Insurgency control

Brief: Indicates a real-world scenario in which militia or regional intelligence assets work closely and securely to counter terrorism.

Impact: Undisrupted and secure local intelligence that leads to mission success.

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This case is quite different, as it reflects a police / paramilitary scenario, where a country is seeing organised insurgency threatening the local population. The NORTAC Defence® solution offers a deployable SA and alert network that can integrate the Iridium SBD link with conventional 5G LTE and radio assets to provide an optimised solution. In particular, the use of a mobile phone app as part of the network enables broad deployability.

1 Local Headman

The local headman wants to ensure security for his village or community, and he would wish to report threats to the local or regional police or security forces.
In the NORTAC Defence® solution, he would be provided with the mobile phone app – the NORTAC ORION™, with appropriate configuration settings, to give him a means of alerting security forces of a threat, or important new information.
This app provides the headman with the equivalent of the emergency button on the NORTAC WAVE® device. With this facility, a local incursion by insurgents could be promptly and automatically signaled to the security forces, permitting an appropriate and prompt response.
As the app resides on a conventional mobile phone, it is not obvious and can readily be made inconspicuous. The provision of a basic phone and access to the LTE network is relatively inexpensive, and the broad intelligence and warning network that this investment provides is invaluable.

2 Local Shopkeeper/ Agent

Other locals can also be recruited as intelligence agents, or secondary alerters as required. The app provides the option to send text messages, so concise information on local intelligence can also be relayed on the LTE network, or perhaps on a NORTAC WAVE® device for a more dedicated resource.
The covert nature of the app can be an advantage in this case, as the agent can remain hidden and relatively anonymous if there is a local threat, or some community members sympathetic to the insurgency.
This type of informal network can provide elements of information that can be combined to provide a clearer picture of the intentions of insurgency forces.

3 Local Police HQ

Response to the insurgency threat will be controlled by the local police headquarters. This will have limited resources under command, and has to optimise the use of these in response to insurgent threats. It will be operating mainly in responsive mode and has the challenging task of maintaining local confidence.

The SA and rapid alert facility provided by the NORTAC Defence® solution can transform the effectiveness of local policing. A TITAN BY NORTAC® system at this HQ will provide local commanders with a clear view of the location of incidents and response units, permitting the optimal use of resources.
If this is combined with intelligence assessments from the district intelligence centre, which can be integrated into the TITAN BY NORTAC® picture, then patrolling and pre-emptive actions can be used to minimise the impact of the insurgents.
Local response units will be provided with NORTAC WAVE® devices to make them independent of local LTE coverage, or a more complete picture can be arrived at if the NORTAC TACTICAL™ solution is deployed on PDAs or laptops.

4 Mobile Patrols

Patrolling is a very effective way to gather information on insurgent activities, and to make areas secure. Such activities can be coordinated using the SA provided by the NORATC Defence® system, and reliable communications enable rapid response in case of emergency.

Such patrols can be provided with basic comms, as text messaging is often sufficient to deal with routine reports or orders to deploy to a given location. The importance is SA and reliability of the communications, both of which are provided by a NORTAC WAVE® device and the Iridium constellation of satellites.
Emergencies can be notified up the chain of command using the emergency button on the NORTAC WAVE® device, giving the patrol commander the confidence that he will be able to call on support or backup in a timely manner.

5 District Intelligence Centre

Intelligence of insurgency activity and intent is key to providing an appropriate response, and to defeating this type of threat.

The SA and data integration capability provided by the TITAN BY NORTAC® software can be deployed on a local PC, with automatic access to the NORTAC Defence® network, on Iridium, LTE or radios. The use of text messages to report information, with a full historical record maintained by the system, as well as automatic location of resources, permits the rapid assessment of the current position
Additionally, a review of texts and other records is available at any time, permitting the reassessment of information as a more complete picture emerges.

6 Other Comunities

Insurgency is most effective when it disrupts local life. The provision of the emergency reporting capability on a simple mobile phone permits local command to notify neighbouring communities of an incident, using the text message facility on the mobile phone app.

Such improvement in local communications and speed of notification is welcome, as it permits a local response to be prepared for acts of terrorism or neighbouring insurgency attacks. The additional credibility that it provides will reinforce local support and reporting of intelligence, reinforcing collaboration and local assistance.
Cost associated with this deployment can be minimised as existing phones can also be used, perhaps with an initial incentive to promote the use of the app.

7 Compromised NORTAC WAVE® handset or application

The risk of a compromised mobile phone, with its NORTAC Defence® application, is high in this scenario. However, the amount of information that this application stores can be deliberately very limited, to the extent that it can be configured to only store immediate warnings or relevant local messages, thus limiting the risk of compromised data.

Compromised apps can easily be taken out of the network, and made inoperable. This provides longer-term security to complement the limited data stored on a given device.
A risk of broadcast warning being made available to insurgents through a captured phone remains until this action is taken, but security measures can be taken to make such an occurrence obvious, such as geolocation or boundary conditions.