The Effects of Data Consolidation on Future of the Communication Professional

If airmen today seek greener pastures with regard to lifestyle, technical rights, and salary,
ultimately, in five to ten years time, when the communication squadron of the future is full force,
it will be handicapped by the inability to properly integrate cyber professionals who have had the
chance to work on the network with personnel who have merely practiced network
administration from a theoretical standpoint. The 3D0X2 Career Field Education and Training
Plan (CFETP) states, declining resources, expanding diversity of mission, and ever-changing
technologies in the Air Force are impacting the availability of our most valuable resource-people. In my opinion, given the limited abilities and capabilities available to the current
generation of young technicians and the potential lack of retention, there must be a change in the
culture surrounding base level communication squadrons and associated wings, to include
incentives and training, surrounding communication professional work centers. If this does not
occur, the U.S. Air Force will risk being left with a hollow NCO and Senior NCO core who will
struggle to lead communication professionals and work centers in the future
The Under Secretary of Defense cites DoD information network operations as the part of
the Defense Critical Infrastructure Program (DCIP), wherein it encompasses defense information
systems that are physical or virtual,[and] so vital to the United States that the incapacity or
destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national
economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination.(policy.defense.gov) He
viewed network and information integration to be of extremely high importance and forced the
creation of a cyber specific Community of Interest (CoI), under the DCIP. In 2003, the DoDs
Chief Information Officer, produced a network-centered data strategy that presented the idea of
data management within CoIs to reduce the coordination effort required to manage every data

element across the DoD in an effort to address functional and cross-functional

issues.(policy.defense.gov) The movement of core services and effects to multiple agencies
represents iterations of these efforts. Examples include consolidation and services migration to
NOSCs, the AFNET, SAN migrations to the HEDC and other similar consolidation efforts that
unify and restructure the way in which we secure our networks. Furthermore, from HHQ to the
Wing levels, units are being held to standards set and assessed by higher level cyber agencies
like DISA for assessments on the health of the networks , like the DoD-directed CCRI and the
JSIVA. Ultimately, these efforts strengthen and fortify our networks Air Force-wide and national
security at large.
While we are our cyber capabilities and pushing funding into the entities like Cyber
Protection Teams (CPTs) and the Air Force pushes its vision toward the Communication
Squadron of the Future, young and skilled base-level Airmen are becoming forgotten.
Cyberspace is a dynamic, complex and ever changing environment such that personnel are
constantly changing the face, abilities and features of the domain. The 3D0X2 CFETP describes
C4I and AEF environments as requiring vision, preparation, and attention to ensure people have
the right skills and tools to deliver the C4I capabilities and the support required by the warfighter
in meeting the Air Force mission of today and the vision of the future(CFETP 3D0X2, 2015) .
In an effort to fortify and streamline services that host critical information and capabilities, the
U.S. Air Force has placed significant resources and funds toward consolidating, developing and
managing new services and entities in an effort to accomplish Network Assurance and achieve
information dominance.
With the consolidation of services and the administration of capabilities migrating to a
more remotely-directed state, base-level technicians in the 3D0X2, 3D1X2 and 3D1X1,

specifically enlisted 5 levels, are taken further and further away from processing changes to the
network and away from what they had been trained to do. My airmen love what they do, but deal
with the frustrating reality that they cannot assist many customers. Instead they must call and put
tickets in with multiple agencies and wait for remediation. Pushing talented technicians toward
being glorified phone operators and trouble ticket managers versus resolving issues with
technical prowess and abilities leads to feelings of non-commitment, bitterness and retention of
talented young enlisted technicians becomes an issue. When they leave, they lave for good
potentially leaving a desperate gap in future leadership.
The Air Force trains and equips information system personnel in an effort to perform
actions on and around the network to ensure network assurance and mission assurance. Given the
speed at which technology and the mission changes, limited applicable, current resources make
retaining trained technicians even more important for ensuring success in the future. In his
interview with different communication squadron commanders in 1999, Maj Buder found that all
interviewed commanders were concerned over the loss of [system administrators] due to the
costs in training time and funding needed to produce a fully qualified technician [further stating
that commanders believed] that the best troops seemed more inclined to separate than less
capable personnel who found security in an Air Force job. (Buder, 1999, p.34)
Recently, at the my MAJCOMs A6 VTC, time was taken to discuss the retention of 17Ds
and keeping trained and talented officers in the Air Force. We, as a community and an Air Force,
must be asking the same question about our skilled and certified enlisted technicians Maj
Buders interviews showed concern over lack of advocacy and senior information system
leadership. Commanders and the cyber culture in the Air Force at large turns toward contracting
out network support functions and services to agencies versus provide training and equipping
military personnel with the ability to accomplish the mission or secure the network. Due to this,

