07 Aug 14. Defence Forces Ireland – Connecting for Joint Operations – Systematic Forum. Defence Forces Ireland are force innovators at the forefront of using modern command & control software to support critical decision makers in challenging joint and international operations, from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Western Approaches, from the Middle East to the Nordic Battlegroup. The Army, Air Corps, and Naval Service, are developing innovative solutions to the challenges of interoperating effectively between land, sea and air, between national components of a multinational battlegroup and between deployed operational forces and the home base. Defence Forces Ireland has a very strong focus on sharing the joint common operational picture (COP):
For the Irish Army, international operations are paramount. Drawing on wide experience of UN and EU operations in Kosovo, Liberia, Chad, Lebanon, Syria, this year, the Army is making a significant contribution to the Swedish lead EU Nordic Battlegroup. With an ISTAR role specialisation, the Irish Army has already demonstrated on the national interoperability exercise Celtic Endeavour the integration of sensor feeds into the SitaWare situational awareness picture. The Irish Army will participate with British Armed Forces on the multinational interoperability Exercise Combined Endeavour 14. From National Joint HQs to tactical mobile platforms to dismounted operators, SitaWare is offering new ways to join the ISTAR dots and support planning and action in complex multinational force structures. Interoperability is built into SitaWare at every level, so national contingents find it easy to operate together, not just at the formation level but, as demonstrated by Ireland, at the lower tactical levels. The Naval Service is taking Systematic SitaWare into some of the world’s most demanding waters. In a year which has seen the commissioning of the first of three Samuel Beckett class Long Patrol Vessels (LPV), the Naval Service has taken SitaWare to sea, in order to support seamless exchange of the recognised maritime picture between ships and shore. SitaWare’s ability to support a very wide range of data sources, both civilian and military has been central to this. The Irish Air Corps operates both fixed and rotary wing aircraft in the Maritime Surveillance, Government Transport, Military Support, Aid to the Civil Power and Training roles. With the advent of flight-cleared carry-on computing, SitaWare in the cockpit can give aircrew simple and effective access to the ground picture. SitaWare on the ground can provide a Recognised Air Picture consisting of inputs from both open sources such as ADS(B) and secondary radar, and from the military sensor network. This year’s User Forum promises to provide stimulating insights, supported by a site visit, thanks to the generous support of the CIS Corps. For information on registration, plus travel and accommodation advice, visit www.systematic.com/suf2014.