Hometown Military News for Dec. 11, 2015:
Springfield Soldier promoted to sergeant during underwater ceremony in Cuba
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – Ian Withrow, a native of Galesburg, assigned to the Illinois Army National Guard’s 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment based in Springfield was promoted to the rank of sergeant during an underwater ceremony at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Dec. 6.
Withrow, a 2009 graduate of Springfield Southeast High School has been part of the Illinois National Guard for more than five years. In June, Withrow and the 139th MPAD were mobilized for a nine-month deployment to Cuba.
Withrow said making sergeant is one of the biggest accomplishments of his military career and it validates his hard work. Some of the most unique opportunities he has experienced have come while wearing a uniform, he said.
“From flying in a helicopter, to traveling the world, to meeting interesting and unusual people, I owe the Army a great debt of gratitude for allowing me to do things I might never have done before,” Withrow said. “Being promoted underwater is one of those wild, amazing opportunities.”
Withrow lives with his wife Letisha in Springfield, Illinois.
The 139th MPAD is expected to return home in the spring of 2016.
Illinois Army National Guard Awarded Cyber Protection Team in Partnership with Wisconsin
SPRINGFIELD – A unique team of Army National Guard warriors whose mission is to protect U.S. and state interests within the cyber world will be based in Illinois and Wisconsin, the National Guard Bureau announced on Dec. 9.
“This is a win for both Illinois and Wisconsin. This is a win for the Midwest,” said Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. “This is bringing unique military capabilities under the command and control of the states, who are on the front lines of cyber defense.”
The Cyber Protection Team, with approximately 40 Soldiers, will have its headquarters in Illinois along with two cyber sectionsý. Likely locations for these sections will be Springfield, the Bloomington-Normal area and Chicagoland. Wisconsin will house the team’s remaining three sections.
“This team will give us critical assets to defend our nation, region and state against cyber attack regardless of where those attacks originate,” said Maj. Gen. Richard J. Hayes Jr., the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. “The partnership with Wisconsin makes both states stronger within the
cyber domain.”
The Illinois National Guard works hand-in-hand with multiple state and federal agencies as well as nongovernmental entities in domestic emergency operations and has participated in cyber protection exercises at the state, regional and national level.
Partners within Illinois slated to support cyber operations include DuPaul University, Illinois State University, the University of Illinois at Champaign, the University of Illinois at Springfield, Lincoln Land Community College, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois State Police, and the DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“There are no borders in cyber-warfare,” Hayes said. “Adversaries will target industry, energy, infrastructure, communications, academia, government and military. Our defense needs to be united and coordinated.”
As part of ongoing growth of cyber forces throughout the Department of Defense, the National Guard announced plans to activate 13 additional cyber units spread throughout 23 states by the end of fiscal year 2019. The current roll out of Guard cyber units is part of laying out a larger foundation for future cyber forces scheduled for activation.
Fighter Wing Becomes Virtual Battlefield During Exercise
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Air National Guard’s 183rd Fighter Wing participated in the training exercise Virtual Flag Dec. 2 – 10, hosting the air operations center portion of this major combat simulation. More than 350 personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy participated nationwide.
Virtual Flag is a recurring exercise that provides training in joint operations using a simulated battlespace distributed to connected participants. Training networks are specifically designed to link simulators from around the world.
The U.S. Air Force’s Distributed Mission Operations Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, delivered the simulation. The DMOC developed the scenario and training events and acted as a central hub for the exercise.
Thousands of training events were played out by land, sea, air, and space forces within the Department of Defense. The battle setting mirrored the contested and degraded environments in current conflicts.
“The DMOC developed an exercise construct that’s realistic and extremely challenging,” said Col. Rick Yoder, commander of the 183rd Air Operations Group. “The scenario was designed to focus players’ attention on the interaction between the tactical and operational levels of a battle. That interaction is critical to our success in command and control.”
Airmen operated from simulators across the country while working with warfighters from the various services. Close air support missions and personnel recovery missions were just a few of the joint operations played out in Virtual Flag.
The air operations center at the 183rd features a sophisticated array of systems and technologies that enable the unit to train and operate with partners at the local, state and federal level.
In addition to the unit’s federal alignment with 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the 183d is the operational base of the Illinois National Guard’s Joint Task Force for complex catastrophes.
Since opening in 2013, the 183rd has hosted multiple training exercises with military and civilian partners.
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