An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie 14 | Prepared at by CAPT STEPHEN MOLUMPHY, ISTAR TF HQ, NBG 2015 ad Omnia Paratus ('Prepared at all Times'): nBG motto Swiftly and stealthily in the darkness the terrorist group 'Nobok Movement', (played by elite Swedish recce troops), advanced through the eastern sector of the Änneberg spruce forest in dia- mond formation with weapons cocked. Using their thermal NVE, their objective was to find and capture or kill the Irish ISTAR Coy sensor teams operating in covert OPs dispersed throughout the snow-covered terrain. These assets had been deployed by ISTAR Coy Comdr, Comdt Cathal Keohane, in response to the Battle-Group Commander's priority information requirements (PIRs) issued by OC ISTAR Task Force, Lt Col Paul Carey, located 100km away in ISTAR TF HQ at the Battle-Group forward operating base (FOB). The sensor teams, tasked to maintain continuous 24/7 surveillance on named areas of interest (NAIs), transmitted not only photographic and video data back to TF HQ but also live footage utilising new capabilities developed specifically by the ISTAR TF for the rapid transfer of encrypted information via 3G/4G networks. The covert OPs closely observed the Nobok fighters as they searched for footprints and looked for broken twigs/bushes that may have indicated recent activity in this secluded part of the forest. On this occasion the ISTAR Coy sensors were not compromised and the terrorists withdrew tactically from the forest. However, they would continue to conduct random, extensive search patrols for the duration of the 12-day exercise. These search patrols were just a small fraction of the numer- ous daily activities that occurred throughout the exercise for the Nordic Battle-Group (NBG 15). The exercise, designated Joint Action 14, conducted in Sweden in October and November, was one of the biggest to take place in Europe in 2014, comprising over 2,500 soldiers from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Latvia, Estonia and Ireland. The purpose of the exercise was to evaluate the ability of the multinational NBG to operate together effectively and to certify NBG 15 as having achieved full operational capability (FOC), in order to go on standby on 1st January 2015. For the Defence Forces, this was the first time to deploy an ISTAR TF to the NBG. The unit, from 1 Brigade, consists of TF HQ, ISTAR Recce Coy, Logs Sp Gp, Swedish Electronic Warfare (EW) team and a mixed Irish/Estonian Field HUMINT team (FHT) as well as a number of national enablers. This multinational element of the ISTAR TF was reinforced by the DCO being a Swedish officer and a number of Swedish officers and NCOs serving in the HQ. During Joint Action 14 these attachments enabled the Irish-led multinational ISTAR TF to utilise a wide spectrum of assets to col- lect essential information from various sources, which were then transmitted to TF HQ to be collated, analysed and processed into intelligence products (INTSUMs/INTREPs). These intelligence prod- ucts were sent directly to the Battle-Group HQ and proved pivotal in progressing the exercise scenarios and developing kinetic task- ings for the remaining NBG land and air forces. The accurate, up-to-date and near-real-time (NRT) informa- tion that was gathered by the ISTAR sensors proved critical to the all TiMeS ISTAR Coy Comdr, Comdt Keohane addressing the Coy in Sweden prior to deployment on 12-day exercise.

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