Multinational Interoperability Reference Guide Handbook

Book excerpt: The challenges and complexity of the future will require the Army to provide a broader range of capabilities to achieve strategic outcomes across a complex and diverse range of global missions. The Army Vision cites "integrate operations" as one of the unique roles performed by the Army, providing combatant commanders with foundational capabilities, to include headquarters capable of integrating joint, interagency, and multinational operations. In the future, the need for interoperability will extend to lower echelons of Army forces in order to effectively integrate smaller national contributions into multinational operations. The Army Vision further describes interoperability as one of eight key characteristics of the Army of 2025. As the foundation upon which other U.S., allied, and multinational capabilities will operate, the Army of 2025 must be interoperable by easily supporting and enabling joint, whole-of-government, and multinational land-based operations. We must develop and advance a base technological architecture into which other military Services, U.S. government agencies, and allies and partners can easily "plug and play."Improving the Army's multinational force interoperability (MFI) with allies and partners remains a high priority for the Army. Army MFI activities enhance the Army's readiness to fight and win as part of a multinational force that provides strategic options for civilian and military leaders in current and future crises.