Info sharing allows realistic coalition training

  • Published
  • By Capt Nathan D. Broshear
  • 505th Command and Control Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) --  Simulated air campaigns practiced during aircrew training scenarios gained an increased level of realism as members of the Distributed Mission Operations Center here implemented a complex, new electronic filter designed to bring more "reality" to virtual reality simulations.

Exercise Northern Goshawk, a five-day exercise which began Aug. 6, marks the first time members of the Royal Air Force will connect to the DMOC in a virtual battlespace to combat enemy forces in a fictitious scenario over the island of "Pacifica."

"Previously, Canadian and Royal Air Force exercise participants were missing key components of the common operating picture due to the security protocols in place," said Maj. Bryon Varin, assistant director of operations at the 705th Combat Training Squadron, the squadron responsible for the DMOC.

"During Northern Goshawk, exercise participants will be integrated into operations at a much more realistic level," he said.

The DMOC staff developed and implemented an all-new Multi-National Information Sharing system (commonly called a system guard) allowing exercise participants with varying levels of security and country clearances to view and interact in a virtual environment while filtering information appropriate for each position.

The U.S. system works in conjunction with the UK mission training through a distributed simulation initiative -- a system already used in a number of long-haul distributed training and research trials with the Air Force Research Labs in Mesa, Ariz., and Canadian military forces under a tri-national Coalition Mission Training Research Project Arrangement.

"This is an important step along the road to a persistent training capability with the U.S. Air Force," said Ebb Smith, a senior scientist with the Ministry of Defence Science Technology Laboratory.

"Northern Goshawk will be the first time any UK site has linked to the DMOC directly to undertake mission training," she said.

"Previous trials have seen the achievement of a number of significant firsts," Ms. Smith said. "For example, RAF GR-4 Tornado fighters 'buddy-lasing' for USAF F-16 Fighting Falcons, UK forward air controllers and U.S. joint terminal attack controllers undertaking multi-ship deconfliction during close-air-support operations while successfully lasing targets for GR-4 crews in the UK and A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots in Mesa, Ariz. This technology allows for anyone who might participate in an air campaign to train together ... from anywhere."

During the simulated battles taking place this week, an expert UK "White Force" will develop air tasking orders and provide exercise management functions, enabling coalition aircrews to plan, brief, debrief and execute missions alongside a variety of Air Force assets while members of the DMOC jointly manage the overall simulation and network connections with their coalition partners at each distributed site.

Also included in the scenario are Canadian joint terminal attack controllers and a convoy commander participating from their facility in Toronto, Canada.

"Participants will combat an increased level of threats and activity each day," Major Varin said. "The goal is to challenge every participant from every weapons system or support function."

"Our team continues to innovate and design simulations, scenarios and procedures to train U.S. and coalition exercise participants while enforcing foreign disclosure guidance for releasable connections to nations such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom," said Lt. Col. Don Drechsler, 705th CTS commander. "The MNIS guard design used in Northern Goshawk is a huge step forward in enabling increased training opportunities for our valued coalition partners."

"The MNIS guard allows our coalition partners direct connections to US secret equipment during exercises where 'releasable for eyes only' scenarios are used," Colonel Drechsler said.

"This technology facilitates more realistic training of military members from different weapons systems working at varying levels of classification ... for example, F-22 Raptor simulators, which may operate above the secret level, could fully participate in an exercise alongside participants who have a lesser clearance level," the Colonel said.

Aircrews from a variety of weapons systems will participate in Northern Goshawk from their home stations or via the DMOC's onsite simulators. GR4 Tornado, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15E Strike Eagle, E-3 AWACS and E-8 JSTARS aircrews from nine locations spread from RAF Waddington to Tinker AFB, Okla. and Mesa, Ariz., will connect to battle enemy forces in a virtual battlespace meant to replicate a massive theater air campaign.

Northern Goshawk ends Aug. 10.

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