Enabling Intelligence Collection Success in Northern Afghanistan

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, AFGHANISTAN

11.14.2010

Courtesy Story

1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division

CAMP SPANN, Afghanistan – The Operational Management Team of the 10th Mountain Division's 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion provides support and oversight to Intelligence Collection Teams operating in Northern Afghanistan - consistently operating behind the scenes to provide team leaders the resources needed to complete their missions.

"While our job may not be the most exciting job by traditional standards, it is still an important job that plays a vital role in the success of operations in Northern Afghanistan," said Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Birdsall, the Operational Management Team Platoon Leader. "Our job is simple: to provide the team leader on the ground the support he or she needs to successfully complete the mission."

Soldiers of the OMT play several key roles which include intelligence collection oversight, administrative control and equipment oversight for subordinate Intelligence Collection Teams.

"One of the most important things our team does is provide Intelligence Collection Team Leaders with the necessary equipment they need. Without the right tools the job cannot be done," said Sgt. 1st Class Keith Sadler, the OMT's platoon sergeant. "Since the team leaders are burdened with many daily tasks, it is our responsibility to plan ahead in order to ensure future mission success."

Another responsibility of the OMT is to liaison with other Army Intelligence Leaders in order to effectively communicate information gathered by the team leaders and advise commanders on the capabilities and limitations of the Intelligence Collection Teams.

"We serve as a conduit between the team leader on the ground and senior Army leaders and commanders," Birdsall said. "It is our job to ensure the information the team leaders collect gets into the right hands. Information gathered is practically useless unless it gets to the right people."

Before their deployment, the OMT organized several large scale training events at Fort Drum, New York. One of the most memorable of these training events was the three-week, multi-brigade, intelligence collection exercise using real world Afghan role players to accurately simulate operations in Afghanistan.

"The training was excellent and prepared my team for our current mission," said one of the team leaders. "Lessons learned from the training are constantly used to shape our collection procedures and I feel those lessons have really set my team up for success."

The resources provided by the OMT are invaluable and directly contribute to the success of not only Intelligence Collection Teams, but the mission in Afghanistan as a whole.

• Date Taken: 11.14.2010
• Date Posted: 11.14.2010 00:50
• Story ID: 60082
• Location: MAZAR-E-SHARIF, AF