Dramatic developments in the geopolitical situation, the emergence of new threats to our nation and its interests around the world, and changes in the unified command environment have made the past year one of tremendous successes and transitions for U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC). USASMDC soldiers and civilians were called to meet the simultaneous demands of the global war on terrorism, the assignment of a major new mission and Army Transformation. They are doing so around the world from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Germany, Japan and Afghanistan; from Huntsville, Ala., and Washington, D.C., to Alaska, the Marshall Islands and Iraq.
Ever since they launched America's first satellite into space in 1958, U.S. Army soldiers and engineers have been developing ways to exploit sensors, communications and other platforms in space, the ultimate high ground.
Today, as Army and joint forces rely more and more for information from sources outside the range of their tactical systems, space provides the necessary communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. When you add to this capability missile warning, weather and terrain information, and position, navigation and timing capabilities, much of the Army's ability to gain information dominance derives from space. In fact, the Army is the largest military user of space products and services, with soldiers using thousands of receivers and processors at all echelons.
Most of USASMDC's assets have deployed in direct support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Army space support teams (ARSSTs) are bringing on-call space products, services and expertise to the warfighters. They are the commanders' space experts on the ground, able to pull down imagery and intelligence data, forecast space weather impacts on communications, develop topographic and hydrological products, project the health of the global positioning system and other satellite constellations, and provide other types of space support in any theater of operations. During OIF, ARSSTs supported the combined forces land component commander (CFLCC), the Army's V Corps, and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) in Iraq.
Other Army space warriors are manning joint tactical ground station (JTAGS) detachments monitoring enemy missile launch activity in the theater. Immediately upon detection of a ballistic missile launch by space-based sensors, the JTAGS crew can identify the type of missile, predict an impact point and time, alert Patriot and other missile defense forces and warn units in the danger area of the impending attack. Meanwhile, at five satellite control facilities around the globe, the operators of the defense satellite communications system (DSCS) continue their round-the-clock mission of ensuring reliable, robust and continuous worldwide super-high frequency (SHF) communications support to U.S. warfighting forces, strategic military users, the intelligence community and the President.
To meet the growing demand for space expertise by Army and joint forces, two more classes attended the space operations officer qualification course (functional area 40) this past summer. Since this new specialty was approved in 2001, nearly 100 officers have been trained as FA40s, including several from the Army Reserve, National Guard, Air Force and Marine Corps. The eight-week course now includes information operations and joint operations training tasks. As we rapidly increase the number of space qualified officers, we are also developing space training programs for the enlisted and civilian members of our growing space cadre, and integrating space education across the Army.
This was also a year that saw a number of our technology programs come to fruition and demonstrate what they can do. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, a new joint-operational concept (by which the Army tactical exploitation system-TES-sent real-time targeting and intelligence information directly to the Air Force) resulted in successfully establishing a dynamic hunter-killer relationship, providing locations and status of bypassed air defense systems and combat forces for targeting. TES's multiple sensor capability also provided the ability to rapidly plan for, monitor, and protect (over watch) operations such as the rescue of PFC Jessica Lynch and the "thunder runs" by ground forces directly into the heart of Baghdad. Today there is a TES in Baghdad providing national and theater ISR support directly to the joint task force (JTF).
Grenadier BRAT (GB) is a lightweight blue force tracking (BFT) device that uses GPS, a low-probability-of-intercept/detection waveform and other national capabilities to provide a continuous, near real-time, beyond line-of-sight tracking and reporting capability for critical and deep attack assets. The Army Space Program Office's streamlined acquisition process was critical to quickly getting more than 360 GB systems into the hands of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. These devices, reporting through the Blue Force Tracking Mission Management Center in Colorado Springs, CoIo., provided enhanced situational awareness for commanders and soldiers of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and were also key tools in the prevention of fratricide. Grenadier BRAT's success in providing blue force tracking capability will have a great impact on how BFT will be implemented across the force in the near future.
We also deployed the prototype ZEUS system and a surrogate joint land attack cruise missile defense netted elevated sensor (JLENS) to Afghanistan. ZEUS consists of a commercial 1-kilowatt solid-state laser integrated onto a HMMWV to neutralize surface-laid landmines, scatterable mines and unexploded ordnance. The JLENS, now managed by the Program Executive Office-Air, Space and Missile Defense, is an aerostat-mounted sensor suite that will provide Objective Force commanders with 360-degree, wide-area surveillance and precision tracking of cruise missiles and other aerial targets. The 15meter JLENS surrogate recently sent to Afghanistan is providing area surveillance, communications relay and other support to the theater.
Perhaps the most remarkable technological achievement of the past year was the detection, tracking, engagement and destruction of four artillery rounds, in flight, by a high-energy chemical laser at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), N.M. The tactical high energy laser (THEL) demonstrator, which has also shot down 26 Katyusha-type rockets at WSMR, was developed by SMDC in cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Defense. It is presently serving as the testbed for the next-generation mobile THEL. SMDC soldiers and civilians have proven that laser weapons for air and missile defense are within reach.
Finally and most important for the future, in response to the merger of U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Space Command, and the assignment of new missions to U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) in the Unified Command Plan, USASMDC was designated as the Army service component command to USSTRATCOM. As such, our responsibilities now include planning and coordination of all Army support to USSTRATCOM for global strike, global information operations, global integrated missile defense, space operations and global C4ISR. All of these mission areas are enabled by, in fact are dependent on, assured and secure access by ground force commanders to space-based communications, intelligence and surveillance, early warning, weather and environmental monitoring and other capabilities. This new alignment with USSTRATCOM also lends even greater importance to our existing roles in combat and materiel development of space and missile defense capabilities; basic and advanced research and technology development, testing and evaluation; and as the Army's principal voice for space, missile defense and computer network operations.
2004 promises to be just as challenging. One of our priorities, of course, is to continue providing high quality, trained and motivated Army space soldiers for the ongoing war on terrorism. In completing our transition to Army Strategic Command, the soldiers and civilian members of SMDC will bring the same dedication and professionalism to our expanded mission in support of USSTRATCOM. As USSTRATCOM identifies capability shortfalls in any of its mission areas, our research and development activities, Battle Lab and Force Development Integration Center (FDIC) will continue to develop needed technologies and capabilities, while identifying future requirements and technologies, to support Army Transformation to the Objective Force and beyond.
