139th News

Rosecrans hosts training for avionics merger

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Theo Ramsey
  • 139th Airlift Wing
Avionics Airmen from four states completed their first training as Integrated Communication Counter Measures Navigation Systems (ICCMNS) troops at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base Sept. 12, 2014.

The two career fields, Electronic Warfare Counter Measures (ECM) and Communication Navigation (COMNAV), merged Aug. 1, 2014 and official Air National Guard training for the newly merged ICCMNS career field began Sept. 2, 2014.

"The merger affects [COMNAV] less than it would affect these guys," said Staff Sgt. Todd Ridge, a COMNAV systems instructor from Little Rock AFB. "They have to learn roughly 20 new systems."

In comparison, students coming from the COMNAV career field will need to learn four new systems.

While the merger affects active duty, National Guard, civilians, and members of other military branches, the student makeup of last week's inaugural class included Air National Guardsmen from Georgia, Kentucky, Montana and Missouri.

"We're getting a pretty good list of people already coming [to the training]," said Senior Master Sgt. Miles Gibson, Avionics Element supervisor, who also said more units are lined up for future training. "Puerto Rico is coming up. New York is coming down."

The class size is limited to five students per each class, based on how many students can reasonably fit in the airplane during training.

Gibson said the instructors are providing excellent instruction and the avionics community is still working on many aspects of the fledgling merger.

"This [training] gives them a good start. A place to ask questions," said Gibson.