AOI 012 - Eielson AFB - 353rd Combat Training Squadron.docx

AOI -012 TITLE: Eielson AFB – 353rd Combat Training Squadron TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Communications DESCRIPTION: The 353rd CTS’s assigned mission is to coordinate and direct PACAF's premier training exercise, COPE THUNDER. Additionally, it is given oversight and management of the largest air training complex in the world, the 67,000 square mile Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Though the exercise has been renamed RED FLAG-Alaska.

The 353rd CTS has some specific challenges that require tailored solutions:

Topic 1: Data manipulation in the 353 CTS for mission planning and execution Problem Statement: CTS/RF-A Staff is currently looking for a more efficient way to distribute data to all exercise participants in a secure environment that is accessible to all international participants.

Background: Current systems utilized include NIPR (no international access), APAN (secure on ISP but incredibly slow), and ION (standalone US/international partner network). Currently the only way to transfer data is slow and unresponsive to real-time changes, requiring multiple CD’s to transfer data throughout the day. The CTS is in search for a system(s) that can 1) be accessible by non-NIPR international participants, 2) is fast enough to keep pace with RF-A execution, and 3) allows significantly reduced data transfer burden.

Topic 2: Data Collection/Manipulation for Exercise participants Problem Statement: 353 CTS needs a solution to consolidate and filter a large number of exercise participants in order to generate EALs (base, flight line, munitions), lodging reservations, and verify accountability.

Discussion: The 354 FW facilitates hosting 7,000-10,000 joint and international participants per year. Security Forces needs to know who is allowed on base and which parts of base they are allowed to access. Lodging needs to be informed of arrival and departure dates and number of required rooms. The CTS needs to verify clearance and access requirements of every participant. Tracking verifying and disseminating this data is a time consuming and tedious process.

Requirements: The solution needs to allow individual participant registration and upload of data. It also needs to allow international user input. Outputs need to be filterable and automatically generate access letters based on access granted. It will need to be viewable by multiple entities in multiple locations (Security Forces, Lodging, at both Eielson and JBER). The solution should be able to combine and cross-check data against outside sources (JPASS) with minimal manual processing by the user. The solution will also require the ability for third party entry of data into the database. Finally the solution must be PII compatible as the registrants upload DOB, required for security clearance check.

Current solution: Intelink is used for participants to register utilizing a questionnaire in which they input names, access requirements, and arrival and departure dates. Foreign participants fill out an Excel spreadsheet that is then uploaded and combined into Intelink through MS Access. The database then generates products via filters to populate EALs, lodging reservations, etc. The problem with the current solution is it’s only filterable by one person and other users, security manager, lodging have lost the ability to use the database. We have hired a MS Access expert to help fix the database, but he was unable.