New Fort Sill Counterstrike Task Force needs you.

In response to the wide range of indirect and unconventional threats to US forces serving in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), the Field Artillery School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, is establishing the Counter-Strike Task Force (CSTF) in coordination with the Army G3 and Headquarters, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). The task force's mission initially is to lead, direct and coordinate Army/joint staff and major command (MACOM) efforts focused on mitigating the indirect fire threat to joint/Coalition Forces abroad. It also will serve as a conduit for government, industry and academic efforts to counter the asymmetrical indirect fire challenges our forces face in GWOT and be proactive in anticipating future challenges. The task force will assess, develop and coordinate doctrine and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and leverage existing capabilities while accelerating the development of hardware and software solutions to current and evolving indirect fire threats.

And to do all that, we need to tap into the experience and innovative military expertise of a variety of Army and joint organizations and individuals--including out Field Artillery readers.

The CSTF will work directly with the Commander of the Effects Coordination Cell (ECC) of the Multi-National Corps I (MNC-I) in Iraq, which was stood up from III Corps Artillery and is commanded by the III Corps Artillery Commander. The ECC is the organization in the Central Command (CENTCOM) theater of operations that has the lead for counterstrike in GWOT. The CSTF will facilitate the ECC's resolution of enemy indirect fire challenges in theater by coordinating with stateside military, industry and academia assets and devising solutions.

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The CSTF seeks to enhance and provide a streamlined linkage between the "sensors" that detect the threat and a full spectrum of "responders" that counter the threat. It will help leverage existing and emerging technologies to provide greater capabilities for both sensors and responders. These sensors and responders span the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps and include a suite of national assets.

The task force will coordinate the activities of all sensors and responders that support forces in the field and rapidly provide commanders the reach-back tools they need to protect the force. One such tool under development is the CSTF Web Portal, a secure location to collect and rapidly analyze GWOT lessons learned from the field and suggestions for countering the enemy's indirect fire strikes. This will allow experts to develop counterstrike solutions to current and emerging threats--hardware, software or TTPs--in collaboration with servicemen and leaders in the field.

The cooperation between all branches and services is absolutely vital to the task force's success in accelerating time-critical solutions to protect servicemen's lives and frustrate the enemy's attempts to defeat the Coalition Forces in GWOT.

The initial CounterStrike website is http://sill-www.army.mil/counterstrike.

For more information on the CSTF or to submit ideas and information, please visit the website or contact me at [e-mail].

The task force's charter is not limited to resolving counterfire challenges. As the threat changes, the focus of the CSTF will change as well.

LTC Michael D. Borg, FA

CounterStrike Task Force

Joint and Combined Integration

Directorate (JACI)

Fort Sill, OK