Getting Space-Based ISR Data to Warfighters
2001; The MIT Press; Volume: 81; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0026-4148
Autores Tópico(s)Advanced Computational Techniques and Applications
ResumoAS THE ARMY transforms itself into the Objective Force, the need for and importance of timely and accurate intelligence will increase exponentially. Dispersed, highly mobile forces equipped with the latest weapons will require an intelligence system that is flexible. robust, and reliable. Automated processes must supplement or replace many of the traditional human-in-the-loop activities to manage the vast amount of intelligence data available to warfighters. Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors will quickly pass intelligence to commanders who are engaged with the enemy throughout the length and breadth of the battlefield. Regardless of the data source, Army Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities Program (TENCAP) systems will play a vital role in any future U.S. conflict. Sensors will include the familiar signals intelligence (SIGINT) and imagery intelligence (IMINT) systems, and an added category called measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT). MASINT sensors may operate beyond the spectrum of traditional SIGINT and IMINT sensors and use special processing and data-- combining techniques to provide intelligence informotion. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command's Army Space Program Office (ASPO) is providing leading-edge, tactical ground stations that bring this critical intelligence data to warfighters at the forefront of any conflict. ASPO was established in 1973 to integrate the TENCAP, to serve as a unique technical and fiscal interface with the national program offices, and to manage the TENCAP materiel acquisition process. TENCAP is charged with exploiting the current and future tactical potential of national capabilities and integrating these capabilities as rapidly as possible into the Army's tactical decisionmaking process. National systems are designed to support strategic requirements. ASPO leverages national technology to take information from these strategic systems and provide it to tactical levels. During planning and execution, this data gives tactical units an accurate and current picture of both the enemy and the terrain. Combining national data with data from other sources significantly enhances intelligence preparation of the battlefield (IPB) and demonstrates the ability to support maneuver and target development, especially for deep operations. For example, in Haiti, TENCAP systems provided the primary source of imagery directly to the joint task force (JTF) commander's analysts, enabling them to plan the operation and execute the initial assault. During Operation Desert Storm, TENCAP systems provided support for targeting deep operations and imagery for IPB for both XVIII and VII Corps. Army soldiers controlled the U-2 sensors, processed the imagery, and via a tennis shoe interface, provided vital data to Air Force analysts for future targeting. TENCAP systems also provide significant support to humanitarian efforts. After Hurricane Andrew, TENCAP systems provided the relief effort's task force commander with a rapid and detailed damage assessment. TENCAP's secondary dissemination and intelligence broadcast capabilities also foster continuing awareness through all phases of operations, enabling the tactical commander to see, hear, and target deep on today's battlefield and then to assess the effects of shooting deep. The most recent system in the TENCAP inventory is the tactical exploitation system (TES), which is currently being fielded across the Army. It is replacing earlier systems now designated as legacy systems at division, corps, and higher echelons. TES is incorporated into the U.S. Navy's Littoral Surveillance System, and the Air Force is acquiring certain TES functions to support dynamic battle management at air operations centers. TES garnered high-level joint interest during the Navy's Joint Fleet Battle Experiment-Echo at Camp Pendelton, California, in March 1999 and during the Air Force's Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 99 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, from August to September 1999. …
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