technicians felt a negligible sense of loyalty from the Air Force and chose to take the money
(private industry) and run. (Buder, 1999,p.25)
Therefore, I recommend strengthening the community by enriching the training
environment through allowing for more relevant training. TDYs should be geared toward
operational systems relevant to work centers. Technicians are the personnel asking for training
and it is difficult to state that we do not have the funds necessary to appeal to that technicians
modality of learning. Additionally, I recommend changing the culture of different bases to
understand and know that we are operationalizing the communication squadron at all levels
through the proposed ten-year Communication Squadron-Next approach. I believe the Air Force
needs to make this one of their most promoted and well-known initiatives Air Force-wide. A topdown approach must be utilized and can be accomplished through memos, discussions and
information from lower level cyber or communications squadrons being mandated for
publication at a higher level. The cyber domain is too crucial of environment for the average user
to not understand why the structure is changing. Forcing education to all users and making Wing
Commanders give greater credibility to the cyber domain that touches the weapons systems they
oversee may be the only way to put it in the forefront of individuals minds. This will showcase
loyalty and understanding and provide the due respect to the career field, ultimately technicians
will feel appreciated and choose to make the Air Force a career.
Career fields in information systems are exponentially more critical to our society at
large. Large and small scale corporations rely on proficient network administrators and a strong
Information Technology (IT) department to ensure their websites and customers are secure, their
social media presence promotes their company and their financial transactions are safe.
According to U.S. News, network and computer systems administrators earned a median
salary of $75,790 in 2014, or $36.44 per hour. U.S. News also states the range of salaries fell

from $46,220 to $120,000. Therefore, the average basic compensation offered to system and
network administrators in civilian industry is significantly higher than what the Air Force offers
its enlisted personnel. (Buder, 1999, p.13) In his paper for ACSC, Maj Buder stated, the
technology industry is experiencing unabated growth and with it considerable competition for
skilled information technology (IT) workers. (1999, p.1)
Between technical school and ongoing continuing education for certifications, the Air
Force is equipping personnel with amazing skillsets that are highly marketable in the civilian
workforce. However, in civilian corporations and businesses, and individuals skillsets and
certifications equate to higher pay. To bridge this gap, I recommend selective reenlistment
bonuses (SRBs), much like seen in the operational side of the Air Force. An alternative to this,
would be the equivalent of flight pay as provided to Air Force pilots. Maj Buder stated, other
than strictly pay, civilian employment was attractive to enlisted administrators because they felt
they would get compensated (pay and benefits) commensurately with their skills and overtime,
they would receive better training, have less extraneous (non-technical) duties, and receive more
competent technical leadership. (1999, p.32) The Air Force culture must acknowledge that the
career field is competitive in the outside world and must find ways to retain our talent.
With consolidation comes new challenges and opportunities. To prevent a void in skill
level and ability that could potentially pose issue to the communication squadron of the future, a
focus on cyber from a Air Force-wide view, providing adequate funds for training and incentves
must be used.

References
Buder, Gladney, Nazar, & Air Command Staff Coll Maxwell Afb AL. (1999). Retention of
Computer Network System Administrators in the Air Force.

Computer Systems Administrator Salary Details. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 16, from
http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/network-and-computer-systems-administrator/salary
Technology Solutions. Retrieved from
http://policy.defense.gov/OUSDPOffices/ASDforHomelandDefenseGlobalSecurity/DefenseCriti
calInfrastructureProgram/Outreach.aspx
United States Department of the Air Force. (2015, June 1). AFSC 3D0X2: Cyber Systems
Operations. Retrieved from http://static.epublishing.af.mil/production/1/saf_cio_a6/publication/cfetp3d0x2/cfetp3d0x2.pdf