Friday, October 29, 2021
What is it?
GLOBAL DEFENDER 22 (GD 22) is the premier U.S. Army modernization series of continental U.S.-based exercises and experiments. These exercises demonstrate current and future modernization capabilities informing Aim Point 2035 emerging technologies, concepts and formations.
What are the current and past efforts of the Army?
The Army is ensuring that right people — with the right skills and training — are in the right roles to succeed in complex future missions. The Army is training and equipping its multi-domain forces to deliver cross-domain effects during both competition and conflict.
GD 22 will execute in two phases from April to September 2022.
Phase I, April through May 2022, led by U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), includes four exercises:
Brigade Combat Team rotation at the National Training Center (NTC)
Brigade Combat Team rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC)
Corps-level Warfighter exercise
Air Defense Artillery Brigade exercise known as Roving Sands
Phase II, August through September 2022: “Project Convergence”, led by U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC), consists of three experiments:
Multi-Domain Operations Live 22 (MDO Live 22): Showcases a Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) experimenting with Intelligence, Information, Cyber, Electronic Warfare and Space (I2CEWS)
Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNTAX 22): Exercises a Stryker formation to assess tactical vehicle-integrated systems and includes an electronic warfare cell to test systems to defeat the enemy with electromagnetic capabilities.
Project Convergence 22 Capstone Exercises: Joint and multinational partners (UK & Australia) test emerging technologies such as the Next Generation Combat Vehicle and Long-Range Precision Fires
What continued efforts does the Army have planned?
In fiscal year 2023, the Army will resume the DEFENDER series of exercises that began in FY20 as two exercises, one large and one smaller deploying forces to both Europe and the Pacific, with one priority theater every year.
The priority for FY23 is Pacific Pathway and the priority for FY24 is DEFENDER — Europe
Why is this important to the Army?
GD 22 communicates the Army story of modernization. The exercises and experiments showcase multi-domain concepts, demonstrate advanced future capabilities and test doctrinal techniques, tactics and procedures (TTPs). The lessons learned inform future events leading to Aim Point 2035.
It is important to communicate the Army story of modernization so stakeholders see the capability that the Army will deliver and understand the Army’s contribution to joint warfighting.
The Army’s Soldiers and units — with the right weapons, command and control systems and data enablers, all correctly positioned — open windows of opportunity and provide access so the Joint Force can fight and win.
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“The future battle space will be truly multi-domain, fast-paced, technology-driven, and the Army will be ready”.
— Gen. James C. McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army, Chief of Staff Paper #1: Army Multi-Domain Transformation