Airmen to improve intelligence support during exercise

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Amanda Dick
  • 435th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) --  Members of the 693rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group will observe and learn how the Air Force Distributed Common Ground System enterprise operates worldwide during Sentinel Focus 2009 to be held Aug. 2 to 6. 

Headed up by the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Va., the study will help identify areas of improvement needed for practices and areas of the DCGS enterprise located at distributed ground systems across the Air Force.

Each location will have a team of subject matter expert to observe and evaluate how the DCGS enterprise functions during real-world operations over the course of the five-day study. There are five distributed ground systems being evaluated during Sentinel Focus 2009 and they are located at Langley AFB (DGS-1); Beale AFB, Calif. (DGS-2); South Korea (DGS-3); Germany (DGS-4) and Hawaii (DGS-5). 

At Ramstein Air Base, the 693rd ISR Group uses the DCGS to support Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom by collecting, processing, using and disseminating ISR data from U-2 aircraft and MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft system missions.

"Our subject matter experts involved in Sentinel Focus 2009 will be allowed to take a look at how we run our day-to-day operations to ensure the DCGS enterprise is operating in the most effective and mission-beneficial way," said Lt. Col. Aras Suziedelis, the 693rd ISR Group deputy commander. "This will require brainstorming, potential paradigm shifting and being open to new ways of doing our business."

Eleven issues will be evaluated by the teams during Sentinel Focus 2009 to help develop solutions. These solutions will be used by numbered Air Force commanders to assist in unifying ISR capabilities with joint warfighters, said Col. Dan Johnson, the 480th ISR Wing commander.

"Sentinel Focus 2009 will give us operational insight into Air Force DCGS enterprise best practices that need benchmarking and operational challenges that need addressing," Colonel Johnson said. "Once we gain this insight, we can formulate solutions that will allow us to further develop competencies vital to sustaining full-spectrum ISR capabilities for the war fighter and our nation."

At the 693rd ISR Group, this means a chance to improve its processes as well.

"This study will determine best practices at each distributed ground system, which could then be evaluated for us to standardize the processes across the Air Force as applicable," Colonel Suziedelis said. "Improving and streamlining processes at DGS- 4 can only translate into meeting our theater's intelligence requirements more effectively."

Units and ground sites of the 480th ISR Wing are also located in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Nevada and Utah.

The 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs office contributed to this article.