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There is one important item in
communications, which was overlooked for some time, due to fast
developing technologies- the ability to monitor, simultaneously,
several communications channels by the same commander, in popular
parlance "eavesdropping". The advantage of FM radios afforded this
through auxiliary receivers in regular AFVs. However, according to
reports coming out of Iraq, the current ABCS do not provide this
'luxury'. As a division commander mentioned in his after action
report:
"I saw more of the fight than I expected to be able to see from my
Command and Control Vehicle (C2V). Enabled with satellite based
communications my assault command post was mobile, responsive,
connected, and allowed me to be where I could best influence the fight
anywhere on the battlefield. In the digital environment of my
headquarters, the Common Operational Picture provided exceptional
situational awareness because of our joint interoperability with
higher headquarters.
For example, through the eyes of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV),
transmitted by Global Broadcasting System, we could observe an enemy
artillery battery firing on our troops, and then coordinate over
Tactical Voice and single channel TACSAT for its subsequent
destruction by Air Force, Marine, or Naval aircraft in close support
of the ground campaign".
At corps level the warfighting picture was sometimes remarkably clear,
however lower command echelons complained that subordinate leaders on
the tactical level were struggling with the limitations of their
static, terrestrial based networks. Despite the introduction of
Battle
Command On the Move (BCOTM) capabilities that higher command levels
enjoyed in assault command post (CP), the vast majority of tactical
leaders and CPs were still allocated too few on- the- move
capabilities. Most were tethered to a larger CP and mostly dependant
upon line of sight (LOS) communications.
Case in point: At the corps level the G2 could see individual fighting
positions defending a critical bridge because they had a UAV leading
the vanguard formations. But this valuable real-time could not get
down to the unit which was taking the objective because all the CP's
were moving. It was a deliberate attack at the corps level, but a
movement to contact at the battalion level.
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