MAJ. SHANE HUFF/U.S. AIR FORCE
The Kyrgyz Republic State Border Service is continuing to use communications technology to bolster day-to-day operations at border outposts. The border service’s primary role is to protect the country against incursions from terrorist and criminal organizations. The previous communications system suffered from faulty equipment, inadequate power supplies and lack of trained operators.
In 2008, the border service requested help from U.S. Central Command through the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek to establish a viable and secure communications system to provide the country with a command and control network. The U.S. military responded with a five-year multiphased Information Sharing Communication System (ISCS) in 2010.
As part of its strategic mission, U.S. Central Command offers a robust counternarcotics program focused on building infrastructure and regional stability with partnering nations.
Col. Kurmanbek Isakov, a headquarters chief with the border service, has been involved in the project from the beginning. “This communication program has considerably increased effectiveness of our operations,” Isakov said.
He noted that before implementation of ISCS, his units suffered from shortages of reliable equipment and needed several hours to report border patrol incidents. “The radios we had previously were not reliable, and we were not able to respond to incidents in real time,” Isakov said.
The ISCS not only raises the effectiveness of the Kyrgyz Republic State Border Service but enables it to concentrate forces to counteract all kinds of cross-border crimes, including narcotic trafficking. The ISCS focuses on the country’s southern and western regions, where most drug trafficking and border incidents occur.
ISCS provides command and control and situational awareness. The system includes equipment such as high-frequency (HF) base station radios, HF mobile radios, HF man-packs, very high-frequency (VHF) desk top radios, VHF mobile radios for vehicles, headsets, a solar based alternate power system with battery backup, and a satellite Internet system to augment the satellite services that the SBS already subscribes to. “This new equipment gives us the ability to communicate with other internal agencies on special frequencies so that we can conduct joint patrols and conduct exercises. The solar panels play a critical role, as electricity is not always reliable in many areas,” said Isakov.
The equipment has been critical for intelligence gathering and searches that have led to more than 400 arrests and the seizure of hundreds of kilograms of narcotics. Isakov underscored that some of his outposts are remote and that the ISCS has helped respond to civilian medical emergencies in these distant locations.