ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (September 24, 2014) - Fire strikes against the enemy do not come in a one-size-fits-all package.
To help simplify the critical choice between launching an air or ground assault, Joint and coalition forces turn to the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) and the Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System (JADOCS), which bring enhanced joint fires capability to troops throughout the world.
"The new releases of AFATDS and JADOCS will ensure Joint and combined elements involved in the targeting process have the most-up-to-date fire support and situational awareness capabilities available," said Mick Strauss, assistant product director, JADOCS, assigned to Product Director Fire Support Command and Control (PdD FSC2), part of the Army's Project Manager Mission Command (PM MC).
AFATDS is the Army's comprehensive fires planning system that processes, analyzes and exchanges combat information with other systems to plan, coordinate and execute fires and effects. The latest version, 6.8.0.1, introduces the Fires Command Web application. This app provides an easy-to-use, browser-based interface for those users not equipped with AFATDS hardware, allowing them to conduct fires missions and other fire support activities and plot the actions on a common digital map.
For example, users can create, edit and delete geometries and targets, cancel air support requests, set intervention points and perform a "What If" analysis on a target, which allows the user to choose the best effects for the target.
The new fires application interoperates with most Army and Marine Corps systems, and interfaces with Navy and Air Force systems to allow calls for close air support and to track and maintain joint air assets.
"During the last NIE, the brigade fires and effects cell made great use of Fires Command Web," said John Linquist, lead engineer and field service representative supporting PM MC. "It was loaded onto all of the fires section's Mission Command workstations for planning, tracking targets and executing fire missions."
While AFATDS is fully interoperable with joint systems, JADOCS pulls in coalition information for real-time targeting and fires coordination between multiple Joint and coalition forces. As a software-only capability loaded on the unit's laptops, it provides multiple users with a common operational picture (COP) to help them determine which forces will observe, track and strike the target.
"Because JADOCS is a software-only application, the targeting officer at the brigade command post only requires an approved laptop to track all of the component's fire missions," Strauss said.
JADOCS' latest version, 1.0.5.2, brings enhanced capabilities to the Korean Joint Command and Control System (KJCCS). KJCCS draws from all South Korean military sources, and the new release provides a counterfire common operating picture with a view of the entire theater of operations down to the lowest echelon for coordinated fires planning.
"The Counterfire mission, once a U.S. Forces Korea responsibility, is now a Republic of Korea Army mission," said Tim Kuster, JADOCS liaison officer (LNO) for U.S. Forces Korea. "The interface with JADOCS allows theater operations and U.S forces situational awareness of the counterfire fight and also allows addition calls for fire to pass to U.S. forces for support."
The AFATDS and JADOCS interface updates instantaneous to allow real-time information sharing among joint and coalition forces.
For example, once AFATDS receives target information from an Army source, the targeting officer at the brigade quickly determines if the target meets Joint Time Sensitive Target (JTST) criteria. If it does, he can immediately interface the information with JADOCS, so that JADOCS software-equipped units can view the same target information.
JADOCS provides detailed information about each target, including capabilities to ensure fire support personnel positively identify targets, estimate collateral damage, avoid fratricide and assess battle damage post-strike.
This information allows the division commander to make the decision to use Army assets or designate the target as a high value target for the Joint Task Force (JTF), whose commander will select the service component and weapons platform best suited to strike the target.
"All of JADOCS' situational awareness capabilities allow our fire support teams to plan a strike on a high-value target to take place at a certain place and at a certain time," Kuster said.
In the future, AFATDS and JADOCS capabilities will merge into a comprehensive fires planning system and become completely web-based to bring both simplicity and greater situational awareness for fire support using a common, digital map.
"As we continue to enhance our fire support products, we strengthen the situational awareness between the air and ground components and reduce response time," Strauss said. "Most importantly, we reduce the chances for human error, keeping our troops, Joint and coalition forces and civilians safe from harm's way."
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