Geospatial-Intelligence in Tactical Operations and Planning Matthew Wilder

Geospatial intelligence proved invaluable to 1st Cavalry Division during combat operations as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2006-2008. GEOINT is an intelligence discipline that includes imagery, imagery analysis and advanced geospatial data. Although many organizations consume GEOINT, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is the lead agency for advocacy and analysis of both the intelligence community and the Department of Defense. For example, GEOINT was used during the planning and execution of operations in Sadr City, Iraq. At the time, Sadr City served as a safe haven for Shia extremists and offered almost unrestricted freedom of movement to them. GEOINT products provided knowledge of this complex urban area and greatly contributed to situational awareness. It also contributed in part to the subsequent 50-percent drop in significant-activity reports and casualties. However, the time to take advantage of this intelligence is not after the battle has begun but long before – during the predeployment phase. GEOINT in pre-deployment preparation The proper use of GEOINT in pre-deployment preparation can pay dividends that will be realized throughout a combat tour. Training in the use of GEOINT can be scheduled through the S-2/G-2 or in the Army Training and Requirements Resource System. Much of the familiarization, overview and analysis training is conducted through the U. S. Army Intelligence Center and School at Fort Huachuca, AZ. However, GEOINT courses are also available through the NGA College and the Army Command and General Staff College. Another aspect of the pre-deployment cycle is participation in mission rehearsal/warfighter exercises and rotations through the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA, and Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, LA. Often, these are the most realistic training scenarios used to incorporate the use of GEOINT in combined-arms and tactical operations. Leaders should make maximum use of the assets available to them by leveraging both internal and external sources for GEOINT products. If these products aren’t readily available, units and leaders should specifically ask what GEOINT support is available to the unit and if NGA representatives are on hand to assist. Some GEOINT best practices at this point include:

• Requesting and using imagery of NTC and JRTC training areas prior to the unit’s rotation, particularly unclassified maps; and

• Using imagery in company/battalion tactical-operations centers for situational awareness. From the NGA perspective, the agency supports unit pre-deployment planning in three ways. First, the Office of Military Support-Army interacts with each deploying unit at brigade level during counterinsurgency seminars held prior to deployment. Second, through the Military Readiness Directorate, NGA has an active exercise-support program and can be of assistance by:

• Conducting project management of exercises;

• Coordinating support with NGA and GEOINT support teams;

• Coordinating manning and collection requirements for GEOINT support; and

• Generating exercise products and collecting lessons learned. Finally, units have access to NGA support teams that work with the supported units throughout the pre-deployment, deployment and reintegration phases to provide the full spectrum of GEOINT support. Once deployed, GEOINT can play a crucial role in mission planning at the company, battalion and brigade levels, especially when it’s incorporated into the military decision-making process cycle and intelligence preparation of the battlefield. GEOINT in MDMP and

Although GEOINT can play a critical role in all phases of MDMP, it’s extremely useful in the mission analysis and courses-of-action analysis (wargaming) phases, as well as in all phases of IPB. Most commonly, it’s used in the TOCs to depict movement on the battlefield. At the individual tactical-unit level, GEOINT can:

• Augment road and topographical maps with imagery of key terrain and danger areas;

• Provide point positioning data and feature descriptions for targeting;

• Provide line-of-sight graphics and analysis to assist in threat assessments, route assessments and defensive analysis;

• Provide detailed elevation and slope data for identification of potential landing zones and drop zones; and Geospatial-Intelligence in Tactical Operations and Planning by Matthew Wilder 13

• Depict urban areas with accuracy not possible by other intelligence methods. The ability to visualize streets, key buildings, urban choke points and key terrain is key during urban operations as well as civil-relief efforts. Of all tactical scenarios and missions, COIN poses some of the greatest challenges to tactical operations as a whole and to IPB specifically. The use and understanding of GEOINT is critical to mission success. GEOINT in COIN Field Manual 3-24, Counterinsurgency, provides practical tactics, techniques and procedures for COIN operations and devotes several sections to GEOINT. The following excerpt from FM 3-24 provides an excellent overview of GEOINT from a COIN perspective and describes some of the most relevant TTPs for tactical units. GEOINT is the exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess and visually depict physical features and geographically referenced activities on the earth. GEOINT consists of imagery and geospatial information. GEOINT may have some benefit for identifying smuggling routes and safe havens. Imagery can be very beneficial to operations in urban areas as well. It can help identify structures of interest and aid urban terrain navigation. (Paragraph 3-149) Geospatial information and services remains a core mission of the engineer branch and provides the foundation for GEOINT. Imagery intelligence remains a core mission of the military-intelligence branch and provides the intelligence layers and analytic fusion for GEOINT. The result is digitally integrated intelligence products that support all-source analysis, planning, decision-making and support to current operations. (Paragraph B-5, Appendix B) Geospatial tools. Geospatial products (tools) that can be provided by the geospatial information and services team include the following:

