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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Thousands of feet above the ground a small aircraft packed with antennas and cameras scans the surface of the earth for signs of trouble.
Using state-of-the-art equipment, the members of Bravo Company, 306th Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation), Task Force ODIN-Afghanistan, provide aerial surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities that seem more at place in a science fiction novel.
“The purpose of TF ODIN, specifically Bravo Co., is to support the troops on the ground,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sarah Summers, an aerial sensor operator with the unit. “We are one of the first lines of protection for them because we can find improvised explosive device placements, insurgent threats and provide route clearance and reconnaissance assets.”
TF ODIN, which stands for observe, detect, identify and neutralize, was originally activated in Iraq in 2007.
“Their mission was to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to U.S. Army commanders in order to better detect and act against insurgent forces,” said U.S. Army Maj. Matthew Moore, commander of Bravo Co.
In 2009, TF ODIN-Afghanistan was fully operational and the success of the task force in Iraq carried over to a new battlefield.
The soldiers of Bravo Co. fly a Medium Altitude Reconnaissance Surveillance System King Air 300, a twin-prop aircraft filled to the brim with high-tech equipment, computer monitors and radios. The company is composed entirely of Army National Guard soldiers representing a total of 12 states and the District of Columbia.
Knowing there are eyes in the sky is comforting to say the least.
“We’re able to provide those [service members] with battlefield intelligence from the air,” said Summers. “We can give them the entire picture of the village they are going into. If we have troops in contact, we can tell them where they can hide, give them enemy locations and call in air assets to support them on the ground.”
“Our aircrews and operators are saving the lives of troops on the ground,” added Moore. “We succeed when they succeed.”
Besides flying surveillance and reconnaissance missions, Summers has had the opportunity to command and control close air support in the heat of battle.
“There have been a number of occasions where I have been able to control all the aircraft in a stack,” said Summers. “They blew stuff up and took out bad guys. It was a very stressful experience but rewarding all the same.”
When Combat Outpost Zormat in Paktya Province was attacked with a vehicle-borne IED last year, Summers and her crew were conducting an operation eight miles from the blast site. One of the pilots saw the explosion from the cockpit window, and they were the first bird on station to provide aerial support and get accountability of personnel at the COP.
Due to the stressful situations inherent with the job, soldiers are carefully selected and must go through 5 1/2 weeks of intensive training at Fort Hood, Texas. Students are taught how to use the computer equipment, cameras and radios.
“It’s a highly perishable skill,” Summers added. “Every day is a new mission and therefore a new experience.”
There is no specific military occupational specialty designation for an ASO, and candidates come from a variety of backgrounds.
“Each person is individually chosen based on their demonstrated abilities to multi-task and communicate,” said Moore.
Learning atmospherics is another crucial skill that ASOs must master. Operators learn to take the pulse of a village, identify patterns of life and learn what objects look like in infra-red. A tin roof and a fire can look very similar at night but there are certain characteristics that place them apart. Students also learn to differentiate between male and female and the structural differences between a compound and a qalat.
“We train to be a battlefield multiplier,” said Summers. “We have to provide the troops on the ground with the best situational awareness we can. For example, is the crowd of men on the street corner a threat or are they just hanging out?”
According to Summers, the hardest part of this job is being there for the guy on the ground even when they do not know exactly what they need.
“Sometimes it’s hard for the customer to know how to utilize us,” said Summers. “We have to anticipate what they need.”
To facilitate the process, operators contact their customers before a mission to get a handle on what exactly their intent is for the operation. Common requests can include identification of specific groups and numbers of people, hotspots on the ground and activities like digging holes or burying objects.
“Our operators provide better customer service by constantly communicating with the supported units prior to each mission and gaining feedback after the mission,” Moore added. “Our operators and aircrews all are part of a unit aircrew training program that continuously evaluates and improves the skills of our [soldiers].”
With a job requiring communication skills, computer aptitude and the ability to juggle multiple events at one time, it takes a unique person to do the job. The added stress of knowing that troops on the ground rely on you for their survival makes the job all the more difficult.
“It can be overwhelming at times,” said Summers. “I have to pay attention to two screens and monitor four different programs at one time. However, I absolutely love what I do because it’s something different every day.”
| Date Taken: | 01.18.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 01.27.2013 07:52 |
| Story ID: | 101101 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Hometown: | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, US |
| Hometown: | SALEM, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 2,673 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Angels on our shoulders: Task Force ODIN protects troops on the ground, by SGT Christopher Bonebrake, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
