As the US Navy operates forward to support real-world events, so does the Information Dominance Type Commander (ID TYCOM), as was evident during Exercise Bold Alligator 2014 (BA14), Oct. 29 – Nov. 10.
The ID TYCOM provides Naval commands with intelligence, imagery and strike capabilities. Fleet Intelligence Detachments (FIDs) and Fleet Intelligence Adaptive Forces (FIAFs) are the Navy’s enablers that fill this increased demand.
FID and FIAF personnel assigned to the Navy’s newest TYCOM, Navy Information Dominance Forces (NAVIDFOR), recently supported multiple commands throughout BA14. This year’s Bold Alligator blue-green team involved 19 nations and 18 U.S. Navy and coalition ships, and roughly 14,000 U.S. and international marines and sailors. The exercise featured Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2 and 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB).
In previous years, Bold Alligator tested the ability of the Navy-Marine Corps and coalition partner teams to conduct a full-scale amphibious landing in a medium-threat environment. BA14 exercised the ability to conduct crisis response operations in a complex maritime environment, with realistic scenarios that are relevant to current operations. Crisis response operations like Tomadachi in Japan and Unified Response in Haiti illustrate the need for rapid, reliable and ready amphibious forces provided by the Navy-Marine Corps team and coalition partners.
FID personnel typically provide specialized intelligence capabilities to deploying carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups, and support underway training, deployment and surge requirements. FIAF personnel serve as the primary source for meeting fleet obligations for intelligence individual augmentation missions, provide enhanced intelligence capacity to maritime operations centers around the globe, and serve to augment ad hoc fleet and operational intelligence requirements.
During BA14, both FID and FIAF teams helped man the ships’ Joint Intelligence Center and Expeditionary Plot for daily intelligence operations. Embarked personnel trained to perform the same duties they would execute during a standard deployment. These intelligence professionals provided background intelligence support to exercise staff and assisted with evolution grading and White Cell activities.
The Navy Information Dominance Corps (IDC) was established in 2009 and combined the deep expertise and strengths of the officer/enlisted, active/Reserve, and civilian workforce from the oceanography/meteorology, information professional, information warfare, naval intelligence and space cadre professions. IDC is an inter-disciplinary corps that possesses an innate understanding of potential adversaries and the battle space. IDC intelligence experts like those from the FIDs and FIAFs accurately identify targets and bring an array of non-kinetic, offensive and defensive capabilities to the fight in the Information Age.
Press release, Image: US Navy