A joint service team recently held an exercise at Sierra Army Depot’s Amedee Army Airfield in Herlong, California, to test and evaluate the ability of Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS) in the field.
Airmen from Air Force, Air Mobility Command, Expeditionary Center, and Soldiers from the 359 Inland Cargo Transfer Company from Joint Base Langley-Eustis deployed to the airfield from Aug. 19-24 for an exercise known as Turbo Distribution
In an effort to modernize battlefield capabilities and scale up drone forces, the team assessed and evaluated the ability of C-sUAS. C-sUAS are strategies and systems developed by the Department of Defense to combat threats posed by small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), also known as drones.
Exercises such as Turbo Distribution and related training help to close critical gaps by demonstrating the industry systems’ capabilities in an operational setting against simulated adversarial sUAS threats and scenarios – detect, track, identify, mitigate and defeat. The exercises aim to enable more effective and coordinated drone operations and generate tactics and procedures for drone warfare.
“This is a niche mission set with strong innovation elements,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Strength, 921 CRS commander. “There are two sides of drone activities: practice tactics and responses to counter hostile maneuvers in the field; and enhance or acquire new capabilities and assets for the Wing. The exercise is a proof of concept that can demonstrate that the training and technology are value-added for the units.”
Set in an austere location, AAAF brought realism and complexity to the exercise. The team practiced mapping using drones before flying in; detecting targets; tracking, geolocating and providing Military Grid Reference System (MGRS), speed, and altitude on sUAS; differentiating between friend or foe; and assessing system performance against adversarial evasion tactics.
The exercise, part of an assessment of Joint Task Force Port Opening airport and distribution operations at the airfield, was intended to build familiarity and improve interoperability among the participating units for the purpose of opening airfields and forwarding the mobility-centric goals of the Army and Air Force. The mission of the exercise was to prepare units for deployment anywhere in the world as quickly as possible to establish sea and aerial ports of operations for incoming vehicles, equipment, supplies and other cargo. The units trained in establishing logistics networks in trouble spots as quickly as possible, and as far inland as possible, to get military and humanitarian supplies where they need to be.
“We bridge services to bring supplies to the point of need. The training shrinks our decision space and ensures that we are aligned with our counterparts in the Army,” said Strength.
Encompassing multiple specialties, the team was self-sufficient. Participants provided their own meals, sleeping and medical tents, forklifts, secure communication materials and organic force protection to deter attacks. SIAD provided support in the form of Crash Fire Rescue protection, police/security manning, barracks, arms room use, portable toilets, hand wash stations, potable water, refuse disposal and diesel fuel.
“We love the Amedee Airfield,” said Strength. “It fulfills all our requirements, and it is close to our home station (Travis Air Force Base, California). It is easy to get to, which facilitates our logistical workload. It keeps the costs down as well.”
SIAD regularly hosts and supports Joint Force readiness exercises. Always ready to adapt to the forces’ needs, SIAD’s location and assets make it a prime candidate to be established as a drone testbed for the Army and Joint Force.
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