Restoring the EHF Controller

As USS KEY WEST's EHF technician, Nathan troubleshot and repaired the Navy EHF communications controller. The restored system enabled the submarine to receive Tomahawk strike mission data that became essential after the September 11 attacks and during the operations that followed. He received a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for the accomplishment.

Aboard USS KEY WEST before and during a period of rapidly increasing operational demand, the submarine’s EHF communications controller was not providing the dependable capability required for mission communications.

Nathan needed to troubleshoot and repair a complex communications controller so the submarine could reliably receive protected mission information. The system’s later importance was not fully visible when the repair work began.

As the submarine’s EHF technician, Nathan methodically troubleshot the controller, isolated the faults, completed the repair, and verified that the capability was restored for operational use.

The value of technical readiness is often established before the moment of greatest need. Disciplined maintenance and troubleshooting create options for the mission when circumstances change faster than a system can be repaired.