560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade The Georgia Army Guard’s 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade is commanded by Col. Thomas Carden and based at Fort Gillem in Ellenwood. The brigade’s senior enlisted leader is Command Sgt. Maj. Philip Stringfield. Since its inception on Oct. 1, 2007, the brigade’s mission has been to provide command and control of reconnaissance, surveillance, and intelligence operations in support of a division, corps or joint task force. The headquarters provides command, control and supervision of the tactical operations of the brigade and attached units, while the headquarters company provides unit administration and logistical support for the brigade staff sections. The 560th is authorized an estimated 1,108 Soldiers with which to carry out that mission. The 560th, and the units that make up the brigade, carried out several significant and unique training events in 2010. One of these was Exercise Natural Fire in October. During the exercise, the BFSB – as part of Task Force Kitgum – performed command and control operations in Kitgum, Uganda, in order to synchronize multinational forces conducting field training exercises and humanitarian civic assistance operations to enhance interoperability among participating forces. The brigade also inspired training exercise Gambit 2012 in Islamabad, Pakistan, in April with a series of planning conferences with Pakistani military to support multinational training in support of Army Central. In May, Soldiers of the 560th
worked specifically with the Ugandan army to set up a Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) training event. The idea was to familiarize the Ugandans with U.S. Army Light Infantry MDMP at the tactical battalion level. Uganda’s military is highly interested in understanding how the American Army conducts the MDMP based off their operational lessons learned in both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. The seminar assisted the process by establishing a basic understanding of roles and responsibilities of a light infantry battalion staff in the MDMP process, MDMP timelines and sequence of events, products or deliverables, and an understanding of how this product aids the field commander. This, in turn, set the foundation for a follow-on MDMP, which will familiarize the Ugandan army with the light infantry decisionmaking process at the brigade level. Such training events also help the U.S. by enhancing awareness in the U.S. military of Ugandan infantry battalion practices, thereby improving interoperability. They also elicit lessons learned from the audience’s peacekeeping operations. In October, BFSB Soldiers traveled to Kumamoto, Japan, Joint Base Lewis-McCord, to participate in Yama Sakura 59 – an annual bilateral joint training exercise intended to strengthen the working relationship and combat readiness of the two nations – alongside the Japan Self Defense Force and other U.S. military forces. The simulation-based command post exercise underscores the United States’ commitment to Japan’s defense in accordance with a mutual defense treaty that was implemented in 1951 and revised in 1960. Yama Sakura was held first in 1982.
Col. Thomas Carden, Jr. Commander 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade Ga. Army National Guard
560th BFSB Units • 420th Network Signal Company, Cumming • 230th Brigade Support Company, Fort Gillem, Ellenwood • 3rd Squadron, 108th Cavalry, Chamblee Other 2010 Accomplishments:
• All units of the 560th BFSB were federally recognized • Dedication of Blair Drop Zone at Catoosa Training Area in honor of 1st Sgt. John Blair • Taught the first Intelligence Officer Basic Courses in Rwanda and the country of Georgia • Conducted airborne operations every quarter • Opened Language Training Center at Clay National Guard Center in June, 2010 and taught 12 classes
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