Cyber Airman Plays Pivotal Role
by U.S. Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Sean Campbell May 16,
2023
For many, military service is generational.
Parents or grandparents, a sister or brother ... knowing someone in
the military can make the decision to join much easier.
Both of Staff Sgt. Chandler Laverty-White’s
parents served in the U.S. Army and growing up she saw how the
military elevated her parent’s livelihoods. Seeing this benefit in
her parents’ lives led her to the decision to join and have her own
experiences.
 U.S. Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Chandler Laverty-White, a 142nd Communications Flight Client Systems Technician, works to maintain internet and communications across the Portland Air National Guard Base
on March 4, 2023. In addition to providing her with applicable workforce skills, being part of the Communications Flight has also provided her with a community. (Image
created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Sean Campbell.)
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Laverty’s military journey started off in
the Army National Guard’s artillery brigade. However, in 2019, she
had an opportunity present itself to her which ultimately led her to
switch branches and transfer over to the 142nd Communications (comm)
Flight in the Oregon Air National Guard (ORANG). There she would
work as a Client Systems Technician.
This was an easy
decision for Laverty to make, primarily because the career field
interested her, and the skill set was in demand and easily
transferrable to the civilian sector.
As a
client systems technician, Laverty is responsible for many of the
computer systems on Portland Air National Guard Base, ranging from an individual laptop to the
systems used to put aircraft in the air.
Laverty emphasized
the importance of cyber operations to the success of the overall
mission. Cyber technicians are invaluable in the 142nd Wing’s
efforts to maintain constant readiness and air superiority.
“If you take out the cyber element you take out a lot of the
capability,” said Laverty.
Outside of the ORANG, Laverty
works as an Information Systems Security Officer for the company,
Plexus which is a defense contractor. In this job, she maintains
government computers and makes sure they are compliant with
regulations, as well as working cybersecurity and analytics for the
company’s corporate network. This job ties into her work in the
guard because both are required to meet many of the same standards.
“It correlates because all cyber is intermingled,” said Laverty.
“Being in cyber, you know that you are important and what you do
really helps. Sometimes it can feel like you’re just working really
small issues, but the impact is much larger than just fixing one or
two computers.”
In addition to providing her with applicable
workforce skills, being part of the communications flight here has
provided her with a strong sense of community. She described the
unit as being supportive and there for her if she needs help. Her
guard family is what keeps her serving and why she continues to want
to stay.
Laverty’s military experience is unique in the sense
that she works in a predominantly male career field. However, the
women in cyber are a very close-knit group who foster strong support
and mentorship for each other.
“There’s not that many women
in the Oregon Air National Guard, especially over here in comm,”
said Laverty. “But the women take you under their wing, support and
build you up. Everyone is fantastic, and we have deep conversations…
that has been my experience so far.”
Laverty would like to
see more women working in comm and tech in general. The career field
is fast-paced and often challenging. It provides avenues for
everyone of all personality types and backgrounds to succeed and
offers opportunities for mentorship, finding jobs in the civilian
sector, building knowledge and career growth, as well as furthering
education.
The need for Communication and cyber professionals
has been on the rise in recent years and new aspects and operations
are continuously being added, making the career field more relevant
and in demand than ever. Each new aircraft that the Air National
Guard and Air Force use comes with more and more technology on
board. With the expertise of cyber Airmen like Laverty, the Air
National Guard is able to execute the mission safely and
efficiently, ensuring homeland and national security.
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