ARRC Journal June 2016 | Page 21

The Development of the Headquarters ARRC Command and Control Concept to Deliver Distributed Command sented a real opportunity for the G6 commu- nity to challenge itself with the support of the Commander and staff. The scale of the Baltic deployment was complex and operationally re- alistic: 3400 tonnes of equipment was moved over 2000 km to ensure communications were established for a distributed command, across seven countries, spanning three time zones. What we learnt on the Ex AF15 series Both DEPLOYEX and Ex AF15 allowed HQ ARRC to take planning assumptions and test them. Key lessons identified were captured and subsequently refined to provide Standard Operating Instruction guidance and deploy- ment planning yardsticks. The lessons were: Responsiveness: HQ ARRC deployed staff in a manner that tested the deployment pro- cess. Even though the DEPLOYEX took place locally, the Operations and Deployment cell deployed the staff in the same way it would for operat ions. It highlighted a clear need for the establishment of a formal deployment cell that should be activated once HQ ARRC receives a warning order to deploy. The deployment cell construct and role was further refined as a re- sult of the real time Air and Sea deployment to Ex AF15. Figure 2: Magpie and Falcon Network Traffic Monitoring Agility: Throughout the exercise cycle, HQs ARRC was able to deploy a number of com- mand posts in both the Baltics and the UK. Lessons drawn from the combination of exer- cises ensured that the ARRC can meet its No- tice to Move and Notice to Effect assumptions. Flexibility: By physically building the For- ward Coordination Element, Initial Command Element and MAIN infrastructure, complete with Real Life Support, Force Protection and a full suite of communications, HQ ARRC now have firm planning yardsticks for the deploy- ment of the HQ. This now forms the planning bedrock for HQ ARRC’s readiness process for its future role as a Land Component Command HQ for Enhanced NATO Response Force 2017. Figure 3: Internal and External Communications Metrics sulting in a proven, stable process for moving the Headquarters’ data between command posts. This allows a change of control from one element of the distributed HQ to anoth- er; however in addition to technical analysis, the need to understand behaviours within the distributed command (team working, collabo- ration and human issues) is equally important and provides context to the technical binary. HQs. This data has, unsurprisingly, highlight- ed that the HQs staff are using alternatives to face to face contact to ensure the flow of in- formation. New staff ways of working require different skills and techniques, all of which need to be practiced and rehearsed. Applica- tion use further suggests a move from classic email interaction to a more ‘chat’ based form of exchange. Explaining the technical issues required fur- ther analysis to be conducted, the focus of which was a study into the linkages between the branches. In Fig 3, the size of the box represents how connected the branch is with inter branch lines showing the volume of in- ter branch traffic, highlighting which branches act as critical nodes. These critical nodes form a ‘core’ network in their own right. The data illustrated can inform the staff structures, in- formation exchange requirements and branch laydowns in the deployed and reach back Ex AF15. Building on from DEPLOYEX, MAIN HQ 4 was established and activated 5 for Ex AF15 in Lielvarde Airbase, LATVIA. This pro- vided an excellent opportunity to test the new Command and Control concept in circum- stances close to those of a real operational deployment building on the metrics captured through DEPLOYEX. The context of an over- seas deployment, proximity to the threat of a technically capable adversary, an emerging Command and Control Concept and the intent to operate using distributed command, pre- Resilience: The Initial Command Element Command Post contains a Combined Joint Op- erations Centre which allows the HQ to control battle space from within Theatre. It is there- fore able to assume control of the operation once the staff has full situational awareness. The Change of Control process was both a considerable challenge and fundamental learning experience on DEPLOYEX. The re- quirement to de-link the movement of staff from the movement of data, as well as the need to deploy a Headquarter Activation Par- ty to enable the arrival of the staff main body was taken forward to Ex AF15 and proved very successful. As a result, the HQ has learnt to transfer tiers of data between the various command posts to enable effective manage- ment of the network and assure the transfer. These tiers are now defined in Standard Oper- ating Instructions as: • Tier One (T1). ‘Mission Critical’ data. Immediate and up to the minute data that is required to maintain situational awareness, primarily in the Combined Joint Operations Centre. It includes current Integrated 4 MAIN was classed as (Light); however, the reality was the ‘wrap’ required to enable LCC and EXCEN, required a Main Medium build. 5 Activated; a G3 led and G6 supported activation party ensured that 1 (UK) Signals Brigade had built a headquarters and CIS architecture that met HQ ARRC requirements. 6 ICC: The HQ ARRC COP tool. 21