Tactical Ops Center Runs 24/7

Defend America News ^ | Pfc. Jason Dangel

[SandRat]

Tactical Ops Center Runs 24/7
Joint Command Post provides real-time data so commanders can make critical decisions rapidly.
By U.S. Army Pfc. Jason Dangel 4th Brigade Combat Team BAGHDAD, July 14, 2006 -- The brain, defined as a part of the spine and central nervous system, is responsible for controlling all functions in the human body. Just like the human brain, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division’s Tactical Operation Center operates 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. The TOC, or command post, manages all operations within the brigade combat team. It is where all brigade staff sections come together to bring their expertise to the “fight,” said Sgt. Maj. Charles Geisewite, operations sergeant major, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team.  “This ‘meeting of the minds’ allows the brigade commander and senior staff to make informed decisions and then implement the plan from one location where all assets are available,” Geisewite explained. The ops center provides a facility for planning, communication and visualization where the brigade commander and his staff can access command and control resources, he said. "If there is an event that happens out in our battle space, or out on a convoy or patrol, all the information is reported to us here in the TOC and we act accordingly depending on the situation." Capt. Nicholas Graham, Headquarters and Headquarters Company   “Inside the CP (command post), the command group has access to real-time data, voice and imagery to make critical decisions rapidly,” said Geisewite, a native of Austin, Texas.  Operations in the command post include combat operations, peace enforcement, intelligence gathering, information operations, policing and essential services. “The command post is not the 'heart;’ that is always the soldiers who make up the brigade,” Geisewite explained. “Everyone must work together seamlessly in order to function successfully.” United States military personnel are not the only ones involved in the “Cobra” Brigade’s TOC operations. The command post is joint and multi-national. Servicemembers from the U.S. Air Force and Navy, the British army and liaison officers from the Georgian army are all key players in the mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On any given day, the soldiers operating in the center communicate with the brigade’s different battalions and .	U.S. Army Cpl. John Peters and U.S. Army Pvt. Allen Patz, radio transmissions operators at the Tactical Operations Center, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at Forward Operating Base Prosperity, Iraq, talk to soldiers at division headquarters. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Jason Dangel report all significant activity occurring in the area of operations to Multi-National Division – Baghdad headquarters. Everyone working in the TOC has a part in the success of operations, said Capt. Nicholas Graham, fragmentary order coordinator, Headquarters and Headquarters Company. “The TOC basically consolidates all the information from all our different battalions,” explained Graham. “If there is an event that happens out in our battle space, or out on a convoy or patrol, all the information is reported to us here in the TOC and we act accordingly depending on the situation. “There is not one function that I can say is the TOC’s bread and butter,” he continued. “There are so many moving pieces and everything must fall into place in order for us to be successful.” Cpl. John Peters, a new member to the team, who serves as command post of the future operator and radio transmissions operator, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, said the days can sometimes be very boring but things can change in an instant. The young noncommissioned officer from Fresno, Calif., reminisced about his time on the ground conducting patrols during his first deployment to Iraq in 2004. He said he felt his experience on the ground helps him successfully accomplish his job. “Sometimes when units on the ground are reporting some kind of an incident, I can visualize what is taking place because I’ve been there and it makes it easier for me to record the event and pass it on to (4th Infantry) Division,” he said.

[SandRat]

TACOPS RUNS 24/7

[Lurker]

Which is as it should be.

L

[onedoug]

Ah, but for the TOC of old. 1/1 CAV-Americal I Corps RVN 68-69.