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.
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