ARRC JOURNAL
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The ARRC’s national representatives from Canada, Denmark, Italy, Romania and the USA on the Visits Day,
being shown the UK’s mobile field deployable analytical systems.
Knowledge-sharing was addressed
through end of day wash-ups. All
participants, irrespective of rank, would
congregate in the briefing room. Prior to
this the exercise control (EXCON) team
had chosen the five best products of the
day, which were considered for utility
rather than adherence to cartographic
principles. The analyst(s) responsible
for the product briefed the assembled
crowd on their thought process in order
to impart knowledge and analytical ideas
that could be taken away for the benefit
of all. Whilst this enabled the sharing of
ideas, it did not foster a truly collaborative,
multinational, pan-organisational working
environment; something to work on for
ARRCADE GLOBE 19.
Summary
Exercise ARRCADE GLOBE 2018 was
a step forward in enhancing NATO’s
geospatial collaboration. Whilst it offered
the opportunity for building relationships
within the Alliance and across countries,
it did not necessarily generate true
collaboration and interoperability, which
are key markers for operational and
strategic success.
The in-depth and pragmatic nature of
the after action review (AAR) meant that
these points were captured for future
planning and the design of Exercise
ARRCADE GLOBE 19 will factor in the
cross-country/organisational desire of
participants to help strengthen further
working relationships and yield a more
collaborative outcome.
Lieutenant Colonel Simon Finch is a
28-year veteran of the British Army and
currently serves as the ARRC’s Chief
Geographic Officer. Having served the
majority of his career as an Air Support
and Armoured Engineer, in his previous
assignment he served as the Chief of
Staff for the Royal Engineers Geographic
branch at the Joint Forces Intelligence
Group at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire,
England. Lt. Col. Finch has deployed
on an array of combat, humanitarian
and peacekeeping operations across
the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, the
Falkland Islands and Kenya. A native
of Somerset, England, Lt. Col. Finch
holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural
Land Management from Harper Adams
University and a Master’s Degree in
Geospatial Intelligence from Cranfield
University.
Major George McCrea, British Army,
currently serves as the Geographic
Production and Planning Officer for
the ARRC. Whilst in his first specialist
geographic role, he has previously
deployed to Afghanistan and completed
a number of exercises in a planning
capacity helping to harness Geographic
support. He holds a Master’s Degree in
Geospatial Intelligence.
Staff Sergeant David Thomas, British
Army, currently serves as the ARRC’s
Geographic Cell Production Manager and
has under his belt more than 16 years of
experience as a Geographic Analyst and
Technician. In his previous assignment
he served as a Force Cartographer as
part of the British Army’s contribution
to the UN mission in Cyprus. Staff Sgt.
Thomas holds a Bachelor’s Degree in
Applied Computing.
Sergeant Tom Glister is a 14-year
veteran of the British Army and currently
serves as the Geospatial Data Manager
within the ARRC’s Engineer and Civil
Military Interaction branch. In his
previous assignment he served as the
Geospatial Sergeant for British Forces
Headquarters in Episkopi, Cyprus. Sgt.
Glister has previously deployed on
operations to provide geospatial support
in Iraq and Afghanistan. A native of
Norwich, England, Sgt. Glister holds a
Foundation Degree in Applied Computer
Science from Sheffield Hallam University.
NRDC-TUR’s Chief of Geospatial and a Portuguese Army geospatial officer discussing the finer details of
analytical techniques.
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