FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – Eleven Soldiers from the 812th Signal Company-Tactical Installation Network (TIN) in Vallejo, California, laid more than 4,400 feet, nearly one mile, of fiber optic cable throughout the installation to connect five different facilities to the network in just two weeks.
Two years ago, Fort Huachuca acquired more than 56 miles of fiber optic cable from the federal government as part of a consolidation and redistribution of unused materials originally planned for use in the construction of the border wall between the United States and Mexico. Federal agencies were afforded the opportunity to repurpose these items for other federal missions. Fort Huachuca acquired more than $3.5 million in materials and equipment for various installation projects. Patch Cord Fc Sc
Once the materials were obtained, the next step was getting someone to install them. Luckily, as Sgt. 1st Class Enrique De Reza, platoon sergeant for the 812th said, “The Army is learning that the TIN units exist within the Reserves and that we can provide the exact same support as the civil service and contractors do on post.
“It’s a ‘two birds with one stone’ type of deal,” he said, and explained that the Soldiers provide the manpower and know-how for Fort Huachuca, and in return, “It benefits us because this counts as our annual training. So, this has become a way where we can keep our skills sharp.”
Last year, members of the 820th TIN group from Seagoville, Texas, came to Fort Huachuca to begin the fiber optics installation and installed more than 2,300 feet of cable during their stay here. Moving forward, both the 812th and the 820th intend to work together to get the job done.
“What we are going to do is maybe bring about five of our [Soldiers] to each of their rotations, to bump up their numbers,” De Reza said. He explained that the two groups are already used to working with each other.
“The TINs are a very small community on the Reserve side, so a lot of these [Soldiers] have already deployed with some of the [Soldiers] from the 820th and the 490th out of Ohio,” he added. “So a lot of the people already know each other.”
According to Bill Miller, garrison IT specialist, plans are already in place for the groups to come back in two-week increments from the middle of April through the end of August. But he admits that even then, the work won’t be finished.
“This is an ongoing effort,” he said. “We will be working on this for the next few years.”
All the hard work has not gone unrecognized. Col. John Ives, garrison commander, presented all the TIN team Soldiers with Army Achievement Medals and garrison coins, saying the work the teams had done on Fort Huachuca was going to benefit the entire Army in the future.
“Fort Huachuca is the only place in America that has been designated as a multi-domain operations range training complex,” he said. “This means that we are going to be at the future of warfare development.” But he pointed out that the Fort has buildings that were built in the 1800s, and occasionally operates with outdated systems.
“How are we supposed to be the future of warfare if we are running off of copper wires?” he asked. “How are we supposed to be the future of warfare if we can’t even get internet in some of our buildings? In order to develop those capabilities, we need to modernize Fort Huachuca. And that is what you all are doing here right now!”
He told the Soldiers this was a job they could be proud of and expressed his gratitude to them.
“When you look at what Fort Huachuca develops in the future, you will always know that you were a part of it, and I can’t say thank you enough!”
(Editor's note: The entire FLICKR album is available at 2024-03-28 TIN Company installs fiber optics | Flickr.)
Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
812th TIN lays groundwork for future warfighters
812th TIN lays groundwork for future warfighters
Optical Fiber Cable 2 Core 812th TIN lays groundwork for future warfighters