The Army, businesses and universities analyse the concept of 'Command' in 'Force 35'

On the 21st of May, 'El Goloso' base in Madrid, home to the 12th Guadarrama Brigade, was the setting for the fourth workshop organised by the Army with businesses from the sector to present ideas about 'Force 35'. On this occasion, it was dedicated to technology and systems related to the 'Command' combat function, one of the pillars upon which 'Force 35' rests.

The event, presided over by the chief of the Logistical Support Command (MALE, to use its Spanish acronym), Lieutenant general Pardo de Santayana, accompanied by the chief of the Air Force's Logistical Support Command  and other important figures from the Army, was attended by around 60 businesses and representatives from universities and technological associations, with a total of 175 attendees.

The workshop forms part of a series of activities led by the MALE Acquisition Management, with the help of the Sub-Directorate General of Planning, Technology and Innovation from the Directorate General of Arms and Equipment from the Ministry of Defence. The general aim is to facilitate the availability of weapons and equipment which are related to the development of 'Force 35' through the exchange of information between the Army, companies, universities and technological associations. This was the fourth workshop carried out in the '2E+I Workshop' series during the Army-business forums. This series of workshops is scheduled to finish with topics related to Manoeuvres and Protection.

On this occasion, representatives from the Division of Plans from the Army Chiefs of Staff, Headquarters of the Land Force, the Army's Information and Telecommunications Systems and Technical Support Leadership, and the Sub-Directorate General of Programmes from the Directorate General of Arms and Equipment all took part, with the purpose of informing the attendees about the requirements of telecommunications systems, information systems, and tools to assist with interoperability and cyber defence related to the 'Command' combat function, according to the development of the Force 35 concept in its three stages: Possible Force, Advanced Force, Advantage Force.

Then, eleven of the businesses exhibited their respective technological developments and solutions to the Army's needs, whilst the Polytechnic University of Madrid, for its part, provided research projects about the technology related to the topic in question. Just as in previous workshops, they laid the foundations for future experiments and practical demonstrations of equipment which may be offered to the Army by the businesses. As an additional objective, this and the other workshops will serve as a source for proposals for research, development and innovation for the Sub-Directorate General of Planning, Technology and Innovation.