The 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group headquartered at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the Air Force's premier engineering and installation group - the backbone of the cyberspace domain. The Group boasts five squadrons: the 38th Engineering Squadron and the 38th Operations Support Squadron at Tinker AFB, Okla., the 38th Cyberspace Readiness Squadron at Scott AFB, Ill, the 38th Contracting Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland with an Operating Location at Tinker AFB, Okla., and the 85th Engineering Installation Squadron at Keesler AFB, Miss.
Mission
Plan, engineer, and deliver a survivable and resilient infrastructure to establish the cyberspace domain and enable the Air Force to conduct net-centric offensive and defensive air, space, and cyberspace operations.
Vision
Air Force experts delivering a robust, secure, and resilient cyberspace domain supporting Air Force and Joint missions for the National Defense.
People
Employing over 650 specially skilled civilian and military professionals including the two geographically separated locations, 38 CEIG provides expert and rapid engineering planning, implementing and installation capabilities delivering the latest cyberspace infrastructure systems and equipment to customers worldwide during both peace and war time conditions. In addition to engineers, contracting, budget, information technology and program management professionals are the primary skill sets required to execute the Group's mission.
Organization
The 38 CEIG is part of the 688th Cyberspace Wing headquartered at Lackland AFB, Texas, under the 24th Air Force and Air Force Space Command. The group is organized into five squadrons.
The 38 ES provides technical guidance on the development and documentation of the cyberspace infrastructure by translating mission-based requirements into achievable solutions. Cyberspace Integrators provide worldwide systems engineering, technical consultation and implementation to cyberspace communications and infrastructure planning, in collaboration with Air Force, DoD and other government agencies. Special Mission Teams are tasked by the 24 AF to perform missions regarding network and infrastructure operability. Program Managers in 38 ES oversee the AF Work Plan ensuring the AF cyberspace infrastructure is mission ready.
The 85 EIS is the only active duty Engineering Installation unit in the Air Force and the organic choice for C4 solutions. They provide services to mission partners that build and extend the cyberspace enterprise through design, engineering, installation, modification, and repair of the active components, fiber optics and copper cables. The squadron also provides services to support airfield systems including precision approach systems, meteorological systems, and ground radar systems. Finally, electromagnetic surveys and analysis are conducted to assess radio frequency hazards to nuclear weapons, deconflict interference with Remote Piloted Aircraft, and ensure Missile Defense Agency radars work as designed. These unique installation and engineering services provide critical enablers to warfighters worldwide ensuring operations in air, space, and cyberspace. The squadron deploys and installs communications for DoD units all over the world. It takes pride in its 50-year heritage of providing the most dependable and highest quality installation and engineering services for the lowest cost to the warfighter.
The 38 CYRS functions as the AF lead and DoD-level representative for all provisioning, requirements, budgeting, management and sustainment for the AF's Defense Information Services Network and non-DISN Long Haul Communications services and circuits including, but not limited to the DISN Infrastructure Services, FTS2001/Networx and Network Services 2020/Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions, Military Satellite Systems and Teleport. The squadron serves as the AF’s focal point for providing technical, provisioning, managerial and procedural guidance to AF long haul users, as well as plans and develops DISN service transition and migration strategies. In addition, the squadron serves as the AF Subject Matter Experts for system management and provide logistic support to the AF Information Technology asset management system, radio frequency transmission system and the cable and antenna system. 38 CYRS also serves as the AF Military Auxiliary Radio System program lead which provides contingency radio communications support to the DoD components, civil authorities and provides health, moral and welfare radio communications support to military members, civilian employees and contractors when in remote or isolated areas. The Chief of MARS is the sole AF-funded government representative supporting this DoD program.
The 38 CONS is the only contracting squadron supporting mission requirements for 24 AF. They provide comprehensive acquisition support to include both program management and contracting expertise for large complex service acquisitions in defense of the AF's vast network and enabling 24 AF's full spectrum of cyberspace capabilities both offensive and defensive. Additionally, they support cyberspace infrastructure and communications customers world-wide. They provide local telephone service with over 250 Communication Service Authorizations procured and administered by contracting professionals. They provide full service acquisition expertise to assist 38 CEIG customers with acquisitions in support of the Air Force Work Plan projects worldwide.
The 38 OSS is responsible for all areas of personnel management to include employment planning, performance management, and disciplinary issues. They support the war fighter by providing timely and relevant financial management information and oversee the POM process for the Group. Manage Operations and Maintenance as well as customer funds to include AF Work Plan dollars. Government and contractor personnel manage the Cyberspace Infrastructure Planning System. This is the AF enterprise tool of choice for tracking telecommunication EI requirements cradle-to-grave and provides a collaborative environment for jointly managing the cyberspace infrastructure. Information Technology professionals are responsible for a multitude of areas in support of the group such as Information Assurance, Emission Security, hardware/software management and also frequently called upon to support 38 ES SMTs.
