MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Whether on the battlefield or at home, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s Communications and Information Systems Department (G6) is no stranger to a rapidly evolving environment and continues to provide critical support to base personnel in spite of COVID-19.
Camp Pendleton’s G6 department provides critical communication and information support services all across the installation, and ensures that base personnel are connected electronically and able to accomplish their missions wherever they may be.
To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, many personnel aboard Camp Pendleton are currently in a telework status. This is mostly possible due to the G6’s hard efforts to get everyone connected and working from home. However, like with any challenge, teleworking brings along its own specific set of obstacles to overcome.
To ensure a smooth and effective telework experience, there are three major distinct mechanisms that the G6 identifies as being key to understand: technical, household, and work processes.
The technical process is first in line and involves acquiring, configuring, and mastering the available hardware such as the laptop itself and the accompanying power and network cables. This process also emphasizes the optimization of a user’s home network using Camp Pendleton’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) and other information technology.
Another often overseen factor to consider when teleworking is the proper set up of the physical workspace. This involves using a dedicated desk, monitor, and having a basket of office supplies handy. Utilizing a laptop on one’s lap for extended periods of time, despite its namesake, is not a productive or acceptable workspace.
“At the G6, we've been configuring equipment and training users and staffs in best practices, while testing out new processes and making recommendations at the enterprise level,” said Lt. Col. Koichi Takagi, the Assistant Chief of Staff for Communications and Information Systems, Marine Corps Installations West, MCB Camp Pendleton.
The second mechanism to consider when teleworking is understanding a user’s specific household dynamic. “You must have a deliberate, well-coordinated understanding with every member of your household, and your co-workers, about boundaries and expectations,” said Takagi. “Expect this to take some time, patience, and flexibility to develop. You may have other household member’s teleworking or taking on-line classes. We underestimated the importance of this in my family. That caused stress and reduced productivity, until we invested the time to re-organize our physical space, our expectations, and our time commitments.”
Lastly, the third mechanism is understanding the work/staff process. Establishing a high-level of work efficiency at home can be achieved only after successfully testing the technical tools required and establishing a smooth work environment and rhythm.
“It took my organization some weeks to begin feeling comfortable with accountability, supervision, task accomplishment, and internal coordination,” said Takagi. “As a staff, how will you use regular and ad-hoc communications? Who is left out on a text? Do you expect immediate response on chat? What about email? How often do you need to hold meetings and how will you conduct them?”
However, it is not unreasonable to expect a solid week, if not more, to fully work through each of these challenges. “Supervisors and teleworkers both have to fully appreciate the challenges they are facing in their new working environment,” said Takagi.
In addition to being a safety measure against COVID-19, teleworking is also an excellent means of increasing Camp Pendleton’s lethality as a warfighting organization. Telework draws parallels with Distributed Operations as a command and control (C2) relationship, where dispersed formations enhance combat lethality. “We have to overcome many of the challenges of telework to eventually operate effectively in Distributed Operations, which is a critical imperative of the Commandant's Planning Guidance,” said Takagi.
Telework is also central to Continuity of Operations (COOP), when Camp Pendleton’s primary C2 site becomes untenable. “A truly resilient C2 structure can integrate units and individuals with high productivity in a mobile, distributed, highly networked environment,” said Takagi.
Due to the G6’s forward thinking and planning efforts, they were able to maximize telework initiatives while Camp Pendleton was under the early stages of Health Protection Condition Bravo and Charlie. This preparedness has given the G6 with enough time to become proficient in their new mode of operations. Today, the G6 is accomplishing 100 percent of its normal mission.
Regardless of what current Health Protection Condition Camp Pendleton employs, the G6 will support all expected base operations, and have no impact to its ability to respond to additional crisis or threats to national security.
“Our personnel have all the appropriate PPE, and are able to follow all CDC recommendations such as social distancing. We will defer some routine maintenance and future planning actions. Non-critical trouble calls may take a little longer, but anything elevated to an urgent priority can be addressed immediately,” said Takagi.
Whether at home or on the battlefield, Camp Pendleton’s G6 is ready to support.