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-
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-
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.