Eurocorps conducts exercise "Blue Gabriel 2008"

Lunéville (France), 14-24 April 2008

Headquarters Eurocorps (HQ EC) conducted Exercise “Blue Gabriel” from 14 to 24 April 2008 at a French barrack near Lunéville (France), under HQ EC G6 Branch as OSE (Officer Scheduling the Exercise) /OCE (Officer Conducting the Exercise) and the commander of our Multinational Command Support Brigade (MNCS Bde) as EXEDIR (Exercise Director), with the participation of the Communication and Information System (CIS) Company (Coy) of EC MNCS Bde and the framework nations CIS dedicated units (among which the new German Signal Coy stationed in Sigmaringen), as well as with the one from the French-German Brigade.

The aim of the exercise was the continuous training on the Eurocorps Multinational Concept on Communications and Information Systems, alongside with the validation of the CIS architecture to be implemented on the occasion of the forthcoming Eurocorps main exercise – “Common Effort 08” - which will be played in November 2008 at the training area of Mourmelon (France).

A number of interoperability tests were carried out to that end by using a technical platform where EC and major subordinated units’ Command Posts were simulated. Connectivity among end-user assets (phones, computers, Video-Tele-Conference (VTC), etc) was achieved mainly by means of satellite ground stations, line-of-sight (LOS) radio links and fibre optics.

Some new national and Eurocorps-owned equipment and capabilities have been also tested, the French RITA IP backbone, the German VANBw system, the Belgian SATCOM, the Spanish improvement on existing SATCOM and the HQ Eurocorps brand new (VTC) suite being the most relevant ones.

About 200 persons, 70 CIS-platform vehicles (SATCOM, LOS radio relays, PABXs (telephone exchange), etc), 25 power generators, 100 phones, 100 computers and 150 various network electronics and crypto devices were deployed.

 

Pictures: MNCS Bde of HQ Eurocorps

 

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