Fort Campbell, KY – Soldiers received HCLOS (High Capacity Line of Sight) training on Tuesday, April 27th, 2022 during Operation Lethal Eagle II at Fort Campbell, KY.
The training was conducted by Sgt. Orlando Valentin of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, HCLOS section sergeant in Signal, Intelligence, and Sustainment Company Headquarters & Headquarters Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
When integrated within Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Increment One, HCLOS radios combine communications within a user’s sight range or line-of-sight, or those that expand beyond their line-of-sight, to a receiver at a distant location to facilitate internet connectivity and communication.
“HCLOS is a great system to use as a redundant link incase our satellite communication (SATCOM) drops or our fiber optics get damaged,” said Valentin. “It is an easy link to set up and push communication through as a backup. We also were able to teach our help desk how to set it up.”
“The Soldiers did excellent, they were all open to the training and wanted to participate,” said Valentin. “I had fun teaching them, and they picked it up quick. We were able to certify the Helpdesk Team on setting up the HCLOS, when their daily duties are usually just end user troubleshooting and administrative stuff. It was great to teach them and get them outside to cross-train.”
Pfc. Juan Rodriguez of Miami, Florida, participated in the training and said it will prepare him to be able to perform another soldier’s tasks if required.
“It gave me the chance to expand my knowledge-base on signal equipment, so I can cover down on multiple jobs if I need to especially if someone goes down,” said Rodriguez.
Training sessions in the U.S. Army are designed to be inclusive, where Soldiers are given the opportunity to learn new skills from their peers who have expertise in other areas. This demonstrates to Soldiers how their tasks all contribute to the bigger operations of the Army, and fosters cohesion among the ranks.
“It is important to learn each other’s jobs. It gives you a better understanding on how all of our jobs work together.” said Rodriguez.
Staff Sgt. Natasha Noel of Howell, Michigan, 3rd Signal Platoon Sergeant (PSG) in SIS Co, HHBn, said she feels proud of her soldiers and their ability to train others on the duties and responsibilities associated with their job.
“I love watching my NCOs conduct training,” said Noel, “It had been a minute since I was able to get my hands on the HCLOS especially setting up the Antenna mast. One of my favorite things about being a PSG is watching my NCOs lead and train the Soldiers and do it well. Sgt. Valentin is a great NCO, and did a great job instructing the training, making it possible for the Helpdesk Soldiers who had never seen a HCLOS put it up and operate it with no issues.”
Operation Lethal Eagle II is designed to give leaders maximum time to focus on training their Soldiers, while building cohesion in the division. The intent is to train Soldiers as a division in order to increase readiness and lethality as one of America’s most lethal fighting forces. As the exercise continues, soldiers will partake in foundational training to better prepare them for the battlefields of the future.
