Communications Directorate wins prestigious command-level awards Published Jan. 11, 2013 By Mike W. Ray Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 72nd Air Base Wing Communications Directorate -- the information technology focal point for the Air Force Sustainment Center standup last year across eight Wings and three Air Force bases -- was presented with two prestigious awards by Air Force Materiel Command in December. The directorate received the Gen. Edwin W. Rawlings team award and the Lt. Gen. Harold W. Grant unit award in the Gen. John P. Jumper Annual Information Dominance Professionals of the Year competition. Tinker's 72nd ABW/SC vied for the awards against communications directorates from other AFMC bases. The AFSC, based at Tinker, necessitated more than 300 hours of conversions to email, share drives, distribution lists, electronic file management systems, issue resolution, global address list updates for hundreds of users, personal computer and BlackBerry devices set-up and conversion, changes to hundreds of publications, and installation of network services to new facilities. With just 200 civilians, this mostly 24/7/365 team supports 25,000 network users (five major commands and 45 tenant units) daily, related Mike Doolin, director of the 72nd ABW Communications Directorate. The application for the General Rawlings team award noted that the directorate ensured command-and-control "from Day One" of the AFSC standup. "General Litchfield had constant electronic and video teleconferencing access to the other AFSC bases from the very moment of the stand-up," Mr. Doolin said. The Tinker cyber team also created or modified 125 email distribution lists and organization accounts for the AFSC, the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex and sister complexes at Hill and Robins Air Force Bases. In addition, 72nd ABW/SC accomplished a seamless transition from the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center to the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, along with the new AFSC stand-up hosted at Tinker. The Information Dominance Team Award recognizes a group of Air Force information dominance personnel brought together to work as a team (tiger team) for accomplishments associated with a one-time, nonrecurring special project, process improvement, short-term endeavor that resulted in tangible or intangible benefits to the Air Force and produced goal-oriented results that, when put in place, would significantly improve information dominance/cyberspace to Air Force and DOD missions and operations. Accomplishments mentioned in the Lieutenant General Grant award nomination included: · Tinker's computer network and the depot maintenance and supply chain management systems were up and running more than 99 percent of the time this past year. · During the AFSC stand-up, 72nd ABW/SC migrated/installed 653 switches and 10 information transfer nodes in 254 buildings on base. · Resolution of problems such as service outages, service migrations and help desk calls was reduced from one to three days to an hour or less, on average. · The 72nd ABW/SC team stood up cyber services in the 2.2 million square-foot aerospace complex housed in Bldg. 9001. The Information Dominance Unit Awards recognize large and small cyberspace/information dominance squadrons for sustained superior performance and professional excellence while managing core cyberspace and/or information dominance functions, and for contributions that most improved Air Force and DoD operations and missions. "We're constantly trying to keep things running at optimum around-the-clock," Mr. Doolin said. The 72nd ABW/SC is now competing for these two awards at Air Force level.