Unified Vision 2018 tests interoperability and new technologies
NATO and Allied countries began testing last week resources in Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance with a focus on interoperability and on the ability of forces to work seamlessly together.
The trial United Vision 2018 (UV 18) began on 11 June and is being held for two weeks across NATO territories in Europe and North America. During the trial, participants from 17 NATO nations as well as from the partner countries Finland and Sweden have the opportunity to connect multinational and collective Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities.
Operating a mixture of aerial, ground and maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms and sensors, the trial gathers around 1250 participants in Europe and North America, putting into practice lessons learned by NATO nations during the last decade of operating together.
"Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JISR) is about how we connect our capabilities together, how we analyse the information that we collect, and how we share that information to maximum effect", said NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment, Camille Grand, at the start of the trial. "It is a vital capability that provides NATO decision-makers with a better situational awareness of what is happening on the ground, at sea and in the air."
In addition to testing how information collected by individual Allies can be processed, analysed by different Allies and shared across the Alliance, UV 18 is testing more advanced technologies that can improve the speed and accuracy in which information is gathered and processed. By embracing evolving technology and adapting to the shifting strategic environment, the trial is a vivid example of a modern and innovative Alliance: "Allies are enhancing their ability to share burdens across the NATO intelligence enterprise, by better coordinating the analysis and distribution of vast amounts of intelligence", said M. Grand. "NATO nations and partners are now able to use their intelligence capabilities in a far more collaborative and dynamic manner. This is critical in a changing world confronted by conventional as well as asymmetric threats." The trial will also be used to develop recommendations in support of future NATO operations.
Unified Vision trials take place on a bi-annual basis. The first Unified Vision trial was held in 2012 in Norway at Ørland airbase.
Since then Unified Vision became NATO’s main trial to practice and evaluate new technical and operational concepts for conducting Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance in NATO operations.
UV 18 is taking the trial a step further by operating multiple sites and collection assets working together across various networks in multiple NATO countries.