Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Battlefield computers, mini-reconnaissance planes and electric-powered surveillance vehicles may sound like gizmos out of a science fiction movie, but they are just some of the new technology used during Exercise Kernel Blitz Experimentation 2001, which began June 18 and wrapped up 10 days later.

One of the largest experimentation and demonstration exercises ever conducted, KBX 2001 took place offshore, on and around Camp Pendleton as well as in El Centro and the Chocolate Mountains. It was designed to explore 21st century expeditionary warfare concepts and technology for the extended littoral battlespace. Practical implications of more efficient, comprehensive ways to convey information include ground troops getting supporting Naval gunfire more quickly, and averting friendly fire tragedies, like one that occurred earlier this year during joint-service training in the Middle East, resulting in loss of life to U.S. service members.

The exercise also attracted the attention of some high-ranking personnel.  Navy Adm. Dennis C. Blair, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, spent two days touring the various experiments and demonstrations both on USS Coronado and at Camp Pendleton. Marines at the Las Flores training area also demonstrated and displayed some of the equipment and technological concepts used throughout the exercise. Other visiting dignitaries included former commandant, retired Gen. Al Gray, California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, and officials from other civilian enterprises.

But the focus of KBX was to determine which emerging technologies and concepts will best support the joint forces in 2007-2010, according to the rapid-deployment imperatives of Navy and Marine Corps Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare. 

"Its (KBX 2001) mission is to determine how we can use new technologies to increase the battlefield awareness of commanders from the squad to the joint task force level," said LtGen. Michael W. Hagee, commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force and Commander, JTF KBX. "We are experimenting with providing real-time access of fused national and theater-level intelligence to these commanders via a shared
database and a battlefield wireless local area network. The network provides a common tactical picture by sharing real-time intelligence and friendly force locations between units from all the military services."

The more than 15,000 participants included Marines from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I MEF and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364; Sailors from the Third Fleet and Amphibious Squadron 3 including USS Pearl Harbor, USS Ogden and USS Coronado; and a detachment of soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division based in Hawaii.

The exercise was conducted within the context of a strategic partnership involving a number of military laboratories, program offices and joint military forces. According to the operational agenda, the exercise consisted of five experiments:

Fleet Battle Experiment India - attempted to "operationalize" network-centric warfare concepts by building and maintaining wide area information network that links ships and small ground units to facilitate time-critical strikes. The Navy Warfare Development Command sponsored the experiment.

Capable Warrior Advanced Warfighting Experiment - examined how innovating concepts and technological improvements can enhance a Marine infantry battalion's warfighting capability, specifically over-the-horizon tactical communications, precision-targeting systems, Reconnaissance Surveillance and Target Acquisition, small unit logistics and urban peacekeeping operation. The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory sponsored Capable Warrior.

Extending the Littoral Battlespace Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration - applied wireless technology from the operational to the small unit level. The goal is to enhance the robustness, interoperability and security of wireless network technology for use in naval littoral operations. The Office of Naval Research sponsored the demonstration.

Commander-in-Chief 21st Century Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration - focused on "visualization and knowledge management" -- putting the right information in front of the right decision-maker at the right time to enhance force effectiveness. The U.S. Pacific Command and the Office of Naval Research sponsored the demonstration.

Joint Medical Operations Telemedicine Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration - used wireless technology to report, track and manage medical casualties. The U.S. Third Fleet sponsored this demonstration.

Demonstrations and experiments centered on two emerging concepts - network centric warfare and ship-to-objective maneuver. Network centric warfare is the use of voice and data networks to link platforms and units in support of time-critical operations. Ship-to-objective maneuver is the use of emerging technologies to link sea and ground forces and sea-based operations to locations far inland.

The hands-on approach to the exercise gave Navy and Marine Corps forces a chance to experiment with wireless technology.

"The biggest intent of this (Extending the Littoral Battlespace Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration) was (using) a wireless network in a littoral area that was a 200 by 100 nautical miles box," according to LtCol. Brian Costello, Office of Naval Research. "Right now, we feel that a squad leader gets very little communications; very little sense of the tactical picture of where he is in the battlespace."

Linking Marines together with available technology was one of the missions at hand.

A lot of Marines already use Global Positioning Systems but nobody else can access the information, he said. "This networks everybody's GPS so that everyone in the battlespace can see anybody else who has a GPS, down to an eight- or 10-grid coordinate. It gives you more situational awareness."

"In the past, a Marine would call over the radio and it goes back to the watch officer then up or down the chain of command," said Capt. Michael Roach, 13th MEU assistant operations officer.  "What we are doing now with the local area network and the computers is when a Marine pushes information up to his command or asks for information, it is shared amongst the staff and amongst the commanders in the field. Information is being shared across the board.  The system interacts with you and keeps you informed of when decisions need to be made.

"An example of this is a call for fire," Roach explained.  "You're calling for artillery fire adjacent to a friendly unit. The system will automatically tell you, 'Be advised, you have a friendly unit here.'"

Part of the system being tested in the field was the End User Terminal, a portable laptop that allows battlefield squad leaders to instantly update everybody on the chain of command.

"When I first came in, we had PRC 77s (radios), then PRC 119s.  Who would have thought 17 years ago that one day we would be using computers to send in reports, " said GySgt. Octaviano Gallegos, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. Gallegos helped test the EUTs during an assault on Red Beach June 20.

The system is relatively easy to learn, even for those who are not computer literate, Roach said.

Another piece of equipment being tested was the Dragon Eye Unmanned Aviation Vehicle; a modular, 4-pound aircraft that fits in a Marine's pack and is used for reconnaissance. The first of its kind, the current model has a five kilometer range and 45 minutes of flight time.

"It is an autonomous vehicle. A Marine doesn't actually have to learn how to fly the vehicle," said Maj. John Cane with the Marine Warfighting Laboratory based in Quantico, Va. "All he has to do is learn how to program the vehicle via a laptop or ground control station."

It took his unit only five days, including classroom instruction and practical application, to learn the equipment, said Cpl. Stanford Allen with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. "The equipment I've used
so far is excellent. I feel that it is tactically sound for an infantry-based unit. You can get behind the hills to see. I think it is pretty ingenious and a great idea."

No test would be complete without a control and analysis team. More than 200 Marines, Sailors and civilian experts monitored the experiments and demonstrations. In one meeting it was stressed that "Failure is an acceptable outcome."

The intent of the exercise and experiments is to improve the technologies and concepts for military use, said Costello. "After the exercise, we compile (all the data), find out what really happened. After some analysis, some engineering analysis -- we can replay the entire exercise if we have to -- to find out exactly what parts of the network worked, what didn't, and why something might not have worked."

"As with any experiment, we find some processes that work and other technologies that don't," LtGen Hagee said. "However, it is inspiring to see how the Marines and Sailors of I MEF and Third Fleet are able to quickly learn some fairly sophisticated new equipment and almost immediately find ways to use it to make us better warfighters. I am confident that lessons learned during this exercise will significantly increase our battlefield effectiveness."

The overall goal is to use these emerging technologies and concepts to "equip the man" not "man the equipment," to provide a better trained, prepared and led force capable of responding to a broad array of missions.