3:28PM
Good EUCOM example of 3-Sigma mil-mil cooperation
Tuesday, May 9, 2006 at 3:28PM Presentation by European Command officer describes effort to wire up the African Union's militaries/peacekeeping forces through simple installation of HF nets and basic VSAT connectivity.
Look Ma! No Star Wars required!
A simple 3-Sigma aproach: we maintain and they operate and the GWOT's nets are extended.
What happens? We know more about what goes on in the AOR (area of responsibility for EUCOM), and the locals start networking horizontally, teaching one another and realizing the commonality of the problem set.
This is serious Sun Tzu, or "Phase 0," as EUCOM likes to call it. Very encouraging.
Good lesson on port security, yes?
Reader Comments (1)
Few points on this post.
1) Cost. It is interesting how we get stuck with the maintenance. As GE found out in the mid 1980s, maintenance is where the real money changes hands. Difference with this setup is that the American taxpayer is footing the bill, not a company paying GE. Though I do think that, if this does bring the promised connectivity, it will be a small price to pay to for pulling a few states that much closer to the core.
2) Timing. As Dr. Barnett always says (or types), it’s about timing. In the grand scheme, having higher tech comm devices is good, but I feel the AU militaries have a stronger need for more basic items. Is this the right time to drop in high tech comms, when many of the countries cannot even develop and supply a large enough force (see the low level of troops sent to cover hundreds of thousands of sq km of land in Darfur, dooming the mission from the start).
3) Highlights the force structure changes needed in the US military. Why is EUCOM in charge of Africa? An entire continent and one of the most turbulent, being treated as a subset of a mission is not the right way to go.