IT TAKES A TEAM
MR. SAM ZABRDAC SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO PRODUCT MANAGER METEOROLOGICAL AND TARGET IDENTIFICATION CAPABILITIES PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE INTELLIGENCE, ELECTRONIC WARFARE AND SENSORS KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
DEPLOYED AGAIN, BY CHOICE
M
ore than two years may seem like a long time for a civilian to deploy to a war zone, but for Sam Zabrdac, it was a clear choice to deploy to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)—for the
seventh time—shortly after retiring.
Working in theater is nothing new for Zabrdac, a retired Army sergeant major, and two years pales compared with his previ- ous time in theater. In fact, he took little time to enjoy his retirement from the Army in early 2011 before deploying to Afghanistan in April of that year as a contractor with CACI International
Inc. As theater manager/liaison and theater
operations lead, he provides systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA) support to the Product Manager Meteoro- logical and Target Identification Capabilities (PM MaTIC) within Program Executive Office Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEW&S).
Intellligence, Electronic
Forward operating bases (FOBs) and combat outposts (COPs) are where Zabrdac would rather be. “I deployed to OEF six times from March 2007 through November 2010,” he said, working within the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command as theater liaison officer. “I traveled throughout theater major hubs and other FOBs and COPs to directly support operations with fielding, sustainment, operational planning and training. Also, I led an effort to build multiple operations and support facilities in Bagram, Kandahar, Salerno, Kabul and Herat.”
Supporting PTDS keeps Zabrdac busy, but is just a portion of his duties. Being the PM MaTIC liaison and SETA engineer requires long hours traveling to and working in program hubs and individual aerostat sites.
“I work late into the evening, coordinating aerostat theater operations and issues with IJC [International Security Assistance Force – Afghanistan Joint Command] and RCs [regional commands],” he said. Zabrdac updates the PM MaTIC office in the continental United States (CONUS) daily on program issues, adjusting goals and implementing new improvement initiatives as directed. He monitors and meets program theater requirements and objectives, answers requests for information from CONUS and overseas, tracks
the status of provides input to theater program operational and sustainment
Now Zabrdac is again working near Kabul, this time support- ing the Persistent Treat Detection System (PTDS) aerostat program in operations, fielding, sustainment and training.
PTDS, fielded under the auspices of PEO IEW&S, is a large aerostat tethered to a mooring platform, accompanied by a ground control station where a crew of five operates 24/7 in 12-hour shifts. Reaching heights of up to a mile and equipped with both visual and audio technology, PTDS provides com- manders on the ground a vast perspective of the battlefield while remaining out of range of most enemy threats.
systems,
“IMPLEMENTING NEW OPERATIONAL AND TRAINING SUPPORT PROCEDURES TO EDUCATE CREWS AND STAFFS ON AEROSTAT OPERATIONS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO SAVING SOLDIERS’ LIVES ... OUR SYSTEMS AND CREWS HELP FIND THE THREATS. THAT’S WHAT MOTIVATES OUR ENTIRE TEAM.”
122 Army AL&T Magazine July–September 2013
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