Interagency Border Security (Overwatch)
Abstract
Overwatch is a new capability development effort which seeks to leverage technology and new ideas to fill ground combat and interagency capability gaps. Notably, Overwatch will build on the ground work and past successes of Project Wolf Pack by continuing to maximize the utilization of capabilities and technologies developed and transitioned under that program. Within this framework, Overwatch will be the umbrella project containing multiple initiatives seeking to aggressively cultivate and leverage emerging technologies and concepts to counter the current and future challenges characteristic of the irregular warfare environment. Projects will be oriented towards increasing war fighter effectiveness on the battlefield and/or the development/enhancement of “whole of government” irregular warfare capability. Specifically, the capability development effort will focus on two lines of operation to guide the growth of timely, sustainable, and deployable solutions for identified and anticipated requirements inside the formal acquisition process. The first line of operation will involve examination of interagency capabilities by pursuing concept experimentation/ validation, interoperability enhancements and command and control development. The second line of operation will focus on ground, and ground combat, capabilities particularly command and control, force protection, situational awareness, and networked, cooperative engagement. The end-state for each line of operation will be practical solutions suitable for transition. These include completed operational assessments, equipment prototypes, or validated concepts which can be used to inform and drive formal procurement processes and/or policy decisions. Project Overwatch currently contains three subordinate projects: the Law Enforcement Capabilities Project, the Gunslinger Package for Advanced Convoy Security (GunPACS), and Interagency Border Security. •Interagency Border Security: The primary current venue for exploring/developing interagency capabilities centers on a collaborative effort with Joint Task Force-North (JTF-N) to explore and develop multiple types of sensors designed to improve information gathering and sharing across numerous agencies. JTF-N will be conducting multiple border security operations throughout the year designed to identify, interdict, disrupt, and prosecute organized criminal elements operating along the United States borders. These operations will typically involve numerous partner organizations including the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, the US Coast Guard, Customs and Border Patrol as well as state and local law enforcement agencies. Beginning in FY 2010, participating organizations will conduct operational evaluation of multiple new sensors provided under the umbrella of Project Overwatch in order to enhance situational awareness, planning ability and intelligence gathering capability. The multi-sensor technology applications will facilitate synchronization of interagency operations, and enable better sharing of information and intelligence.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Source ID
- 45c021fb390f7cbf15b4c03cf4495ad4
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