FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii --The 205th Military Intelligence Battalion here conducted ground breaking training on the Distributed Common Ground System-Army, or DCGS-A, in January to posture the unit to be able to support requirements as the anchor point of the Army's intelligence enterprise in the Pacific.
The Training and Doctrine Command's Capabilities Manager-System Processing, or TCM-SP, deployed a Tactical Engagement Team, or TeT, from Fort Huachuca from Jan. 26 to 30. To date, the TeT engagements have focused on the ten active Army divisions with DCGS-A training in support of their collective training objectives.
The 205th MI Bn. and 500th MI Brigade developed a comprehensive strategy to increase DCGS-A implementation as its "intelligence weapons system" late last summer. In support of this strategy, the 205th MI Bn. sought out a number of engagement opportunities.
Critical objectives were to increase DCGS-A maintainer and operator proficiency and to establish an effective Knowledge Management Team.
This was the fifth iteration of the TeT employment since its conception in early May 2014. While conducting these engagements across the force, the TCM-SP has identified how critical it is that the planning starts with the commander's vision for employing the Intelligence Warfighting System. Translating that vision into action requires an in-depth and honest assessment of the unit's mission and resources (e.g., manning; cognitive abilities, intelligence skills assessment, intelligence systems). Once the 205th MI Bn. completed their self-assessment, the planning with TCM-SP began.
The 205th MI Bn. ensured this engagement was a priority for their unit starting back in September when the initial planning began. Throughout the next four months the unit participated in numerous robust and comprehensive in progress reviews. All key leaders of the unit attended these planning sessions, to include the Battalion Operations Officer, Alpha Company Commander, lead analysts, lead fusion warrant officers, lead maintainer warrant officers and the commander.
As the first Intelligence and Security Command, or INSCOM, unit to participate in this training, the 205th MI Bn. primarily focused on understanding DCGS-A intelligence architecture, data migration import/export, data management, messaging, Intelligence Fusion Server operation, maintenance troubleshooting and analytical tools training.
"Soldiers from the tactical to strategic level need an in-depth understanding in the application and establishment of the DCGS-A system of systems in order to provide intelligence support to training and operations," said Don Beattie, deputy TCM-SP explained. "Training venues that provide in-depth, hands-on training provide a unique opportunity for Soldiers to establish the requisite knowledge base to support the commander."
The skills covered over the week's worth of training provide the 205th MI Bn. the ability to better support enduring operational requirements and contingencies throughout the Pacific Area of Operations, including daily intelligence production missions in the U.S. Army Pacific Analysis and Control Element.
"We've been looking forward to this training event for some time. The TCM-SP's team of experts provided us an unparalleled training opportunity to frankly, raise our game when it comes to DCGS-A. The training program not only helped our analysts but also gave our maintainers an intensified learning opportunity that simply isn't offered anywhere else. At the end of the day, we're better poised to fully implement DCGS-A and enable federated production, and our Soldiers are more confident in being able to employ the system," said Lt. Col. Heidi Urben, commander, 205th MI Bn.
The TeT's training for analysts focused on one of the most time consuming tasks: data mining and retrieval. The TeT provided analysts with new and innovative data mining techniques and programs that help to minimize time required to find information and maximize time spent conducting analysis. Additionally, maintainer training provided resources and tactics, techniques, and procedures to facilitate the development of the unit's knowledge management and database management standard operating procedures.
"The training was thorough but flexible," said Master Sgt. Steven Somervill, non-commissioned officer in charge, 205th MI Battalion's Ground Order Battle, highlighting the long-term benefits of the TeT's visit. "The trainers were able to adjust the speed and level of detail for each section. With the TeT trainers we framed a draft concept for our initial, advanced and maintainer training levels."
The key to the success of the TeT at 205th MI Bn. was the unit's dedication to five days of uninterrupted training time with the experts and trainers provided. This dedicated training allowed for a thorough cross discussion of intelligence architecture from both the analysts and maintainers perspective, which then led to a training environment where the two groups shared space and trained side by side.
The resources and techniques the TeT provided will allow the 205th MI Bn. to more effectively lead advanced DCGS-A operator and maintainer training in the future. The impact of the TeT's training event with the 205th MI Bn. will be long-lasting as the 500th MI Bde. continues its efforts to better leverage DCGS-A to its fullest potential through future collaboration, training opportunities and real-world missions across U.S. Army Pacific.
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