New digital system capable of warning Airmen Published Dec. 27, 2011 By Senior Airman Joel Mease 501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs RAF ALCONBURY, United Kingdom -- The 501st Combat Support Wing now has a digital advanced warning system in place at RAF Alconbury and RAF Croughton capable of informing Airmen in real time about a possible threat. The warning system, called AtHoc can send a message to computers on the U.S. Air Forces in Europe network, by giant voice, email and even by phone. "You might have recently seen a message on your computer letting you know the command post is going to test the giant voice on base," said Staff Sgt. James Goeddey, 501st CSW Emergency Management. "This is the AtHoc system, which lets someone send out a message, in this case from the command post at RAF Mildenhall, to everyone on the installation and activate the giant voice." If a user gets a popup message and all it says is this is a test, then the user just has to do is click the acknowledge button and the message will disappear. However, while the pop ups for now have been a test, it's important to read the messages when they appear. "It could be information you need to know right away," Goeddey said. "The message could be about any event that affects the safety of yourself and those around you. Read what it has to say and follow the instructions given." The system, while capable of delivering an important message to a large pool of people, isn't necessarily going to be able to reach everyone. "If AtHoc sends a message for a real-world event don't assume everyone you know received it," Goeddey said. "Make sure everyone in your unit gets the message."