In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the world found itself on the edge of a new, uncertain era. The global political landscape shifted dramatically, and the shadows of war began to loom large. The propaganda machine kicked into high gear, signaling the inevitability of conflict in the months ahead. Peter, my colleague, had already relocated his full team of tech experts to Islamabad, and they were in full operational swing across Afghanistan, Pakistan, and neighboring regions. The writing was on the wall: Afghanistan would not be the only battlefront.
As this new wave of conflict began to take shape, the logistics of managing a rapidly expanding global operation became increasingly complicated. It was no longer about regional deployments; it was about global coordination. The mission had grown to such an extent that it became more and more difficult to shuttle personnel and technical equipment from Africa to Asia and vice versa. The scale of the operation was now global. Every decision and action had to be considered in a worldwide context.
The Growing Need for Logistics: Setting Up in Dubai
While we were managing the escalating operation in Afghanistan, we also faced mounting logistical challenges. There was a growing need for frequent airlifts to transport personnel and equipment, particularly to and from Dubai. The volatile political situation in Pakistan, with the risk of it being drawn into the conflict, made it necessary to reassess how we operated in the region. Dubai, with its relative safety and connectivity, became an ideal staging point.
By November 2001, we had established a small operational presence in Dubai. One of our team members had already started helping with the procurement of equipment and managing airlifts. Given the urgency of the situation, Peter called me with a simple yet urgent request: “How soon can you relocate to Dubai and bring the entire team with you, including our stock?”
At the time, I was living in Kampala, Uganda, in the midst of building a house and preparing to set up my long-awaited antenna gear. I had grand plans for my QTH (station), but the unfolding global crisis demanded that I rethink my priorities. I told Peter I could manage the move in six months.
But Peter had a more immediate timeline in mind. A few days after Christmas, he called again. “There’s too much happening; we need you in Dubai now.”
A New Chapter in Dubai
Two weeks later, I found myself in Dubai, ready to take on the challenge. Upon arrival, I found Robert (S53R) running around like a headless chicken, getting everything in place before his next flight out. The office? Barely functional—a fax machine, an admin assistant, and a few tables and chairs. Robert handed me a mobile phone, briefed me on the immediate needs, and left for his next mission.
Peter quickly called me: “Start building a base for 50 people. Begin receiving and preparing shipments of equipment for deployment in every direction. The clock is ticking.”
I soon realized that this was going to be a whole new level of operational intensity. Every day, I was juggling tasks: shopping for office supplies in the morning, shipping critical equipment in the afternoon, all while handling an increasingly complex and cash-based system due to our lack of formal legal status in Dubai.
My team and Peter’s team soon joined me from Islamabad, and it didn’t take long before we were in full swing. As the weeks passed, I came to a harsh realization: I had done almost nothing outside of work. I had neglected my apartment—aside from the bed, it was completely empty. I hadn’t thought about making a home because there was simply no time to spare. The operation came first.
The Iraq War: A New, Bigger Mission
By early 2003, the Iraq War had begun to take shape. Long before the first shots were fired, we had received funding for humanitarian operations. The signs were clear: we might have to set up and maintain communications to support the entire population of a war-torn country. By this point, FITTEST had become the go-to unit for all security communications across the UN system.
The UN Security Office made it clear: no UN staff would be allowed into Iraq unless they had undergone an assessment—and the assessment couldn’t happen without a communications expert from our team onboard. Our role was cemented, and we quickly began to draw up budgets and plans for interventions that would help rebuild Iraq’s communication infrastructure.
We created a plan for a $17 million security communications system, alongside a $27 million IT and electrical infrastructure plan to support the UN’s operations. The green light came in fast and hard: “Do it.”
At the peak of the operation, we had more than 120 staff members dedicated to the technical interventions required for the Iraq operation. We also set up a 60-person permanent office in Dubai to oversee operations. The scope of the operation was staggering. We were assembling massive quantities of equipment and organizing them into relevant packages for distribution to various staging points near Iraq’s borders. To facilitate this, we chartered planes to transport our gear. We had planes moving nothing but our equipment, day in and day out.
Non-Stop Work: A New Reality
From that moment, free time became a distant memory. Our team worked around the clock, seven days a week, from 8:00 AM until 10:55 PM, when we could finally get dinner at a restaurant that stayed open late. However, we never left until midnight, because there was always something more to discuss.
The entire plan—the budgets, logistics, and execution—was drafted on the back of a table mat menu from a restaurant in Dubai. It may sound trivial, but that simple sketch was the foundation for the next phase of our operation. We later framed that menu and hung it on the wall of our Dubai office as a reminder of how far we had come.
The intensity didn’t let up for six months. We worked tirelessly to establish offices and secure communications in Iraq, as the fighting continued. Although the major combat ended, there was never a true sense of peace. Conflict lingered, and our mission evolved, but we were committed to seeing it through.
The Evolution of FITTEST: A New Era of Global Operations
Looking back on those months of unrelenting work, it’s hard to comprehend how far we had come from our early days in the field. What began as a small team managing communications for humanitarian operations had morphed into a massive global operation, with multimillion-dollar budgets and hundreds of staff members.
The work was demanding—physically, mentally, and emotionally. But as the scope of our operations grew, so did our impact. We weren’t just setting up communications for a few field stations anymore. We were providing the backbone of communications for entire countries, in multiple locations, for hundreds of staff members, all at once. It was an immense responsibility, and there were moments when the pressure seemed unbearable.
Yet, it was a labor of passion. Both Peter and I thrived on the intensity and the challenges. No two days were ever the same, and that unpredictability became a driving force for us. But there was a downside: the adrenaline rush that had once come from organizing a small DXpedition in remote locations was now satisfied simply by the demands of our daily work. We were so immersed in the mission that, when it came time to take a break, the last thing we wanted to do was organize a radio operation for fun. The thrill of the job had replaced the thrill of the hobby.
We had become part of a larger machine—driven not by a desire for personal recognition, but by the need to support and protect those in need in some of the world’s most dangerous regions. And that sense of purpose, while exhausting, was incredibly fulfilling. It was a new chapter, not just for FITTEST, but for all of us involved in these high-stakes, high-pressure operations