Air to Ground Operations in ISAF

1
Air to Ground Operations in ISAF

• Final Report and Implementation
• Commander Joseph Dalton, USN
• Fratricide Prevention IPT Leader

2
Agenda

• Background
• Initial Report
• Final Report
• Recommendations

3
Background

• 4 September 2006 Operation MEDUSA
• NATO aircraft mistakenly identified and targeted
  NATO ground forces
• National incident investigation teams
• Focus on incident specifics
• NATO Bi-Strategic Analysis Lessons Learned Team
• Holistic parallel study of coalition air-ground
  operations and fratricide prevention
• Analysis of NATO operational systems, training,
  and TTP
• Identify areas of improvement and potential
  capabilities to develop

4
Initial Report

• Over thirty recommendations
• Defined responsible NATO bodies
• Near through long term
• Primary focus areas
• Command, control and communications
• Interoperability and availability
• Combat Identification
• Situational awareness and friendly force
  identification
• Forward Air Controllers
• Training and standardization
• Remaining issue Lack of training capacity
• Insufficient to fulfill operational FAC
  requirement

5
Final Report

• CA and US comments
• NATO activities beyond initial report
• Additional studies
• Further fratricide incidents
• The Technical Cooperation Program Technical
  Report UK and US Friendly Fire in Recent Combat
  Operations
• Elements of friction
• Seams and risk

6
Final Report

• Operating definition of Fratricide
• ...the deliberate engagement of non-enemy
  entities by friendly forces in the belief that
  the entities are enemy
• Belief based on situational awareness, target
  identification and TTP
• Errors in position and identification are primary
  contributing factors in incidents
• Guiding concept for Fratricide Prevention
• SATITTP- complementary and mutually enhancing
• Relationship with Effective Engagement
• Maximize operational effectiveness

7
Recommendations

• Create common database of national incidents
• Forge relationships with appropriate national
  entities
• Focus on CID capabilities at seams
• Fuse and network SA and TI information
• Review existing coordination measures and
  applicability to Irregular Warfare
• Consider applicability to blue on white
• Federate existing JCAS programs
• Standardization and interoperability
• Eliminate system inefficiencies

8
National Training Capabilities

• Initial Training and Sustainment
• Not all NATO Nations have capability
• Nations with training capability face challenges
  in meeting own requirement
• Total NATO availability insufficient for initial
  training and sustainment
• Limiting Factors
• ISAF challenges and Irregular Warfare

9
Federated Training Approach

• Developing with the Military Committee
• Requirements and resources
• NATO program management
• ACT Joint Education and Training CC Air
  Ramstein Air/Land Integration Cell
• National training programs
• Address nation-specific shortfalls
• Instructors / Aircraft / Ranges

10
Levels of Effort

• Directed at nations with or without elements of
  CAS system

Program accreditations, capability assessments
and development - Train the Trainer
Academic, field and continuation training
Instructor, air and fires support
11
Parting Thoughts

• FAC are THE intersection in joint operations
• JCAS will grow increasingly complex
• Integrating CID information and digital systems
• Evolving TTP
• A mans got to know his limitations
• Training remains key
• Fundamental interoperability
• Technology is an enabler, not the solution
• Preventing fratricide is everyones business
• Heavy focus on FAC- what about aircrew? JCAS
  system? other operations?