Florida Guard Sharpens Drone Skills During Exercise

Florida Guard Strengthens Drone Capabilities During Exercise

By Capt. Brittianie Funderburk, Florida National Guard

STARKE, Fla. - The future of military operations is increasingly defined by the ability to see, understand and act faster with greater precision.

During Drone Crucible 26.3 at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Florida, Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, the Florida National Guard put that principle into practice by integrating unmanned aircraft systems, communications technology and situational awareness integration capabilities to give commanders a more complete picture of the battlefield.

The U.S. National Drone Association hosted Drone Crucible 26.3 alongside the Florida National Guard and in concert with the Department of War, with assistance from Booz Allen Hamilton. Participants included personnel from the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group; the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Florida National Guard; Navy SEAL Teams 10 and 7; the 2nd Marine Division; and U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command.

The exercise tested unmanned systems and operational information sharing among military units and mission partners. Booz Allen Hamilton's Sit(x) provided a secure platform that connected tactical users and enabled data sharing, supporting the Florida National Guard's integration with the National Guard Bureau and U.S. Northern Command's, or NORTHCOM's, Homeland Tactical Assault Kit architecture.

The Florida National Guard's G6 Situational Awareness Integration Team, or SAIT, supported the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, during the exercise by integrating the Homeland Tactical Assault Kit data and available video feeds into a common operating picture for the joint operations center.

The Homeland Tactical Assault Kit allowed field personnel to share locations, threats and mission information, contributing to a more comprehensive common operating picture.

During Crucible 26.3, the Florida National Guard worked with NORTHCOM and Joint Task Force-National Capital Region to share the Homeland Tactical Assault Kit data, unmanned aircraft telemetry and full-motion video. The effort connected field activity with higher-level commands and demonstrated the potential to improve shared situational awareness.

The effort was designed to reduce the time between detection and decision-making during tactical lanes by bringing information from multiple systems and sources together in a way that supported commanders and operational teams.

"This exercise is giving us an opportunity to demonstrate how technology, innovation and strong partnerships can enhance the way we operate," said Maj. Gen. Robert Carruthers, assistant adjutant general-Army, and commander, Florida Army National Guard. "By integrating unmanned systems and our latest situational awareness and mission command software together, we are eliminating stovepipe systems, reducing multiple devices and air-gapping of information while providing commanders with a clearer, fused operational picture that enables faster, better-informed decisions."

"What we are building here has great value well beyond this exercise. Our goal is to develop a scalable capability that strengthens interoperability, speeds our kill chain, increases our situational awareness, and improves our ability to fight and win on a rapidly evolving battlefield," Carruthers said.

The Florida National Guard G6 SAIT provisioned about 82 Homeland Tactical Assault Kits and personal devices to the Florida National Guard server. At the same time, the joint operations center used eight video feeds to maintain situational awareness across the exercise.

During that time, the Florida National Guard successfully shared Homeland Tactical Assault Kit position location information, operational overlays and full-motion video from unmanned systems with NORTHCOM. The feeds included data from both unmanned surface vessels and unmanned aircraft systems.

The integration allowed NORTHCOM in Colorado Springs and the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region in the Washington area to remotely view information generated during the Florida National Guard exercise. The capability was ultimately demonstrated at the NORTHCOM command level.

The Florida National Guard G6 SAIT also supported the integration of multiple other teams through a modernization cell, while subject-matter experts specializing in unmanned systems and Homeland Tactical Assault Kit provided technical expertise and rapid user support.

That structure brought together personnel from the Florida National Guard and the Booz Allen Hamilton Sit(x) and unmanned systems team, creating an environment where Soldiers could rapidly collaborate, troubleshoot and refine the technology while conducting the exercise.

"Beyond this exercise, the Florida National Guard team sees an opportunity to integrate this capability more broadly with conventional forces and partner agencies," said 1st Lt. Lisa Casares, situational awareness integrator, G6, Florida National Guard.

"Having dedicated subject-matter experts for each system has been critical to maintaining the common operating picture and resolving issues quickly," she said. "Continued support from these experts will help the Florida National Guard sustain this capability and build a situational awareness framework that can scale beyond a single exercise."

As unmanned systems and other emerging technologies continue to shape military operations, the ability to integrate information rapidly and provide commanders with a common operating picture is becoming increasingly important to how forces train, coordinate and respond.

"This exercise demonstrated how integrated unmanned systems strengthen Soldiers on the battlefield," said Col. Todd Hopkins, commander, Camp Blanding Joint Training Center. "They do not replace Soldiers - they extend their reach, awareness, protection and precision to help them move, fight and win."