Getting a clearer picture of the enemy helps Soldiers more effectively accomplish their mission, and military National Guard Soldiers deploying throughout the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center here, have a brand new intelligence tool to assist get that picture.
Dubbed the corporate Intelligence Support Team, or COIST, workstation, Soldiers have access to a One Station Remote Viewing Terminal, or OSRVT, a Tactical Ground Reporting, referred to as TiGR, system and other tools to higher assess their environment and keep Soldiers safer.
“Our new COIST workstation has proven to be extremely valuable with a purpose to reinforce the Intelligence Warfighting Function on the company level,” said Lt. Col. Chris Kuhn, commander of the three-315th Engineer Battalion, First Army Division East. Kuhn’s Soldiers oversee training at the COIST system. “We can do an initial analysis according to the last 30 days of great activities and add in new data into the workstation for the present situation.”
First Army Division East partners with Army Reserve and National Guard leaders to advise, assist, and train reserve-component units to support overseas military operations. Observer-controller/trainer strive to guarantee mobilization training is relevant, realistic and reflects the most up-tp-date conditions Soldiers will face in theater.
The COIST workstation, introduced in March 2013, by the Camp Shelby-based 3-315th Engineer Battalion, 158th Infantry Brigade, First Army Division East, could also access real-time aerial reconnaissance video feeds from a RQ-7B Shadow unmanned aerial system, or UAS.
“A UAS feed gives units patrol overwatch (for convoys),” said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Thomas, a senior Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices, or CIED observer-controller/trainer at Camp Shelby. “This is essential for early warning of threats. Intelligence teams may be able to communicate with the UAS operator and the convoy patrol leader.”
The remotely-piloted RQ-7B Shadow is utilized by the military and Marine Corps for reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and battle-damage assessment. The Shadow has a 14-foot wingspan and stay aloft for as much as six hours of flight.
Based on the entire information pre-posted inside the COIST workstation, intelligence teams can quickly synthesize the tips right into a complete intelligence brief that describes terrain and weather effects in addition enemy forces and tactics.
Operators on the UAS Regional Flight Center also profit from First Army coordinated CIED training.
“Mission planning with ground units is frequently absent from UAS operators’ training at Camp Shelby,” said Maj. Jay Lovelady, former officer in control of the Mississippi Army National Guard UAS Regional Flight Center located at Camp Shelby. “Providing First Army our UAS coverage at Camp Shelby is an ideal opportunity for our UAS operators to get more realistic training.”
Overall, the introduction of COIST into CIED training reinforces the significance of intelligence in company operations, which pushes the unit to a more robust state of readiness earlier of their training at Camp Shelby.
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