To combat improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the US Army has set up an air/land task force whose effectiveness has enabled it to put into practice the principles that underlie its RSTA-FCS (reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting, acquisition-Future Combat System) concept. Unpredictable, reactive, omnipresent and flexible, three-dimensional land combat is made possible by the integrated action of helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ground troops. This constitutes a true tactical breakthrough, suited to the needs of asymmetric warfare.
The US Army in Search of a Tactical Breakthrough: Task force ODIN
Task Force (TF) ODIN (observe, detect, identify, neutralize) was created secretly as an experimental unit at Fort Hood, Texas, in August 2006. Its mission was to develop a concept for combating IEDs based on the RSTA sequence to enable immediate action to be taken against an enemy in the act of placing IEDs.
In October 2006, after a short period of training, the first elements of ODIN were deployed at Camp Speicher, in the town of Tikrit in Iraq, situated in the 1st Infantry Division’s area. The unit was immediately committed, even while continuing its build-up, and was declared fully operationally capable (FOC) in June 2007. In January 2008, the Army claimed 2,400 bombers killed and 141 high-level enemy captured.
TF ODIN was kept secret until May 2007, when General Richard A. Cody, Vice-Chief of Staff, revealed its existence at the annual Army Aviation Conference in Atlanta. The project had the total support of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who had decided on an effective tactical approach in inter-service discussions on the control of UAVs.(1)
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