• Terrain databases

• Special terrain studies and products prepared by U. S. or [host nation] agencies, and special maps, charts and geodetic studies

• Current photography

• Real-time terrain reconnaissance

• Terrain factor matrices (Paragraph B-6, Appendix B) Imagery. Imagery products include both aerial photography and satellite imagery. In many cases, aerial reconnaissance platforms, such as unmanned aircraft systems, respond directly to commanders. This practice aids timely, focused data collection. Each (imagery) collection system has its own capabilities. (Paragraph B-7, Appendix B) Intelligence staffs remain aware of the capabilities and limitations of these systems and the procedures for requesting this support. (Paragraph B-8, Appendix B) These products have many applications. Presenting imagery in an oblique perspective by combining it with digital terrain elevation data provides a perspective view.... Other uses include facility analysis, structural analysis, soil analysis and damage assessment. (Paragraph B-9, Appendix B) Note that while FM 3-24 has some excellent examples of how to use GEOINT in COIN operations, it is not meant to be all-encompassing. Obtaining GEOINT support Army TTP 3-34.80, Geospatial Engineering, provides an excellent overview of GEOINT resources available to the warfighter that reside at both the national and the Army unit level. The national system for geospatial-intelligence is the combination of technology, policies, capabilities, doctrine, activities, people, data and communities necessary to produce GEOINT in a variety of environments. NSG operates within policies and guidelines established by the director of national intelligence. The NSG community consists of members of the intelligence community, services, Joint staff, combatant commands and elements of the civil community. See [Joint Publication] 2-03 for more information. (Paragraph 2.2) NGA, the primary source for GEOINT analysis and products at the national level, produces numerous analytical hard-and soft-copy products and provides standard digital products to include scanned digital maps, elevation data, imagery and feature data. Units obtain data through the Internet or directly from NGA. [The Defense Logistics Agency] distributes hard-copy maps to units. Geospatial engineers can request imagery that can be used for spatial and temporal reasoning or multispectral analysis products that are customized to meet particular operational requirements. Imagery is also used to enhance [three-dimensional] and fly-through perspectives. NGA provides an NGA support team in direct support to each combatant command’s Joint intelligence operations center. NST has full connectivity with NGA to ensure reachback capability into NGA’s total support effort. NGA geospatial analysts may also be attached to units, normally at division level and above, to supplement the organic geospatial engineers and staffs. JP 2-03 provides more information on other national- and Department of Defense-level capabilities. (Paragraph 2.3) Geospatial engineering is provided to the Army based primarily on the echelon that is supported. Geospatial engineering is focused on geospatial data generation, A geospatial analyst with Multi-National Corps-Iraq reviews a series of maps in his office. (Photo by SSG Luke Koladish) 14 geospatial data analysis, geospatial data management, quality control and data dissemination at the numbered-Army and combatant-command level. At the corps and division levels, [most] of the workload is required to support geospatial database management, mission planning and the IPB process. Below division level, geospatial engineering is increasingly focused on current operations and updating the enterprise geospatial database (database management). (Paragraph 2.4) Army geospatial-engineer units, supporting each echelon down to the brigade level, provide terrain analysis, terrain visualization, digitized terrain products, tailored map products, map production, geospatial data management and support to the integration of other [geospatial-intelligence] requirements within the supported force. The organic or augmenting geospatial-engineering units available to the commander operate within the command’s GEOINT cell. … The key to a successful process is collaboration across functional areas within the headquarters and among the GEOINT cell, higher headquarters and the rest of the stakeholders. (Paragraph 2.5) The Army has two service centers that support GEOINT: the National Ground Intelligence Center and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Army Geospatial Center. The first produces and disseminates all-source integrated intelligence on foreign ground forces and related military technologies. A major component of NGIC is 3rd Military Intelligence Center, the Army’s only GEOINT battalion. They produce and disseminate [imagery intelligence], GEOINT, advanced GEOINT and [geospatial intelligence] products