324th Signal Battalion breaks new ground

Army Communicator, Summer, 2005 by Armando Monroig

The 324th Signal Battalion conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony for a Multi-channel Tactical Satellite at the Army Reserve Center, Fort Gordon, Ga., April 28.

Although the equipment is not new to the Army, it was the first ever fielding of the Multichannel Tactical Satellite Systems to the U.S. Army Reserve.

The guest speaker was LTG James Helmly, U.S. Army Reserve Command and chief, Army Reserve, who along with MG Janet Hicks, U.S. Army Signal Center and Fort Gordon commanding general, MG Lowell Detamore, 335th Theatre Signal Command, commanding general, and BG Dennis Lutz, 359th Signal Brigade commanding general, held the ribbon cutting.

"I am Ron Helmly and I am an American Soldier," said Helmly as he welcomed those in attendance and thanked the Soldiers who have mobilized and deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

"Fielding the TACSAT system, which consists of a set of super-high frequency satellite terminals to the Army Reserve Signal community signifies tremendous change and forward movement for the Army Reserve," said Helmly.

"Now our Army Reserve signal units possess 21st century global communications capabilities," he added.

The 324th Signal Battalion is the first of four Army Reserve units to receive the TACSAT terminals. The 319th Signal Battalion in California, the 35th Signal Battalion in Puerto Rico, and the 392nd Signal Battalion in Pennsylvania will receive the same systems between now and 2008, said Hemly.

He added that when completed, the Army will have fielded a total of 10 systems per battalion. Additionally, the TACSAT system is scheduled for fielding to the Army National Guard later this year.

"So the Army and its Reserve components will have the advantage of one more interoperable communications link on the battlefield," said Helmy.

With TACSAT, Helmly said echelon-above-corps Army Reserve signal units like the 324th can now provide a combatant commander with immediate, long-haul communications in addition to the 140-mile, line-of-sight capability it already has.

"The fielding of the TACSAT to the 324th and other Army Reserve units increases the capability of Army Reserve signal community immensely, making our Signal Soldiers and units more ready, more relevant, and more able to be 'Watchful for the Country,' the motto of the Signal Regiment," Helmly said.

The Army Reserve is no longer limited by line-of-sight, he said, with its reach now being instantaneous and global, extending from overseas battlefields to the stateside units supporting the war.

Helmly added that the Army Reserve is changing--from how units are organized to how Soldiers are trained and equipped--and the addition of this equipment is evident of that change.

MAJ Robert Roberts, 324th Signal Battalion executive officer and one of the individuals responsible for organizing the ceremony, said that until now the Army Reserve has never had satellite capability before.

He said that in the past when a Reserve unit went on an exercise they needed to coordinate with active duty Army units to obtain tactical satellite communications.

"All we had was line-of-sight and switch capabilities," said Roberts. "Now, this makes us more relevant to the force than before."

The new pieces of equipment are the ANTSC-93 van and the ANTSC-85 van that Roberts said are the "latest and greatest on the market."

The only other unit in the Army that has them, Roberts said, is the schoolhouse.

"We're the first ones to get the delta models," added Roberts referring to the equipment.

Roberts said that of the customers they support, 70 percent are in the Army Reserve. Now, he said, his unit can go to various exercises its customers conduct and provide the services they need such as data, telephone and video teleconferencing.

"To the combatant commanders, it gives us an opportunity to relieve units like the 93rd, so they don't have to take the full brunt of a deployment anymore," said Roberts.

He added that this also allows battalion commanders to task organizations within their own battalions and not depend on another company for assets.

In addition, Roberts said this new equipment now gives the commander of the Army Reserve the capability to provide services for the exercises they conduct internally such as Operations Golden Castle, an engineer operation, Golden Cargo which deals with transportation, and Golden Medic.

SSG Mark Shane, Company C, 324th Signal Company, said the ANTSC-85 Delta is much needed.

"It fills a void as far as joint communications between the different services," said Shane, that allows for translation and communication between different pieces of equipment and software.

SPC Armando Monroig is a journalist with the The Signal newspaper, Fort Gordon Public Affairs Office, Fort Gordon, Ga.