The fog of war: Airstrikes on Pakistan border underscore ISR requirements

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Following the U.S.-led NATO airstrikes on the Afghan-Pakistan border that killed 24 troops in the early hours of Saturday morning, both sides have been quick to voice their judgments as tension continues to fray between the U.S. and Pakistan.

Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of the Pakistan Army Staff, said the attacks were “unprovoked” and that he “strongly condemned NATO/ISAF’s blatant and unacceptable act,” in an Army Inter Services press release.

The Pakistan government has called for "strong and urgent action" against the unprovoked aggression.

In a joint press release Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta offered their condolences to those that lost their lives and were “closely monitoring” the situation.

“Both offer their deepest condolences for the loss of life and support fully NATO's intention to investigate immediately,” said Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby.

The statement from Clinton and Panetta went on to underscore “the importance of the U.S.-Pakistani partnership, which serves the mutual interests of our people.”

Unsurprisingly the Pakistan Foreign Office has hit back with hardy rhetoric. In a statement it described the attacks as "totally unacceptable, constituted a grave infringement of Pakistan's sovereignty, were violative of international law and a serious transgression of the oft conveyed red lines and could have serious repercussions on Pakistan-U.S./NATO/ISAF cooperation."

The “serious repercussions” alluded to here are perhaps the clearest cause for concern for the future of U.S.-Pakistan relations since Osama Bin Laden was identified and killed by U.S. special forces inside Pakistan in May.

Pakistan has already countered the attack by cutting off key logistic supply lines for NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Airborne ISR: Mission-critical requirements highlighted

The fog of war always clouds the distinction between military intent and operational precision. Reports from some Afghan officials indicate the air strikes were in retaliation to incoming fire from Pakistan, a claim that has been robustly denied by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s government.

As the fog begins to clear, more (accurate) details will inevitably surface, but the incident highlights the continued requirement for superior airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies. While the fallout of this politically sensitive airstrike lingers, the military need for absolute operational clarity during missions is critical.

The role of ISR in airborne operations is rapidly evolving and becoming an increasingly mission-critical component for the armed forces as it looks to improve interoperability and situational awareness.

Speaking to Defence IQ last week, Saab’s Michael Olofsson, Director, Sales & Marketing for Rapid 3D Mapping, discussed the company’s mapping technology and how it can be beneficial for military ISR applications.

Rapid 3D Mapping, which is accurate to within 30 cm from 3D data captured at an altitude of 600 m, creates “photo-realistic and accurate geo-referenced 3D maps from data collected from airborne sensors such as aircraft, helicopters, UAV's and even satellites,” Olofsson explained in an email interview. Think Google Maps, except it’s interactive, explorable in 3-dimensions, and designed with in-built features to aid the military in live operations.

“Our main focus right now is military use … applications are typically simulation and training, situational awareness … mission planning (and) target acquisition”

The technology will have “huge benefits for ISR users” as it gives commanders on the ground and in the air an accurate view and understanding of the landscape before any forces are sent in. In one example of the technology’s capabilities, Olofsson said that snipers can be digitally placed into an environment anywhere in the world and the exact line-of-sight from those coordinates can be calculated. Clearly this data would be invaluable for certain military operations as it allows a mission to be accurately planned while also offering significant risk reduction benefits.

If tensions in the region continue to escalate the requirement for airborne ISR technology will inevitably intensify as situational awareness becomes an increasingly important factor in warfighting capabilities.

Contributor:   Andrew Elwell

Andrew graduated from The University of Nottingham with an MA in History in 2003. After graduating Andrew started his career with a niche armour systems manufacturer, which provided ballisitic and blast armour products for the international defence market. His first major undertaking was to project manage a UOR up-armour programme for an in-theatre MoD vehicle. After completion of the contract, Andrew headed up the research and development department at the company. This involved designing, developing, testing and presenting new armour solutions to defeat customer specific threats to all major European and International ballistic and blast standards.

Following this Andrew moved behind the desk and became Senior Editor at a news and data provider, offering proprietary analysis, intelligence, market research and data on the global security and defence industry. The role offered the chance to write widely on the industry, exploring new technologies and getting to grips with corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and debt and equity fundraisings.

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Report Abuse   slryan 12/19/2011 7:17:20 PM EST Actually, I rather enjoyed the piece. The above comment is an ugly rant that has no place in a professional forum. I can answer your question, because I just returned from a business trip to Tehran. There is really nothing in Iran worth monitoring. Decades ago, Iran was on its way to joining the ranks of the civilized peoples of the world. Tehran was built to look like Paris. Iran bought US weapon systems to keep the peace in the Gulf. Iranians were even encouraged to speak English and French as the argot of a mature nation. Somewhere along the way, the average Iranian decided he wanted a backward muslim state. They now have what they wanted. Religious fanaticism set in. Those with technical skills were driven out or made unpopular. Intelligent conversation was drowned out by hysterical religious clowns like the nutcase who wrote the above polemic. And so we now send drones to monitor Iran's military buildup, particularly their nuclear ambitions. But there is no need. They have not the skills to threaten anyone. Should they build a nuclear bomb -- and attempt to build a missile to carry it -- they would probably only blow themselves up upon it. Replies (0) Post a reply Sign in or Sign up to post a comment

Report Abuse   ddolan 12/15/2011 1:49:42 PM EST This story is old news. At the same time, where is a story about the downing of the " Beast Of Kandahar" stealth UAV in Iran, either by Iranian air defense or by a massive, unforgivable system failure? The President of the United States was forced to snivel to the Iranians to give back the UAV! Come on guys, you have to do a better job than this, Replies (0) Post a reply Sign in or Sign up to post a comment