Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin
Building a Division DISE
by Lieutenant Colonel Brian A. Keller
The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) learned
many important lessons during our back-to-back rotations at the
Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana, from 1
October to 22 November 1995. In particular, our 2d "Commando"
Brigade's participation in the Army's Advanced Warfighting
Experiment (AWE) WARRIOR FOCUS 96-02 this November allowed the
division's leadership and military intelligence (MI) personnel to
visualize vital principles of force projection intelligence and
electronic warfare (IEW) operations.
One IEW principle, split-based operations, sparked great interest
with the division commander. He wanted to know what the division's
deployable intelligence support element (DISE) would look like if
we deployed a brigade combat team and a division assault command
post? Follow-on division forces including the division's analysis
and control element (ACE) might deploy later based upon-
- Mission, enemy, troops, terrain and weather, and time
available.
- Changing political or military situation.
They may also remain in garrison and not deploy. The
following information summarizes the division intelligence
community's response to the division commander's question.
Definition
Three sources helped answer the division commander's question. The
first was FM 34-25-3, All-Source Analysis System and the Analysis
and Control Element, dated 3 October 1995. Our second source was
the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca's draft DISE
Functional Concept dated 19 May 1995. Finally, my observations of
an actual DISE for the requirements of AWE in this case staffed and
equipped by both 10th Mountain Division and 513th MI Brigade
soldiers and leaders provided the last source for our response.
By doctrinal definition, the DISE is a small, forward intelligence
support element of a split-based operation. As such, it is not a
specific organization but rather an ad hoc, tailored team uniquely
configured to support the initial entry commander. Once deployed,
the DISE performs two major functions. First, it provides the
initial entry commander a link from his forward command post back
to an intelligence support base located outside the area of
operations. This link provides the initial entry force J2/G2/S2
access to multisource Army and joint intelligence collection
assets, processing systems, and databases. From these sources, the
DISE can "pull" specified intelligence products. Second, the DISE
provides the deployed commander timely, relevant, accurate, and
continuous intelligence support that the commander needs to develop
his intent, refine his concept of operations, and execute his
mission.
During mission analysis, the G2 provides the commander with a
recommendation on the composition and capability of the initial
entry IEW force. The IEW force should be a task-organized,
tactically tailored element that considers the mission, the
commander's intelligence requirements and intent, the
threat, and the availability of lift assets. In most
scenarios, the division DISE would look like the following.
Equipment
We envision two or three high mobility multipurpose wheeled
vehicles (HMMWVs) configured with communications shelters and two
Standard Integrated Command Posts (SICPs). Of these, at least one
vehicle would be a TROJAN Special Purpose Integrated Remote
Intelligence Terminal (SPIRIT) and another the Mobile
Integrated Tactical Terminal (MITT).
The TROJAN SPIRIT brings with it an All-Source Analysis System
(ASAS) compatible workstation and a robust communications package.
It provides dedicated satellite communications to the Defense Data
Network and to other intelligence organizations via the TROJAN wide
area network. The system also possesses the necessary hardware and
software components that allow the G2 to interact with tactical and
theater systems such as the Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) and
the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System. The MITT
provides access to satellite broadcast downlinks of
secondary imagery dissemination system products and correlated
signals intelligence (SIGINT) reports.
Two SICP tents extending from the rear of the vehicles provide a
secure, covered work area. We would position a third HMMWV, most
likely the G2's vehicle, near remote MSE Mobile Secure
Radiotelephone Terminals (MSRT) and single channel radio
capabilities into the SICPs. Within the work area would also
be two ASAS-Extended Remote Work Stations linked to the TROJAN SPIRIT.
These RWSs provided the DISE access to databases and
analysts outside the area of operations to support
planning, situational awareness and development, targeting,
and force protection. Finally, Joint Deployable Intelligence Support System software contained
on TROJAN SPIRIT workstations and some ASAS RWSs allows analysts to receive, transmit,
and manage SIGINT,
topographic, and national databases to accomplish
strategic-tactical inter-operability.
Personnel
Personnel from the division's ACE would form the DISE. Normally,
the chief of the ACE's technical control and processing section
leads the DISE. Other members include-
- Six TROJAN SPIRIT and MITT operators.
- One warrant officer and four enlisted all-source
intelligence analysts.
- One warrant officer and two enlisted SIGINT analysts.
- One warrant officer with Tactical Exploitation of
National Capability Program (TENCAP) experience.
In all, sixteen personnel from the 10th Mountain Division's ACE
deploy as the DISE. These figures do not include MI personnel
operating the G2 section in the division assault command post, the
direct support (DS) MI company, or the brigade combat team S2.
Operation
Once deployed, the DISE provides an important link to the DS MI
company's analysis and control team (ACT) at the brigade combat
team command post. When equipped with an ASAS RWS, the four
intelligence analysts working in the ACT can pass combat
information, graphic intelligence summaries, and spot reports from
the brigade to the DISE over the division's MSE network. In a
similar fashion, the DISE can provide correlated, multidiscipline
products tailored to meet specific intelligence requirements and
needs to the brigade commander and his staff via the ACT. The
synergism of the ACT-DISE link now helps create a common
battlefield picture, a picture fused from brigade analysis and
reporting with analysis leveraged from intelligence support bases
outside the deployed area of operations. Taken together, the
division DISE and the brigade ACT form a very powerful analysis and
dissemination combination.
Conclusion
The DISE provides the initial entry force commander an important
link to the powerful information collection and intelligence
production capabilities of the entire intelligence community.
Properly configured, staffed, and trained, the DISE offers the
deployed force an ability to quickly leverage and focus the people
and system of the Intelligence Battlefield Operating System on the
commander's priorities. In short, the DISE helps provide our
commander the intelligence support he needs to protect his combat
strength and focus power at the right time and place to win on any
battlefield.
Lieutenant Colonel Keller is currently the G2, 10th
Mountain Division (Light Infantry), at Fort Drum, New York. He is
a graduate of the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas. Readers can reach him at (315) 772-9526, DSN
341-9526, or E-mail kellerb@drum-emh1.army.mil.