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The White House Communications Agency, part of the WHMO, recently obtained new Ford Super Duty-based vehicles with a much more powerful communications and data-sharing suite, that The War Zone was the first to report on in detail. This likely freed up some of the Roadrunners to go to other agencies that were interested in them, such as SOCNORTH.
These civilian style vehicles could be ideal for more discreet operations, including in urban areas within the United States, though there's no mistaking that they have a specialized purpose given the array of antennas on top. SOCNORTH's CRT plans to convert the vehicles to use a new suite of military radios and satellite communications systems, but this will still require distinctive antenna arrays.
NORTHCOM, as a whole, has a major counter-terrorism focus. The command runs a major counter-terrorism exercise each year called Vital Archer, which includes participants from other U.S. government agencies, as well as foreign emergency management and security services.
The Army's new secret mission might also involve providing aviation support, including surveillance of particular targets or critical sites, to other domestic agencies engaged in domestic counter-terrorism missions. The service's Black Hawks could also be assisting in some way with NORTHCOM's other standing mission sets, including counter-narcotics and guarding America's borders, though it's not clear why this would necessarily be limited to the NCR.
Of course, even though the Army's new classified D.C. area mission may not have a clear endpoint, it may still be a shorter-term mission in response to intelligence regarding a more specific potential threat or another similar near-term requirement. In the past few years, there has been a seeming uptick in U.S. military units, as well as federal law enforcement tactical teams, training or otherwise operating in urban areas within the United States, or at least an increase in people taking notice of these activities.
In the Washington, D.C. area, this has coincided with a reported increase in noise complaints about government helicopters and other aircraft flying over residential areas. News of a new Army aviation mission in the capital region could spur new criticism from residents in this regard.
But whether or not the Army is now engaged in a new, secretive long-term mission or has gotten new orders in response to more immediate concerns, we know the service's aviation elements in and around the nation's capital have expanded the scope of their critical duties, at least for the moment.
The White House Communications Agency, part of the WHMO, recently obtained new Ford Super Duty-based vehicles with a much more powerful communications and data-sharing suite, that The War Zone was the first to report on in detail. This likely freed up some of the Roadrunners to go to other agencies that were interested in them, such as SOCNORTH.
These civilian style vehicles could be ideal for more discreet operations, including in urban areas within the United States, though there's no mistaking that they have a specialized purpose given the array of antennas on top. SOCNORTH's CRT plans to convert the vehicles to use a new suite of military radios and satellite communications systems, but this will still require distinctive antenna arrays.
NORTHCOM, as a whole, has a major counter-terrorism focus. The command runs a major counter-terrorism exercise each year called Vital Archer, which includes participants from other U.S. government agencies, as well as foreign emergency management and security services.
The Army's new secret mission might also involve providing aviation support, including surveillance of particular targets or critical sites, to other domestic agencies engaged in domestic counter-terrorism missions. The service's Black Hawks could also be assisting in some way with NORTHCOM's other standing mission sets, including counter-narcotics and guarding America's borders, though it's not clear why this would necessarily be limited to the NCR.
Of course, even though the Army's new classified D.C. area mission may not have a clear endpoint, it may still be a shorter-term mission in response to intelligence regarding a more specific potential threat or another similar near-term requirement. In the past few years, there has been a seeming uptick in U.S. military units, as well as federal law enforcement tactical teams, training or otherwise operating in urban areas within the United States, or at least an increase in people taking notice of these activities.
In the Washington, D.C. area, this has coincided with a reported increase in noise complaints about government helicopters and other aircraft flying over residential areas. News of a new Army aviation mission in the capital region could spur new criticism from residents in this regard.
But whether or not the Army is now engaged in a new, secretive long-term mission or has gotten new orders in response to more immediate concerns, we know the service's aviation elements in and around the nation's capital have expanded the scope of their critical duties, at least for the moment.