KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 81st Communications Squadron Operating Location-Alpha at Naval Air Station Pensacola has found their own way of staying connected to the mission.
Operating as a detachment of Keesler’s 81st CS at the Navy base, the 81st CS/OL-A supports the Air Force’s training missions in the area. They support several Air Force detachments at NAS Pensacola under the Air Education and Training Command, ensuring that Airmen from the 17th Training Wing, the 82nd Training Wing and the 12th Flying Training Wing have the cyber support needed for training.
The shop has been at NAS Pensacola since 2014 and operates with 16 Airmen. Master Sgt. Damien Mount, 81st CS/OL-A superintendent, has been at the helm for the past six years.
“Our mission is to provide Air Force network services to the training detachments here. I work hand in hand with the commanders of each training section so we can oversee and smoothly maintain the connectivity between all our users,” said Mount.
Cyber Airmen at 81st CS/OL-A receive their initial technical training right here at Keesler, preparing them for the needs of this geographically separated training environment. Airmen support three main areas, client support, servers and infrastructure, to ensure that network traffic is secured.
While being separated from the home unit and working in a joint environment presents unique challenges, the team found their own ways of staying connected.
“The Air Force training detachments here have taken us under their wing and treat us like one of their own,” said Mount. “Between their support and the support of the team at Keesler, we’re able to function just like we would if we were physically located there.”
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