A large contingent from the United Kingdom is participating in the annual joint and multinational intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) interoperability event called Empire Challenge 2011, said officials executing the event from U.S. Joint Forces Command.
Sponsored by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, Intelligence, the Ft. Huachuca, Ariz.-centered effort applies lessons learned to improve joint and combined ISR interoperability for the U.S. services as well as coalition allies through operationally-relevant scenarios drawn from Afghanistan.
The May 23-June 3 demonstration aims to send to the field equipment that is assessed and integrated so warfighters in theater don’t have to do it.
Long-time coalition partner the United Kingdom has again brought force protection equipment, such as the Cortez system (Defense Daily, Oct. 13).
Last year, Cortez arrived at Empire Challenge from Afghanistan, and was able to solve an interoperability challenge–it couldn’t communicate with a U.S. aerostat with a camera, called Persistent Ground Surveillance System (PGSS) it was co-located with in Helmand province. The situation was resolved, to include tactics, techniques and procedures and how to physically ensure the two systems linked up. Post demonstration, Cortez was flown back to Afghanistan.
“Cortez is back and it remains a central part of their kit as far as their force protection goes,” said John Kittle, Empire Challenge program manager at JFCOM.
“That is sort of their foundational baseline. They’ve built on to that this year…They’re also building on what they did with the U.S. PGSS aerostat last year. They have additional requirements for that to fulfill.”
The United Kingdom also has brought the Reviver aerostat, a new system it’s developing with a variety of mounted sensors, he said. The EC work is aimed at adapting it to conditions that are similar to those it would face in Afghanistan.
Additionally, the U.K. has brought the Desert Hawk III, also part of the forward operating base force protection system, Kittle said. “It’s a very small UAS, about eight pounds, which gives them some very good local force protection capability.”
As well, the U.K. effort includes some unmanned ground sensors, he said.
In concert with other Empire Challenge attendees, new capabilities are being examined for warfighters, but the entire effort is “all driven by operational requirements for them,” Kittle said.
Other coalition partners participating in Empire Challenge include: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, France and the Netherlands.
Empire Challenge is running at coalition sites in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and at NATO Allied Command Transformation, Norfolk, Va.