The 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, based at Fort Gillem in Ellenwood, Georgia, is a major command of the Georgia Army National Guard

Georgia Army National Guard

The Georgia Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Georgia National Guard, administratively part of the Georgia Department of Defense. It consists of more than 11,100 Citizen-Soldiers training in more than 79 hometown armories and regional facilities across the state...

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Overview

Since its inception on 1 October 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.

Missions

In May 2010, 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 on 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 decision making 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, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....

, 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.

Units

• 420th Network Signal Company, Cumming, Georgia.
• 230th Brigade Support Company, Fort Gillem, Ellenwood, Georgia.
• 3rd Squadron, 108th Cavalry, Chamblee, Georgia.