Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE) has become a core focus given the potential for executing special operations missions in or near sites suspected of manufacturing, storing, or supporting weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to include chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN). A generation ago, regimes with access to these munitions were limited to developed and relatively stable nation states. However, the operating environment has drastically changed, as less stable regimes and adversarial non-state actors have stockpiled weapons and materials or have the potential to secure or manufacture them.
Assessment and exploitation of these sites poses numerous problems, even under “ideal†conditions, where a facility is fully secured and exploitation can be performed by CBRN technical forces with the luxury of having as much time as needed. The special operations SSE mission is likely to be undertaken under less than ideal conditions, potentially far forward and without the luxury of time and assured security. WMD-specific SSE is highly dependent on the use of sensor technology to locate and then, identify WMD materials of concern. Use of these sensors is currently technically intensive, requiring focused attention and manual manipulation from the operator. Without the luxury of time, it is very difficult for a special operations insertion force to conduct an effective hasty exploitation or even assess an unsecured site.
Blueforce software supports techniques to secure and assess suspected sites, materials, equipment, and personnel, by allowing forces to publish and subscribe to sensors, whether worn, proximate, fixed, or borne by everything from soldier to K9, robot, or UAV, shared with each other and with command, through a single pane of glass. Forces equipped with Blueforce can exploit sites more quickly, covering wider areas and reaching into confined, GPS-denied spaces, locating materials and persons of interest, while warning against threats and hazards. Blueforce integrates analytics and data services from external systems to sense the presence of suspected materiel, protect and preserve sites, and prompt or complement more extensive law enforcement and exploitation actions.
To learn more about Blueforce for SSE and for CBRN response, download our Sensor Fabric eBook.