Doc Jargon breaks down interoperability

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FORT RILEY, KS, UNITED STATES

03.08.2022

Story by Collen McGee 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Dear Doc Jargon,

Lately, with some of our guys over in Europe, there are a lot of stories in the news that use the term interoperability. I can kind of guess at what that means, but would love the complete lowdown from an “official” source.

Signed,

Striving for Higher Understanding


Dear Striving,

I appreciate your desire to want clarity about this term for yourself and others. I’m honored you would ask.
My little desk-side Army dictionary defines it as, “the ability of different military organizations to conduct joint operations.” And in the simplest form, that is exactly it. The ability for U.S. Army units to work well with Air Force units is one example of the concept of interoperability. But there is even more to it as you’ve seen from our Soldiers over in Poland. The ability for our Soldiers to train with Polish soldiers also increases interoperability. When we train together, we can respond together because we know how each element operates independently and how we can enhance each other’s knowledge and strengths.
I know this is useful in conflict, but another reason to increase interoperability is to increase our joint capability when responding to natural disasters.
Think about it like this, if our Emergency Medical Technicians train with off-post EMTs, both teams learn each other’s skills and special tools and if need be, a mutual aid agreement can be upheld. One way this is evident is when our fire fighters help off-post fire departments combat grass fires.
As a generic term, interoperability is just a way to say, we work well with others.

Sincerely,

Doc Jargon

Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army. Send your Army terminology questions to [e-mail].

• Date Taken: 03.08.2022
• Date Posted: 03.08.2022 12:47
• Story ID: 416016
• Location: FORT RILEY, KS, US