552 ACW Airmen support CREW; protect lives

  • Published
  • By 1Lt Kinder Blacke
  • 552d Air Control Wing Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (ACCNS) --  Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices are a common threat to lives in deployed locations, yet the casualties due to these RCIEDs are becoming fewer as Airmen from Tinker Air Force Base step up to help.

Several members from the 552nd Air Control Wing have voluntarily deployed to some of the most dangerous areas of the world to operate and maintain the Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (CREW) systems.

The CREW system, which consists of a control box, a receiver/transmitter box, and various antennas, is mounted onto a humvee (HMMWV), or other military vehicle.

It can jam transmitted signals from everyday items like car door remotes, garage door openers, or cell phones, and prevent a signal from reaching its receiver, which inhibits the detonator from being triggered on an explosive device, said Senior Master Sgt. Richard Hunter, 960th Airborne Air Control Squadron, who deployed to Iraq for six months as the first Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officer to be certified as an Army Battalion Electronic Warfare Officer.

To put it simply "the CREW system is designed to cut off communication between the remote control and the receiver used to detonate IED's placed by insurgents to blow up our convoys that are patrolling or travelling throughout the AOR. It basically provides an electronic shield around the convoy to protect it from any RCIEDs," said Maj. Joemar Rodrigo, instructor electronic combat officer, 552nd Training Squadron.

Because of their background and training in electronic warfare with the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System, several Airmen from the 552 ACW eagerly volunteered when the opportunity arose for Air Force members to deploy with an Army battalion as their Electronic Warfare Officer.

As EWOs for Army battalions, the Airmen were tasked with operating and maintaining the CREW system, as well as conducting training, mission planning and providing threat analysis for combat patrols, and advising leadership, said Capt. Chris Hess, 963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron, who deployed to Afghanistan for eight months in support of the counter-RCIED mission.

In order to fulfill the roll as EWO, most Airmen attend the Tactical Electronic Warfare Operations Course at Fort Huachuca, AZ for three weeks, then attend Ground Combat Training in Fort Jackson, SC for two weeks, and finally the Counter RCIED Electronic Warfare Course in Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq for two weeks, said Master Sgt. Steve Sutton, 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron, who served as an EWO for seven months.

Despite the extensive training, operating the CREW system is not without daily challenges.

"I had almost 500 systems under my control at one time and it was my responsibility to ensure that they were all operational," said Major Rodrigo.

"Desert heat and sands are the biggest challenge," he said. "Although it is designed for use in that type of environment, it can and will overheat, especially in the summer. And it is still a computer with moving parts, therefore you have to be careful that sand does not build up and get inside the system itself."

Captain Hess added that "CREW is still in a testing and evaluation process and thus EWOs must constantly conduct threat analysis and expediently provide corrective measures for new issues that arise within the system."

It is also difficult to keep the CREW systems updated with the latest software in order to combat the enemies' ever-changing tactics, not to mention, do so with rockets and mortar rounds hitting the base on a daily basis said Sergeant Hunter.

Yet, having a Soldier come up and thank him for helping to keep him or her safe made it all worth it to Sergeant Hunter. "It gave me a tremendous sense of job satisfaction," he said. "I also have a much better appreciation for what the Soldiers and Marines do," he added, a sentiment shared by his fellow CREW system EWOs.

Major Rodrigo is happy to report that "the CREW system has been attributed to the significant decline of casualties due to RCIEDs."

"Because of this equipment, people are still alive," said Sergeant Sutton. "During the time I was in country, my units combined for over 15,000 combat missions and travelled over 60,000 miles of Iraq with zero loss of life or limb due to IEDs."

Likewise, in the six months that Capt. Robert Desautels, 963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron, was in Iraq, neither of the battalions he worked with had a loss of life. "I was able to see everyday how what I did impacted the war effort," he said.

"Electronic warfare, or jamming, does indeed 'work' and is not magic," said Captain Hess.

Researchers are continually striving to make the system more "soldier-friendly," he said, and a new and improved device is in the testing and evaluation phase.

"Improved versions of the systems are being deployed to meet the needs of the warfighter to engage emerging threats," added Captain Desautels.

It was unanimous that the Airmen who have filled a CREW tasking found it to be fulfilling and enjoyable despite the austere conditions. Sergeant Sutton sums it up saying, "it was the most rewarding experience of my Air Force career!"