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Rich Bourgault |
Supporting Our Deployed Troops
Rich Bourgault
May 2008
Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti—these are just
some of the many places Rich Bourgault has gone in support of his
customer, U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR). Currently working out of MITRE's
Heidelberg, Germany office, Bourgault is a network systems engineer
who helps plan and implement intelligence systems and communications
architectures for deployed troops.
Thanks to his 21 years as an Army officer, much of it stationed
in Europe, Bourgault came to MITRE in 2000 with a wealth of experience
in military intelligence and communication systems. At the time,
MITRE needed someone who was willing to spend time with deployed
troops; someone who understood the Army and the intelligence and
communications systems it uses. Bourgault fit the bill.
Providing Expertise to Deployed Units
In his early years at MITRE, Bourgault's work focused largely
on Bosnia and Kosovo, where USAREUR was developing and implementing
a permanent set of communication and intelligence systems. The goal—to
simplify the equipping and training of rotating units—became
particularly useful when the Bosnia and Kosovo missions were later
handed over exclusively to the National Guard units.
Since then, MITRE has continued to support the USAREUR units in
analyzing and improving the systems used in deployments to places
such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Djibouti. With each project, MITRE's
role is largely determined by the mission in question. For example,
in Iraq, Bourgault and his officemate Randy Honeycutt have helped
determine the systems, training, and commercial equipment the military
units need for their missions. This helps the deploying units understand
the capabilities and shortfalls of their systems so that they can
then design their systems integration and training efforts to address
them.
"My work is really a series of rather loosely defined projects,"
explains Bourgault. "We do what our customer needs us to do.
We help these units get ready to deploy. We help train them in the
new technologies they will be using, and we help them integrate
the new intelligence and communications equipment.
MITRE's Heidelberg, Germany site
MITRE established its site in Heidelberg, Germany
in 1985. One of four MITRE sites in Germany, it has 11 staff
and its primary customers are the US Army Europe (USAREUR)
Intelligence (G2) unit and Communications (G6) unit.
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"We don't have a lot of lead time—for us a long
lead time is six months. Our job is not to invent new systems—our
job is to help these units integrate new equipment and business
processes with the systems they have."
Not surprisingly, a big part of the work is recognizing what needs
to be done. Bourgault says his close proximity to the customer helps.
"We're integrated into the sponsor's space here
in Heidelberg, which makes it really easy to identify what needs
to be done. We understand what they do and understand the problems
they face. Being in their space keeps us involved in their key problems."
Bourgault is also quick to point out that another important part
of MITRE's role is to advise the USAREUR units on not only
what technologies will be effective given the technical constraints
of the deployment, but also what will work amidst the environment
and culture of the deployment country. Clearly, having a solid understanding
of all the issues is conducive to better, timelier, solutions.
This solution-oriented aspect of his work gives Bourgault a tangible
sense of job satisfaction. "I find the work I do is very,
very interesting from a technical perspective. I also find it rewarding
because you know that you're helping these soldiers fight
a war. You're helping them be ready to do their jobs—you're
making a difference for them."
Home Base in Heidelberg
Originally from Worcester, Massachusetts, Bourgault feels very
much at home in Heidelberg. Having spent nearly half of his military
service in Germany, he speaks German fluently, although he and his
Austrian-born wife speak English at home. His daughter has had the
benefit of both American and German schools and now attends a German
university.
"I enjoy being in Europe—the lifestyle here is pretty
attractive. You can drive a few hours and go skiing in Austria,
drive a few hours in the opposite direction and spend the weekend
in Amsterdam, or fly four hours and go diving in the Red Sea. The
ability to experience so many different cultures is great."
This is not to say that there aren't things he misses about
living in the U.S. "I miss my extended family, most of whom
are still in Massachusetts," he admits. "And I'm
a huge Red Sox and Patriots fan, so I miss being able to watch live
games at normal times. With streaming video over the Internet, I
can watch the live games but it's at two or three in the morning."
—by Kay M. Upham
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