ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --
The 51st Combat Communications Squadron with the 461st Air Control Wing graduated 29 service members from the Communication Management Control Activity’s biannual U.S. Secret Service training at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 17, 2025.
The 51st CBCS facilitated the CMCA 10-day joint training at Robins AFB that included 14 Air Force, 13 Army and two Navy students.
“CMCA military augmentees are vital to national special security events on the world stage,” said Tech. Sgt. Gregory Parks, 51st CBCS acting section chief of protective communications. “Every year, they’re involved in events like the United Nations General Assembly and foreign dignitary visits. Our rapidly changing mission set has members out the door up to 250 days a year.”
The CMCA augmentees learned to work alongside USSS technicians to build and tear down multi-agency communication centers, security rooms and temporary communications platforms. They were taught how to install equipment such as antennas, mobile and hand-held radios, fiber optic and network cables, computers and video walls to ensure smooth USSS operations during some of the biggest international events.
It’s a job that often goes unrecognized according to Jim Matala, USSS Operational Communications and Integrations Division deputy chief.
“Every mission we run, every protectee movement, every major event, we often measure success by what doesn’t happen. No incidents, no breakdowns, no miscommunications,” he said. “That kind of success doesn’t make the news, it doesn’t always get recognized, but make no mistake, it’s because of our augmentees that those outcomes are possible.”
Matala commended the augmentees for the work they put in before they even finished their training. He described them as a critical part of the USSS protective mission for their work during one of 2025’s most complex operational environments: the Army’s 250th birthday celebration in Washington.
“This event was not just about honoring history but about coordinating multiple federal military law enforcement agencies on a national stage in front of the scrutiny of the public, the media and our protectees,” said Matala. “The augmentees operated like seasoned professionals who showed grace under pressure, adaptability in the face of the unknown and a level of coordination that rivaled teams that have been doing this for years.”