Soldiers use a Challenger II Main Battle Tank as a vehicle to better understand cross country mobility . Credit : Sgt P Shaw ( HQ ARRC PAO )
Exercise ARRCADE GLOBE 21
Exercise ARRCADE GLOBE 21 provided the annual functional training event delivered by the HQ ARRC Geospatial Support Cell ( GSC ). The GSC is established with UK Royal Engineer and US Army Geospatial Analysts and professionally qualified UK Royal Engineer Officers . It forms part of the Engineer and Civil Military Integration ( ECMI ) branch within HQ ARRC . The GSC is very fortunate as it forms the largest deployable GSC from across the NATO alliance and is universally acknowledged for setting the standard for the provision of geospatial intelligence to a Corps headquarters .
So , what is geospatial intelligence ? Generically , everything happens somewhere and at a point in time . It is the responsibility of the GSC to visually display this spatial and temporal information in either the form of a traditional map or , with increasing frequency , through digitally consumed web-based services and products on computers and tablets . The GSC provide the foundation data that underpins all NATO planning applications from the Battle Management Application ( BMA ) to the Common Operating Picture ( COP ).
Our analysts employ a data-driven approach that uses geography to unlock the understanding of the operating environment through data exploration , analytics , visualisation and dissemination . Additionally , the Chief
Not everything can be automated . Sometimes analysis still requires an old-fashioned pen and military judgement . Credit : Sgt P Shaw ( HQ ARRC PAO ).
Geospatial Officer is responsible for assuring precision survey of aspects like construction , runways , roads and even borders and boundaries within HQ ARRC ’ s area of responsibility ( AOR ). We work closely with the Intelligence team ( G2 ), Meteorologist and Oceanographic ( METOC ) and Space experts to fuse our collective knowledge and understanding . This collaboration allows us to provide a visual output and analysis to allow the Commander to make evidence-based decisions . The art of our work is to bring clarity to the complex .
Throughout the year the GSC is often found supporting many of the headquarters ’ activities including our major exercises , battlefield studies , defence engagement , short term training teams and adventure training , along with the odd table plan for formal dinners ! Exercise ARRCADE GLOBE is the GSC ’ s opportunity in the year to focus and develop our tradecraft through innovation , experimentation and collaborative working . Exercise ARRCADE GLOBE traditionally has included participation from geospatial practitioners from across the NATO alliance and other key partners .
However , due to Covid-19 and the associated international travel restrictions imposed across Europe , Exercise ARRCADE GLOBE 21 found itself reduced in scale but not in scope . The delivery of the exercise was switched from a training facility in Germany to the UK and we found ourselves exercising from the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom , Shrivenham in May 2021 . To minimise the risk to ourselves and our ARRC community the decision was also made to limit the attendance to UK based personnel only . While this reduced the level of participation , we were still able to meet and exceed the majority of our training objectives .
The exercise was based around a fictional NATO Article 5 scenario of collective defence with a detailed ‘ road to war ’ brief delivered by the G2 specialists from within HQ ARRC . This provided context and an element of realism to the exercise . Participants were placed into syndicate groups of mixed experience to maximise diversity of thought .
Throughout the exercise , the syndicates were issued a series of thematic analytical tasks which progressively increased in complexity with a focus on automation of analysis where appropriate . These tasks were wide ranging and included ; data mining , route analysis , cross country mobility , river analysis , multi-criteria analysis for the identification of sites and areas for specific activities and tasks to better understand the human geography of an area . In addition to these taskings , participants took part in active peer review sessions to professionally critique the outputs provided by each syndicate . The syndicates were also able to request specialist advice and input from the G2 team , the METOC team and a series of experienced mentors . Participants were always encouraged to innovate and experiment wherever possible and Exercise ARRCADE GLOBE 21 provided a safe environment for analysts to make mistakes and to learn .
Soldiers work collaboratively to undertake geospatial analysis . Credit : Sgt P Shaw ( HQ ARRC PAO ).
Furthermore , a series of central lectures and presentations by subject matter experts from across Defence and Industry were delivered , providing inspiration and context to help frame the thematic taskings .
Exercise ARRCADE GLOBE 21 provided an enjoyable and thought-provoking functional training experience for the HQ ARRC GSC and other geospatial practitioners from across Defence in what has been a disrupted and challenging year . The exercise proved our ability to deploy and to train in a safe manner within the Covid-19 limitations . The quality of the analytical work and insights produced throughout the exercise as well as the interest generated by the various visitors and contributors demonstrated two key things ; firstly , how central the work carried out by the GSC is to almost every activity undertaken by HQ ARRC and secondly , how strong HQ ARRC ’ s reputation is for the delivery of geospatial intelligence across Defence and the NATO alliance .
Major Andy Smith RE SO2 Geo Ops
8 SUMMER 2021 the imjin