HOHENFELS, Germany—In the fight to maintain superiority against a near-peer adversary, Army Soldiers are learning they don’t always need the latest and greatest in technology if they are able to effectively use what they already know and have. Amid 27 incredible concepts and capabilities being tested at the Joint Warfighting Assessment 18, a platoon of military police (MP) stole the show with their historical use of their spy in the sky: the Raven.
“This is the first time in Joint Multinational Readiness Center history that a Military Police platoon was able to fly a Raven in support of their own operation,” explained Capt. Chad Peabody, the military police lead observe at Hohenfels and assigned to the 7th Army Training Command at Grafenwoehr.
The Raven, a lightweight unmanned aerial system, has been used for years to support ground forces and can provide live coverage. While the Raven continues to be used successfully in deployed environments, the confined air space of training areas has historically inhibited its use during exercises here; that’s why a military police platoon is only now making history, explained Peabody.
While the Raven is lightweight and versatile, it requires near-perfect weather to achieve lift off, the Soldiers on the ground have to get clearance to use the airspace.
“The Raven gives us eyes in the sky before we even enter a town or area of operation,” explained 1st Lt. Sarah Bitner, 2nd Platoon leader with 287th Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade. “It allows us to see all avenues of approach, any activity in a city, and helps us maintain an accurate understanding of what’s happening around us.”
It’s not enough to get a Raven into the sky, the Soldiers on the ground have to gain actionable intelligence or the entire flight is pointless.
The Raven team within the platoon monitors the video footage as it’s streamed and communicates consistently with the platoon leader so they can make immediate decisions to boost security and keep Soldiers safe, explained Bitner.
The platoon provided security in a town while representatives from civil affairs, USAID, the Red Cross, and other foreign national armies met with key leaders. During the scenario, local civilians reported the location of bombs and enemy forces, neither of which were confirmed by the Raven. Without it, Bitner would have assigned her platoon to search for enemies in the buildings and she would have called in EOD unnecessarily.
Using the Raven effectively can save lives and decrease the likelihood of acting on incorrect intelligence provided by local civilians in a real-world, hostile environment.