ISR Revolution

Air Force Magazine ^ | 6/1/2010 | Michael C. Sirak

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

On one August day last year, some US ground troops were preparing to move out down a certain dangerous road in Afghanistan. SrA. Andres Morales of the Air Force had a related mission. As it happened, his mission grew and grew.

At first, Morales was tasked to supply intelligence information about three specific points of interest along that Afghan road route. Morales, an analyst in DGS-2, USAF’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) node at Beale AFB, Calif., provided the information within minutes. It was based on a blend of imagery and electronic communications signals captured by the sensors on surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flying near the route.

Then came the unplanned items. Morales learned about expanded needs of the troops on this convoy mission. He continued to offer support. Over the course of seven hours, he kept these soldiers supplied with updated intelligence. All the while, he stayed in close contact with them, using a secure chat room on the US military’s classified network. Morales’ analysis identified eight areas of suspicious activity along the route, one of which turned out to be an improvised explosive device that might have wounded or killed some of these soldiers had it gone undetected. The soldiers also confiscated three insurgent weapons caches nearby, located as a result of the airman’s involvement.

The Air Force today doesn’t often disclose the details of its intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance (ISR) activities in Afghanistan and Iraq or elsewhere around the globe. Yet service officials say this declassified account of Morales’ mission is by no means unique in its scope and outcome.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Interesting to note, Beale is the 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Command.