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Coalition Forces Have a New Weapon to Fight Insurgents

Aug- 2-2006 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

by Brian Speach

Mosul, Iraq - Coalition Forces have a new weapon in their arsenal to fight insurgents, the Motorola.

Motorola and Lucent Technologies have designed an emergency response system called Advanced First Responder Network, to aid coalition forces in the fight against insurgents, as well as giving the citizens a way to call for police, fire and ambulance emergencies.

The Provincial Joint Coordination Center is undergoing a total reconstruction with the help of Iraqi Contractors. The center is intended to be a neutral ground for all sides to meet and discuss issues that will aid security in the region, projects to rebuild the infrastructure of the region and to be the central information hub for emergency responses.

Maj. John Osborne, JPCC Coordinator, 172 Strike Brigade Combat Team, has over seen the 1.4 million dollar project during his tour of Iraq. The project began in July of 2004.

“We now are on the cutting edge of information technology,” said Osborne. “AFRN is the sister to the 911 system in the United States, except here the citizens dial 125.”

The center serves as a focal point for Iraqi citizens to anonymously call and provide tips to fight the insurgency in their neighborhoods. The Iraq Police and Iraqi Army use the center to coordinate responses to all emergencies, civil and insurgent. The center has an updated listing of detainees that is available to the public so they may locate family members that may have been detained by Coalition Forces.

“We receive on average 1500 to 2000 calls a month,” said Osborne. “We average 50 ambulance calls a night, which all have to be coordinated to ensure the safety of the responders and make sure it is not a setup by the insurgents to cause more deaths.”

AFRN is a GPS based system that has one minor disadvantage to the 911 system in the US. The system can pinpoint the origin of the call but can not put an exact address to the call because not all roads have been named in the region.

“We have a brand new campus for the IPs,” said Osborne. “Just a few months ago there was sewage seeping through the ground, now we have refurbished buildings and cutting edge technology. This is a major step in the transformation of the region; great things will come from this center in the future.”

(via DVIDS)


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