to the Army, Joint and multinational forces and national-level agencies in support of operational requirements. (Paragraph 2.6) The AGC has the mission to provide the operational commander with superior knowledge of the physical environment and support the nation’s civil and environmental initiatives through research, development and the application of expertise in the topographic and related sciences. They produce and disseminate standard and specialized geospatial products and provide technical support and advice to field units. Since this Army TTP was published, GEOINT functions once performed by both engineer and military-intelligence branches have merged, and several structural changes have resulted. The Army recently redesignated the operational-imagery intelligence battalion from 3rd Military Intelligence Center and renamed it the Army GEOINT Battalion. With this change came the addition of military geospatial engineers to the existing intelligence-analyst manning structure. Other changes include standardizing how Army GEOINT cells are deployed and introducing opportunities for geospatial engineers and imagery analysts to train together at the U. S. Army Intelligence Center. From a training and doctrine standpoint, the Army also published Training Circular 2-22.7, Geospatial Intelligence Handbook, in February 2011. This handbook covers the merger of enlisted imagery analysts and common-ground-station operators into one military occupational specialty, and introduces integrated GEOINT cells at military-intelligence brigades around the world as well as at Army Space and Missile Defense Command and Army Forces Strategic Command. In addition to the above, there are several other means for tactical leaders to obtain GEOINT support. Members of the NGA deployment team deploy around the world, bringing GEOINT directly to the warfighter and policymakers. Typically, these members serve on GEOINT support teams. These assets are typically found at the brigade-and-above levels but are available to support at all tactical levels. Even more resources can be found online at www.nga.mil, and unclassified/For Official Use Only products can be re- A geospatial analyst with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team shows Iraqi Ministry of Water and Ministry of Agriculture technicians features of a mapping program. (Photo by SGT Doug Roles) quested and accessed through the NGA GEOINT Online at https://geoint-online.nga.mil. This Website unifies existing NGA Web-based capabilities for online access of unclassified/FOUO GEOINT content and support. It requires registration and a military/government email account. Unclassified FalconView products can be found at www.falcon-view.org. NGA products, maps and services can be ordered in mass quantities and in hard-copy format through the Defense Supply Center in Richmond, VA, at www.dscr.dla.mil/rmf. NGA is also developing future applications to push GEOINT to the lowest tactical levels and make it possible to access high-fidelity products in even the most austere environments. These will look very similar to applications developed for smartphones and will be user-friendly for all Soldiers. Regardless of how GEOINT is accessed or how it is provided, the key takeaway is that GEOINT is relevant, useful and critical for all tactical leaders at all echelons on the battlefield. It is a significant asset for the tactical leader during pre-deployment, MDMP and all tactical operations, including counterinsurgency. Matthew Wilder is currently a supervisory staff officer and branch chief with the NGA. He is a former Army intelligence officer and was deployed with 1st Cavalry Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 and OIF 06-08. He has served as an intelligence platoon leader, executive officer, division intelligence-collection manager and brigade S-2. Wilder graduated from Rhodes College with a degree in political science and has been selected to attend intermediate-level education at the Army Command and General Staff College. Reprinted with permission from June-August 2011 edition of Infantry magazine. A geospatial information and services officer with the Multi-National Division-Center in Baghdad surveys a map of the city. (Photo by SPC Josh LeCappelain) AGC – Army Geospatial Center COIN – counterinsurgency FM – field manual FOUO – For Official Use Only GEOINT – geospatial intelligence IDP – intelligence preparation of the battlefield JP – Joint publication JRTC – Joint Readiness Training Center Acronym Quick-Scan MDMP – military decisionmaking process NGA – National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency NGIC – National Ground Intelligence Center NSG – national system for geospatial intelligence NST – National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency support team NTC – National Training Center OIF – Operation Iraqi Freedom TOC – tactical-operations center TTP – tactics, techniques and procedures 16