MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The primary mission of
the United States Special Operations Command’s Deployment Cell is not only to be
first on location at special operations forces projected bases around the world,
but also to establish both the infrastructure and security necessary to
establish order until the base is occupied by the units that will be assigned
there.
Until the main body of the incoming unit arrives,
personnel assigned to the D-Cell are often required to perform duties beyond
their specific skill sets. Examples include engineers pulling security at night,
a military police noncommissioned officer having to assist in establishing
communications with the rear detachment or carpenters laying concertina wire
around the base perimeter. The diversity in these assignments require that all
airmen assigned, whether in a leadership position or acting in a subordinate
capacity, take on additional responsibilities and have a greater sense of both
accountability and integrity.
“We are a pure Air Force unit that supports the
United States Special Operations Command in bare-base builds,” said the D-Cell’s
commander, Air Force Maj. David M. Linton. “There are 46 personnel assigned to
D-Cell, including myself, all of whom are Airborne qualified and deployable, and
we all can easily be required to work in 11 different Air Force Specialty
Careers while conducting our mission.”
In addition to working with special operations
professionals from every branch of service, personnel within the unit also
receive individual training in hand-to-hand combat, weapons proficiency and
tasks that fall beyond the scope of each individual’s assigned duties. D-Cell
then uses the knowledge gained from the training and each Airman’s newly
acquired skills during exercises, such as Emerald Warrior and Eager
Lion.
“We are cross-functional,” said Tech. Sgt. Azzid
Alexander, who’s been attached to D-Cell since June 2013. “We’re not subject
matter experts at every task but individually, we know enough to accomplish the
mission ... whether it’s fixing an issue with electricity or building a new
structure.”
D-Cell also works with its industry partners to
develop new technologies for eventual use overseas on forward deployed bases. As
a result of partnerships like this, breakthroughs have been made in building
energy efficient shelters that better maintain heat in the winter and cool air
in the summer. These new shelters can also be put up in a third of the time that
it would take to put up shelters currently being used throughout the
military.
“The new shelters save us 35 percent of what would
normally be spent on energy,” said Linton. “If you couple that with new solar
panel generator technology, which we’re currently working on with another
company, special operations units could save a lot of money in the future that
would otherwise be spent on energy.”
Linton said that D-Cell would have the first solar
powered generators on hand by the beginning of March. The generators will still
be able to run on fuel in situations that require it, but will also have
batteries to store solar energy for use on cloudy or rainy days. His intent is
for both the new generators and energy efficient shelters, which the D-Cell
assisted in creating and developing, to be used at Emerald Warrior
2016.
D-Cell not only establishes infrastructure and
security for new special operations bases all over the world, but also conducts
training in multiple skill sets and environments in order to accomplish any
mission. To further enhance special operations units’ capabilities, and keep
special operations personnel safe, D-Cell airmen constantly work to develop and
improve the equipment they put in place.
With the increased and continual training the
dedicated men and women of D-Cell conduct, they not only set up bare bases but
provide the long-term sustainability and maintenance, allowing special
operations units a place to call home, however temporary, sometimes in a foreign
land, all while accomplishing their mission. It’s no wonder then, how vital this
unit is in establishing success for our special
operators.