U.S. Army Pvt. Twuan Wright, a Manning, S.C., native and communications specialist with Task Force Saber, cuts wires that will be used to link an aviation operations center to the rest of Forward Operating Base Salerno.

U.S. Army Spc. Israel Hernandez, a "cable dog" with the 44th Signal Battalion and Bakersfield, Calif., native, runs communications lines into a building at Forward Operating Base Salerno. U.S. Army photo

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, June 30, 2005 — Forward Operating Base Salerno is a hub of information. It is the operating headquarters for Combined Task Force Devil, Task Force White Devil, Logistics Task Force 307, and other units, all of which base their operations out of the forward operating base that sits near the Afghan-Pakistan border. Forward Operating Base Salerno also happens to be one of the busiest regions in the war on terror.

Every time a tower guard makes a radio check, a unit in the field calls for artillery or close air support and someone sends an email back home to a loved one it is made possible by the U.S. Army soldiers of the 44th Signal Battalion and Combined Task Force Devil signal section who maintain the communications equipment used by the task force.

With nearly 3,000 soldiers operating out of Forward Operating Base Salerno, keeping the base connected is like managing the communications systems of a small town, said said 1st Lt. Ashok “Siv” Sivakumar, a Lawrencville, N.J., native and help desk officer in charge for the 44th Signal Battalion. The 44th operates and maintains the secret and unclassified computer networks as well as the phone lines used on Forward Operating Base Salerno.

“We probably have 20 kilometers of (communications) lines running throughout the (forward operating base),” Sivakumar added.

“The biggest challenge for us is making the base run like Bagram with a staff sized for a smaller forward operating base,” Sivakumar said.

One soldier who depends on the forward operating base’s communications systems for every aspect of his job is Sgt. Armando Rodriguez, a Gibsonburg, Ohio, native and operations noncommissioned officer with Combined Task Force Devil headquarters. 

Rodriguez’s job is to know the locations of all the units operating in Regional Command East and inform the command and units in the field if there are friendly troops near each other. As an infantryman he has seen first hand how important good communications are in every aspect of the chain of command; from the troops in the field, to the headquarters staff.

“As an infantryman our ability to communicate on the battlefield is one of our biggest advantages over the enemy,” Rodriguez said.

With state of the art technology creating a near seamless ability to communicate on the battlefield, troops in the signal business haven’t lost sight of the most important asset of the task force, the individual soldier.

“Knowledgeable operators are the most valuable tool (in the task force),” said Sgt. Paul Allen, a Beaverton, Ore., native and tactical satalite radio operator with Combined Task Force Devil Headquarters.