Joint Command Fields Enabling Capabilities
MIT 2009 Volume: 13 Issue: 11 (December)
DEPLOY CRITICAL COMMAND AND CONTROL
CAPABILITIES TO SUPPORT NEWLY
ESTABLISHED JOINT FORCE HEADQUARTERS.
Editor’s Note: This article, provided by U.S. Joint Forces Command, is one of a series of profiles of key commands in the information technology and communications fields.)
The Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) serves as the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) subordinate command responsible for providing forces that can rapidly deploy critical command and control capabilities to support newly established joint force headquarters. Established a year ago as the “operational arm” of USJFCOM, the JECC oversees seven joint enabling capabilities that can deploy on short notice to respond to humanitarian and disaster relief operations or other real-world contingencies to provide subject matter expertise in their respective fields.
The joint enabling capabilities are currently composed of seven unique functional areas: communications, public affairs, intelligence, operations, plans, knowledge management/ information superiority and logistics. These capabilities are resourced by four different organizations, each subordinate to the JECC: the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE), Joint Public Affairs Support Element (JPASE), Intelligence-Quick Reaction Team (I-QRT) and Joint Deployable Team (JDT). The JDT is made up of subject matter experts in the areas of operations, plans, knowledge management/information superiority and logistics. In most cases, a ready JEC package, tailored to meet the mission requirements for a specific support request, is formed across multiple joint enabling capabilities.
Since the establishment of the JECC, the joint enabling capabilities have deployed in support of numerous real-world operations and continued to refine the organization and its processes to better support the warfighter. As the JECC finishes up its first year since becoming a command, many goals have been achieved, new leadership has taken effect and an effort to anticipate the future needs of the warfighter has become the priority.
Following are some of the major JECC deployments from the past year.
JCSE
JCSE, headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., provides tactical communications packages tailored to the specific needs of full joint task force headquarters and to joint special operations task forces.
Seven members from JCSE embarked on the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort in April to support Continuing Promise 2009, an annual humanitarian assistance mission conducted over four months that aims to build relationships and provide medical, dental and veterinary care to seven Caribbean, Central and South American countries.
The JCSE team traveled throughout Antigua and Barbuda, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Panama, and supported the mission by setting up high-speed telecommunication capabilities for Continuing Promise 2009 personnel, serving as interpreters between the medical teams and the local population and assisting in the distribution of ointments and other aid items.
The JCSE members, who formed three initial entry package (IEP) teams, also assisted the USNS Comfort staff in getting its internal communications up and running aboard the ship and provided ship-to-shore communications for the Continuing Promise 2009 medical teams in each of their ports.
The JCSE IEP is used for initial communications when a mission commences. IEPs are commercial airline transportable equipment sets that can support up to four users with classified/unclassified network access to include secure/non-secure voice and video teleconferencing capabilities. These packages can stay in place throughout the mission or until larger communication packages are installed.
I-QRT
The I-QRT provides rapidly deployable intelligence expertise in targeteering and collection management to a joint task force within short notice.
JECC I-QRT members deployed from January to July 2009 to provide support to the NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) Coordination Centre (NSCC) in Mons, Belgium, and then to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) SOF Fusion Cell (SOFFC) in Afghanistan.
NSCC enables and supports special operations across NATO and provides a focal point for NATO special operations expertise to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Allied Command Operations.
I-QRT members spent the first month in Belgium, assisting in the review of NSCC handbooks and providing input to the development of NATO SOF intelligence training and biometrics. Then, after moving to Afghanistan, the team spent the remaining five months of its deployment providing target analysis in support of ISAF Regional Command-South. Responsibilities included serving as advocate for coalition partners to the SOFFC and conducting analyses on enemy networks and high value individual targets.
JDT
The JDT deploys to assist JTF commanders in establishing new headquarters for a broad range of missions and enables the JTF headquarters to rapidly form, plan, operate and integrate with non-military elements of national power for crisis resolution.
In August, the JDT departed for Afghanistan to support the establishment of the IJC, a 3-star intermediate NATO headquarters in Kabul. Members of the JDT are currently providing expertise to help establish operations, plans, logistics and knowledge management functions in the new headquarters.
During the analysis for the formation of the IJC, a number of capability/capacity gaps emerged. The JDT, with the unique experience of its members, was ideally suited to bridge those gaps during the critical initial formation period of the IJC until permanent manning was received.
Currently, the JDT is fully integrated throughout the staff and will remain so throughout this deployment. The overall mission expectation is that the IJC will form, plan for and then achieve initial operating capability (IOC) to effectively command and control the ISAF regional commands in full spectrum counterinsurgency operations. Following IOC, the IJC will expand across the future operations and future plans horizons and execute a full IJC staff battle rhythm to achieve full operating capability.
JPASE
JPASE provides the joint warfighter trained, equipped and fully skilled teams having operational joint public affairs expertise to include planning and media operations.
In early October 2008, immediately following the activation of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A), JPASE was called upon to provide a team that would serve as a bridging capability to establish the USFOR-A public affairs staff until appropriate manpower was identified to permanently fill those billets. A team of six JPASE members arrived at ISAF headquarters in Kabul October 15. Almost immediately, the team began work to create the new USFOR-A public affairs office from scratch.
JPASE created a two-man USFOR-A media operations team, which established the flow of information between USFOR-A and the media, both in Afghanistan and around the world. Other members of the JPASE team performed functions that helped connect the USFOR-A public affairs staff with its ISAF counterparts. JPASE also worked to create the policies, order the equipment and establish the necessary contracts that would help shape the future public affairs staff for USFOR-A. Finally, JPASE played a key role in establishing relationships with public affairs officials within the Afghanistan government.
JPASE answered the call to fill the gap until the permanent personnel for the USFOR-A public affairs staff could be identified, notified and deployed to the area. JPASE’s deployment highlights the JECC’s ability to provide trained and ready teams with highly specialized capabilities to U.S. military commanders worldwide.
EVOLVING FUTURE
Several major changes in JECC leadership took place this past summer. Navy Rear Admiral Walter E. Carter relieved Marine Brigadier General William D. Beydler, assuming duties as commander in early July. Following his assumption of command, Carter presided over a change of command ceremony in Tampa, Fla., where Army Colonel John Morrison handed over command of JCSE to its first-ever Marine commander, Colonel Stephen Corcoran. In August, JPASE said goodbye to its former director, Navy Captain (now Rear Admiral) Hal Pittman, who was succeeded by Navy Captain David Wray.
Along with new leadership, the JECC is also exploring a number of new areas for better supporting JTF headquarters. JCSE has expanded its roles as the premier Department of Defense operational communications provider to now also include support to the Deployable Joint Command and Control (DJC2) system.
Six sets of DJC2 have been fielded to various combatant commands to support quick establishment of a JTF command post in the field. JCSE personnel have been trained on and integrated with this equipment to optimize its capabilities and availability. In the future, gradual convergence of cuttingedge JCSE technology with DJC2 offers the potential for even greater capability.
At the same time, the JECC continues to actively explore the potential for the creation of new joint enabling capabilities in response to demand from operational commanders. ♦
