Photo By Staff Sgt. Robert Walden | A forward operating base designed to simulate conditions in Afghanistan is being used...... read more read more
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CAMP WILLIAMS, Utah - More than 600 Soldiers from 13 states and Canada participated in Panther Strike 2014, a simulated full-spectrum intelligence-gathering exercise at Camp Williams, Utah, June 8-22.
This annual event attracts military intelligence professionals from across various the U.S. Army’s reserve, Guard and active-component, along with partner nations to simulate operations within a deployed combined joint task force and therein provide a world class training opportunity.
The field portion of Panther Strike was held at Forward Operating Base Blessing, at Camp Williams, where intelligence collectors and analysts interacted with over 100 Soldiers who wore Afghan attire and occupied simulated villages as role players in order to provide a realistic training environment for their fellow soldiers. The human intelligence (HUMINT) teams interacted with the role players to gather information and atmospherics for analysis.
“Being a role player at this exercise is very interesting, and I have been able to learn from the teams as we have interacted with each other,” said Spc. Kevin Culligan, a human intelligence collector with the Florida National Guard’s 260th Military Intelligence Battalion.
“I’ve seen things from the teams that I want to use myself, and realized that there are things I was doing that could be done better.”
The HUMINT teams focus on building rapport with the locals while eliciting critical information, which aids commanders in making operational decisions.
Sgt. Nicholas S. Gines, a human intelligence collector from the Utah National Guard’s 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion, explained that human intelligence is the process of getting information by talking with people.
“They may have information about enemy activity in the area that they will share with us for any number of reasons,” he said. “The information, or data, is then sent to a centralized location for analysis.”
Gines, who was a part of the human intelligence collection teams at the exercise, said that he was excited to be able to participate in Panther Strike because of the depth and of the training that is available.
“Panther Strike is as close to real life as possible without deploying to a combat zone,” stated Gines. “It is the best exercise that I will ever attend to gain skills in my [job.] I’ve been able to get to know others in the MI community and be able to network, and learn from their experiences.”
The mission has grown from a battalion-level exercise to an international training event where coalition countries like Australia, Britain, Canada, and the U.S. can come together to develop policy that decides what information can be shared between the nations, and how it will be shared.
“The Panther Strike Exercise is defining and clarifying policy on how we work with our coalition partners,” said Maj. Scott A. Chalmers, the executive officer for the Utah National Guard’s 145th Military Intelligence Battalion, who has been involved with Panther Strike since 2009.
This strengthens international partnerships and improves the countries’ ability to work together as a team while conducting MI operations.
Some of the goals of the exercise were to provide the Soldiers with the experience of working in a classified environment, to identify and address issues with the systems allowing the various units and nations to communicate, and to be an event where the MI community can come together for training at all levels - from the Soldier in the field up to the command staff.
Teamwork was a key theme of the Panther Strike. This was evident as the broad array of MI components worked together to depict an accurate assessment of the operational environment. This cohesion was also evident throughout the planning phases.
“The [communication] sections have played a vital role in our ability to communicate from the Soldier in the field, up to the battalion, and all the way back down,” said Chalmers.
One of the past hurdles of organizing an exercise of this magnitude was the diversity of equipment being used within the MI community. Each of the computer systems with various software, telephones, and radios need to work together in order to communicate effectively. This communication is needed not only between National Guard units, but with the rest of the DoD and the other coalition nations as well, explained Chalmers.
“This event would not have been successful without the support of the [Regimental Training Institute], and support from the leaders at state who found ways to make it happen,” said Chalmers.
The annual Panther Strike exercise may be held in other locations but it is often held at Camp Williams due to the resident command support and the essential organic infrastructure already in place. The similarities between the local terrain and Afghanistan also lend a sense of realism to scenario. There is a simulated FOB and an Afghan village within walking distance of each other which aids in logistics and transportation, and also provides work space, classrooms, and lodging to those participating in the field portion of the exercise.
As the Panther Strike exercise evolves in years to come, leaders throughout the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade would like to incorporate additional training objectives that will make the exercise an even greater asset to the MI community.
“Our goal is to become the premier military intelligence exercise in the country,” said Chalmers. “In the future, we would like to integrate remote locations into the exercise which would minimize the cost of bringing the Soldiers and equipment to a centralized location and to allow participation by groups that may not be able to attend from other states, or the [coalition] countries.”
| Date Taken: | 06.20.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.24.2014 01:09 |
| Story ID: | 134139 |
| Location: | CAMP WILLIAMS, UTAH, US |
| Web Views: | 393 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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