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Army Launches 1st UAV in AK skies

Sep-17-2004 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

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Story and photos
by Cpl. Douglas DeMaio
20th Public Affairs Detachment

FORT GREELY – The first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Alaska flown by Army pilots took took to the air on an airfield southeast of Eielson Air Force Base Sept. 5.

Soldiers from the UAV platoon of Troop D, 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, catapulted the Shadow 200 reconnaissance device into U.S. Army Alaska history.

The acquisition of the UAV is an integral development of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and a positive step toward building a pathway for the future combat system, said Sgt. 1st Class David Hansen, UAV platoon sergeant.

Technology is revolutionizing battlefield tactics, Hansen said. UAVs and Stryker equipment like the Force XXI Battlefield Command Brigade and Below, an informational command and control system, are examples of technology SBCTs are using to morph battle space more favorable to U.S. Forces.

“The UAV gives a third dimension to both the brigade and the supported battalion in the current operational picture,” Hansen said.

Like Home-station Instrument Training System, a tracking system that helps identify Soldiers wearing the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System during a training exercise, UAVs can provide images for after action reviews while yet on the battlefield.

UAVs take the battle one step further.

“Provided to the brigade’s main effort, the UAV gives more situational awareness to commanders in battle,” Hansen said.

Visual intelligence from UAVs offers real-time situational awareness to commanders, staff, and Soldiers. It also provides upper echelons a common picture of the battle environment.

The Stryker’s mobility and digital capability allow Soldiers greater visibility of the battlefield, said 1st Lt. Christopher Todd, fire support officer, Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. This provides the Soldier greater security and a higher degree of mission accomplishment.

In combat, combined with the FBCB2, which displays friendly and enemy locations, the communication interface system will allow units to operate in the battlefield with fire support.

“The battlefield is no longer black and white,” Todd said.

Yet with tools like the FBCB2 at Soldiers’ fingertips, a course of action can easily be concrete rather than abstract, Todd said. During one exercise, prior to moving on a mission objective, Todd and his Stryker crew plot likely targets for fire support.

During Arctic Icehouse, Soldiers were given scenarios deliberately designed to help them visualize what they may encounter during war, Todd said. The challenge to the Soldier is to recognize that war is a world of uncertainty.

“It is important for all Soldiers to think creatively and rationally,” Todd said. “That is why we train Soldiers to think logically before they act.”


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