Tobyhanna Army Depot Collaborating with U.S. Army Information Systems

Employees at Tobyhanna Army Depot are leading the charge to connect warfighters in the field with their leadership back at home.

The depot is now collaborating with the U.S. Army Information Systems Engineering Command to lead the Mission Command Facility (MCF) workload across the Department of Defense.

The MCF effort is an offshoot of the Home Station Mission Command Center effort, which established and modernized joint operations mission centers around the world. Similar to a situation room, the facilities are outfitted with high-end teleconferencing equipment such as projectors, video monitors, microphones, and speakers for real-time communication, visibility and decision-making.

Taking over the mission represents a classic opportunity to meet a customer need and own a niche market, according to Robert Hagenbaugh.

“Although the formal HSMCC program concluded, units across the world were eager to get their own command centers to increase communication,” he said. “Tobyhanna quickly stood up our own program to fill a gap in the market, and we have a heavy demand for these state-of-the-art installations.” Hagenbaugh is an engineering technician in the Production Engineering Directorate.

Tobyhanna’s initial support for HSMCCs provided electricians and equipment installers. The quality product provided by those teams led to an expanded scope of work, which included custom cabinetry, wood fabrication, networking support, wireless installation, and full-spectrum engineering support – all of which has endured through the new MCF program.

Hagenbaugh noted positive word of mouth was a big driver in the workload’s expansion.

“Our customers love us. I’m proud to say we have never left a job with an unhappy customer. That level of work speaks for itself – and every happy customer leads to another opportunity for this workload.”

A MCF mission begins with a site survey, where engineering personnel develop exact customer needs. Personnel then develop the installation proposal, acquire equipment once the proposal is approved and assemble the installation team. To accomplish this broad scope of work, the MCF program requires support from a cross-functional group of employees across the depot. Mission teams include employees from a variety of Tobyhanna organizations, to include C4ISR, Production Engineering and Systems Integration and Support. The teams also have support back on-post at Tobyhanna from Production Management and other mission support organizations.

MCF installations are part of a bigger push across the services to modernize facilities and increase communication stability.

“The Army now operates in a multi-domain battlefield. The MCF updates/ installations gives joint Commanders the latest technologies to monitor and execute missions real-time, every single day,” said Hagenbaugh.

Because of the high demand for the MCFs and the complex nature of the mission, volunteers are always needed, said Engineering Technician Patrick Mullen.

“We are always looking for members of Team Tobyhanna willing to travel the world in support of this dynamic workload – specifically those with audio-visual, telecommunications, or information technology backgrounds. Desirable certifications and/or trainings include those from Avixa, BICSI, and Crestron. We welcome all qualified members of Team Tobyhanna who want to be a part of the MCF mission team!”

Ronald Kolment, Chief of the SATCOM Integration and Testing Engineering Branch, lauded the entire team that supported the MCF workload.

“This is a great team, and I’m very proud of the work that they do.”

Upcoming MCF missions will take place in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Japan, Korea, and Texas. Current depot employees interested in volunteering for an MCF mission should contact the MCF Coordinator at (570) 615-8087.

MCFs are a critical part of warfighter readiness, and the mission directly aligns with Tobyhanna’s long-range strategic plan, TOBY2035, which has four focus areas: Investing in Our People, C5ISR Readiness, Shape the Future and Strategic Communications. TOBY2035 aims to posture the depot for success in the coming years as the Department of Defense’s premier worldwide C5ISR readiness provider.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.

Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.

About 3,100 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to empower the Soldier with winning C5ISR capabilities.