty Codes. The 680-hour, 11-block series instructs students on providing long-haul communications in support of Air Force and joint cyber missions.

"Our training development team has worked more than a year to combine information from three Air Force specialties," said Ann Owens, cyber transport flight chief in the 338th Training Squadron.

"We took elements from computer maintenance, network integration and voice network systems courses to create the new cyber transport course," she explained. "The new course will prepare students to do cryptographic maintenance and network addressing, to work with switches and routers, and to set up networks in the continental U.S. and at deployed locations. Additionally, the course teaches them about firewalls, proxy servers and telephony."

The first course began with 11 students and the student load for fiscal 2010 should be 680.

Ms. Owens also stated that prior to students attending the cyber transport course, the students must first attend the extended information fundamentals course. After completing cyber transport, students attend the Security Plus certification course prior to being awarded the cyber transport Air Force specialty.

"When all is said and done, the cyber transport technician will have attended 136 academic days of training before going out to the field as a cyber transport warrior," Ms. Owens said.