Friend, or foe? Blue Force Tracker to clear fog of war for next Afghan PRTs

FORT BRAGG, N.C. --

Where am I? Where are my buddies? Where's the enemy? Do my buddies know where I am? Those are the questions battlefield warriors ask themselves each day, and Blue Force Tracker's answers can mean life and death.

For the members of Provincial Reconstruction Teams 1 through 12 here training in prep for their year in Afghanistan, BFT will be extremely useful to their non-kinetic mission supporting Afghan security, governance and development.

PRT members received BFT orientation, operator and maintenance training this week. The twelve Air Force- and Navy-led teams are made up of active duty and reserve Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, a lone Marine, and members of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armor. The Department of Defense is sending the PRTs to Afghanistan this spring to replace those in place for the past year.

Blue Force Tracker was designed to be the commander's digital view of his forces...all his forces. Today, the system has evolved to provide the same abilities for the lowest private to the highest general. The system uses the tactical internet, aided by satellite communications links when terrain features interrupt line-of-sight communication. That constant flow of information puts leaders at all levels on the same page. Not just for keeping commanders aware of their forces' locations at all times, the BFT provides answers to those whose boots are actually 'on the ground.'

"It's all about situational awareness and the ability to communicate," said Margie Self, lead instructor for the BFT here. "The total picture is the interpretation of the blue [friendly], red [enemy], green [obstacles] and other icons. This graphic data which can overlay maps or imagery, together with the system's ability to communicate when line-of-sight radio capability is unavailable, gives the warfighter the total situational awareness package he needs to fight and win in today's battlespace."

The BFT is most commonly installed in humvees and other combat vehicles and aircraft. It is also utilized in operation centers and command locations using a ruggedized laptop computer. The system's software and hardware provide two-way broadcast messaging similar to email, automatic postings to map displays resident on the hard drive, and continuous updates to a common operating picture of the battlespace right there in the vehicle out in the middle of nowhere...even out of radio contact.

In near real time, friendly forces can see where they are and where other friendly units are. If a warfighter spots the enemy, they enter it into the system, and the entire "blue force" knows about it in minutes. The system can also be used to plan convoy routes, create map overlays and even plot previous hostile events for more effective mission planning and force protection.

"The Blue Force Tracker provides every service member the opportunity to gain and maintain situational awareness on the battlefield," said retired Army Master Sgt. Bo Ramsey, a BFT instructor here at Ft. Bragg's Battle Command Training Center.

Sergeant Ramsey retired at Ft. Bragg after 24 years as a Special Forces Soldier. He's fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan and many other hot spots during his career, so the perspective he brings to BFT training helps students really know and trust how much the system provides the warrior on the ground.

Bo's fellow trainer has the battlefield experience to back up his assertions as well. "As a battlefield Airman, the information provided by this system was awesome," said retired Air Force Master Sgt. Bernie Kabis, who served as an Air Force Tactical Air Control Party Airman, or TAC-P, before retiring at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. "When integrating airpower into the ground scheme of maneuver, accurate knowledge of where all friendly forces are is indispensable to preventing fratricide [friendly fire]." According to Sergeant Kabis, the information provided by the system greatly assists in assuring the safety of friendly forces while prosecuting hostile targets."

In Afghanistan, these PRTs will most often conduct their missions using up-armored humvee convoys to travel to mountain villages in the hinterlands where they will interact with local officials. The BFT will help ensure the teams' missions are completed in the safest and most efficient and effective manner.

Capt. Bob Swiech, PRT Gardez' incoming Director of Intelligence Operations was impressed by the system for its potential intelligence value and functionality. "Blue Force Tracker enhances the current state of tactical battlefield intelligence," the captain said.

Most of all, the incoming PRT commander values the improved capabilities the BFT will provide. "Given the fact I'll have teams out on missions all around Paktia Province, I'm thankful for the greater situational awareness the system will provide me regarding where my teams are and how they're doing," said Lt. Col. Brett Sharp, incoming PRT Gardez commander. "Our mission of assisting the Afghan government in establishing security, good governance, and reconstruction, has been identified as critical to the Afghan National Development Strategy. Blue Force Tracker is a powerful command and control tool for defeating our adversaries in Afghanistan and denying them a sanctuary to plan and launch attacks against Americans."

For more information on Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan, visit the ISAF official website at: www.nato.int/isaf.