History
Although the 38 CEIG at Tinker AFB, Okla., traces its origins to the late 1940s, its most direct antecedent was the Ground Electronics Engineering Installation Agency. Formed in June 1958 as a subordinate agency under Air Materiel Command, GEEIA was the Air Force’s first unified engineering and installation organization. The agency's purpose was to provide the Air Force with centralized management of worldwide engineering and installation resources. GEEIA was divided into five geographic regions, three in the United States, one in Europe, and the other in the Pacific. Each region had its own headquarters and several subordinate installation squadrons. This EI arrangement carried the Air Force into the Vietnam conflict before the Air Force reorganized engineering functions in 1970.
Air Staff merged GEEIA into the Air Force Communications Service--later Air Force Communications Command--as the Air Force entered the post-Vietnam era. During the mid-1970s, the communications service tried a short-lived and basically unsuccessful experiment by merging most of its EI squadrons into existing O&M units. The hybrid organizations created by this experiment--the so-called communications groups--proved unworkable.
In 1979, AFCC embarked on extensive reorganization plans that would not only break up the CIGs into their component EI and O&M segments but also reestablish centralized management of the command's EI resources. It took two years for the reorganization to become a reality. On 1 June 1981, AFCC established the Engineering Installation Center at Tinker AFB as the single manager for the worldwide engineering and installation mission. Consolidation of project materials into one warehouse at Tinker was effected the next year. On 1 March 1985, the Air Force authorized changing the EIC's name to the Engineering Installation Division, which better reflected its character as a major headquarters with subordinate units.
Prompted by the frenetic pace of change and innovation in the electronics industry, the E&I mission underwent another change in 1987. During that year, HQ USAF designated AFCC as one of its three acquisition organizations. Concurrently, the EID became one of AFCC's two acquisition divisions. EID thus enlarged its mission to include procurement of off-the-shelf communications equipment/services and life-cycle support.
Another change in the EI world came about as result of the end of the Cold War and the clamor to redefine the Air Force mission in a rapidly changing world. On 1 October 1991, the EID reorganized--the major change was the absorption of the software unit, the Command and Control Systems Center--and became the Communications Systems Center. CSC leaders created a new structure, which accommodated a more effective business-management approach to satisfying the communications-computer requirements of our Air Force and DoD customers. On 1 October 1993, CSC became part of Air Force Materiel Command reporting to the Electronic Systems Center. The next evolutionary step occurred on 8 November 1994 when the Air Force inactivated CSC and stood-up the 38th Engineering Installation Wing.
On 4 February 2000, 38 EIW was inactivated and EI responsibilities transferred solely to the 38th Engineering Installation Group located at Tinker AFB OK. This step marked a major shift in emphasis for EI from predominantly organic EI services to predominantly contract services.
On 18 August 2009, HQ 38 EIG was relieved of assignment to AFMC and assigned to AFSPC, 24 AF, 688th Information Operations Wing. Concurrently, the organization was re-designated as HQ 38th Cyberspace Engineering Group. The current organization was established on 6 January 2012 when HQ 38 CEG was re-designated as HQ 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group and remained assigned to 688 IOW. The following units were activated at Tinker AFB, OK on 6 January 2012 and assigned to the 38 CEIG: 38th Engineering Squadron, 38th Operations Support Squadron and 38th Contracting Squadron.
On 27 April 2012, 38th Cyberspace Readiness Squadron was activated at Scott Air Force Base under 38 CEIG. 38 CYRS was the result of the 27 Jun 11 AFSPC/CC-approved HQ AFSPC AFNIC Roles and Missions Study report directing mission restructure of the AFNIC. AFSPC assessed the recently consolidated MAJCOM C&I Workload for realignment to the “best fit” of organizational type. As a result, Long Haul Communications and Mission Systems from the AFNIC Enterprise Systems Directorate and Scope Edge from the Enterprise Validation Directorate were realigned as three individual flights in the 38 CYRS. In 2013, 38 CYRS was tasked with being the surrogate for two new Cyberspace Protection Squadrons at Scott Air Force Base. 38 CYRS expanded to include two operating locations, OL-A and OL-B which spinned-off to be their own squadrons on 1 Dec 15. Since then, 38 CYRS became a two squadron flight: The AF Long Haul Communications and Mission System Flights. In addition, the SCOPE Edge mission was disbanded and all personnel transitioned to the new COS structure.
On 13 September 2013, 688 IOW was re-designated as the 688th Cyberspace Wing, Lackland AFB, Texas.
On 25 July 2017, 38 CONS moved from Tinker AFB, Okla., to Joint Base San Antonio, Texas – Lackland and the Tinker location was re-designated as the 38 CONS Operating Location.
(Current as of March 2018)