DISA delivers in Afghanistan through civilian deployment

by Renee Hatcher
Office of Strategic Communication and Public Affairs
March 15, 2022 

DISA Global Cybersecurity Specialist Robert W. Freeman recently returned from a 15-month deployment to Kabul, Afghanistan with a renewed appreciation for his agency’s contributions to the defense of the country.

“My time in Afghanistan enriched my understanding of why we do the things we do at DISA and who we truly serve - the warfighter,” Freeman said. “I was acutely aware of this every day and consider my experiences with our service members in Afghanistan a high point of my career.”

Freeman, born in Vietnam, said his motivation to volunteer for this deployment stemmed from his family’s history of military service. His dad retired from the U.S. Army and like most military families, they lived in several places including Kentucky, Germany, New Jersey and Alaska.

Following high school, Freeman worked in private industry for about 15 years. Then, 9/11 happened and he heard the call to serve his country. He attempted to enlist but was not able to meet the medical requirements. This didn’t stop him; he went back to school to get an education in information systems and network security management. He began work as a contractor in support of the U.S. Army, and in 2014, Freeman joined DISA as a cybersecurity analyst. In 2018, he was chosen for a position as a boundary watch officer as part of the operations team facility at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. In 2019 Freeman transferred to the DISA engineering team at Hill AFB as a member of the engineering watch desk where he still works today.

Freeman deployed with the Department of Defense Expeditionary Civilians and served as the Combined Joint Communications Directorate communications director of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan. His duties included ensuring that communication capabilities were operational, maintained and secured for a staff of nearly 850 coalition military, civilians and contractors.

“Communications are a critical component of military operations,” Freeman said. “Without it, the mission is put at grave risk.”

The department has relied on its civilian workforce to deploy in support of expeditionary requirements for as long as contingency operations have existed.

According to the Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Services website, “DoD civilians are a critical part of the total force and essential to ensuring the readiness, capability, capacity and lethality of our military forces. From 2001 to present, DOD civilians have provided significant support to military forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations throughout the world.”

Prior to the end of operations in June 2021, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan provided the train, assist and advise mission for four essential functions: plan, program, budget and execute; transparency, accountability and oversight; rule of law; and sustainment.

“I never served in uniform, but I look at this deployment as my service to the nation and as an opportunity to apply my skills where the rubber meets the road – side-by-side with my military counterparts,” Freeman said.