The Distributed Common Ground System-Army, or DCGS-A, participated in Enterprise Challenge 2013 at Fort Huachuca, July 15-26, demonstrating collaboration between the Army and industry through technology testing in a tactical environment.
“The concepts that we’re proving and the capabilities that we’re demonstrating here at Enterprise Challenge 13 show that we can give decisions makers the ability to have the intelligence data in front of them on the battlefield wirelessly real-time,” explained Sgt. Troy Thatcher, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence Detachment.
Soldiers operated in a DCGS-A Tactical-Intelligence Ground Station, or TGS, a vehicle that gathers a variety of intelligence, including direct data feeds bringing critical geospatial, target indicator, full motion video and signals intelligence while stationary or on the move.
During EC13 the TGS was able to receive full-motion video from a Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft and displayed on tactical glasses while on the move. The glasses have a 3-D depth display and are a visualization tool that feeds intelligence immediately to Soldiers to give them the ability to display full-motion video from unmanned aerial vehicles or unmanned aerial systems in real time.
Staff Sgt. Armando Landin, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence Detachment, equated this introduction of this technology to the use of smart phones, as it allows Soldiers to have the information and communication they need at any time.
“What [the TGS] allows us to do is keep our commanders informed with the most updated information constantly,” Landin said. “What we’re demonstrating here today is that we’re able to take that data and push it wirelessly to a remote location. That’s unique, we’ve never done that before.”
EC13 allows agencies within the Department of Defense, along with international partners, to test and explore cutting-edge technologies.
“Enterprise Challenge 2013 gives us a great opportunity to show the collaboration between the Army and industry to test and review technology in a tactical environment and collect real test data,” said Maj. Gen. Robert Ashley, commanding general, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca. “Specifically this year, the Distributed Common Ground System-Army demonstrated the ability to collect intelligence while on the move with the latest technology from industry.”
Hosting Enterprise Challenge 2013 at Fort Huachuca highlights the synergy between the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, the U.S. Army Electronic Proving Ground and the Joint Interoperability Test Command.
