101st IWF takes a trip to meet their No. 1 customer

TYNDALL AFB, Fla. -- An air of excitement could be felt as 26 members of the 101st Information Warfare Flight loaded onto a C-130 en route to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla, for their annual training and tour of 1st Air Force Headquarters on March 4.

Even with a bumpy four-hour ride to Panama City, Airmen were looking forward to escaping the Utah winter for a few days, enjoying the white sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast and meeting their No. 1 customer, 1st AF.

"Several of the folks on our team have never been down here," said Lt. Col. Kevin Nuccitelli, 101st IWF commander. "Our primary customer is the 601st Air and Space Operations Center, so we wanted them to get a feel for who they are actually providing their products to. We do a split-based operation, so most of the work is done in Salt Lake, but the products we produce are given to our Information Operation Integration officers at Tyndall."

On the first day of the visit, the group was given a series briefings and a tour of the AOC. Division representatives from combat operations, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), strategy, plans and air mobility explained not only their individual jobs, but how IO helps them accomplish their overall mission.

"It was really good for us to see what our IO products are actually used for," explained Colonel Nuccitelli. "Our IOI officers here do the daily interface with the 601st and are the ones who receive the actual requirements. They then send it back to Salt Lake where we will do a mission analysis, develop the products and send it back to them. Our products help support of a variety of events, including exercises, real-world events and support to civil authorities like hurricanes, fires, etc."

In addition to the AOC activities, the 101st took the TDY as an opportunity to conduct a "superdrill" and complete a handful of annual ancillary training requirements, including ethics, fire and safety, antiterrorism and professional relationships. The 101st also had time to participate in a couple of team activities, like the annual fitness test and a Cajun boil. 

"Besides the technical training that we've had and getting people familiar with the 601st down here, just getting together as a team is important," Colonel Nuccitelli emphasized. "This just brings everyone together and allows us to get to know each other on a little different level than just sitting in the office every day...it's been very successful in that aspect." 

The 101st's superintendant echoed the commander's thoughts, and also explained an additional bonus of the trip. 

"There were a lot of good things that came out of us coming down here," added Senior Master Sgt. Bill Hauser. "There were some doors that were knocked down that were previously closed to us for a long time so meeting with people and talking things out really helped. We're pretty excited...our mission is going to expand just because of what happened here during this trip."