VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- As Vandenberg Air Force Base implements additional health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as maintaining social distancing practices, many base personnel have been directed to work from home.
For Airmen to securely work from home and maintain mission readiness, they must have access to the Virtual Private Network, which requires the support of the 30th Space Communications Squadron.
“Our workload has doubled, if not tripled, since minimum manning has taken effect,” said Denzel Locket, 30th SCS client systems supervisor. “This workload increase is great for my technicians because it allows them to get plenty of training, as well as develop personal communication skills and foster teamwork to get the job done.”
The 30th SCS client systems office takes client work tickets from the Communications Focal Point, installs VPN software, and maintains the VPN server for Airmen at home throughout Santa Barbara County.
“VPN extends across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their devices were directly connected to their private network,” said Airman First Class Kyle Gilson, 30th SCS client systems technician. “We have been working nonstop to ensure all of our users can access all information as if they were at their normal workstation.”
Due to the overload of members trying to access VPN, the network can become overloaded. Members should be patient and attempt other servers or utilize personal communication options for items that do not break operational security.
“There will be times that you will not be able to access the VPN software right away,” said Locket. “Please be patient and try to log into a different server or wait until later in the day when there is less network traffic for the VPN server.”
If you encounter any problems connecting to VPN or have any Air Force network issues, contact the Communications Focal Point at 805-606–2622.