Leutnant Tobias Brockmann – A terrain adviser for field forces at work

His area of work in the Bundeswehr is little known. Leutnant (Lt) Tobias Brockmann is assigned to the Bundeswehr Geoinformation Center (BwGIC), which is part of the Cyber and Information Domain Service, a major organizational element of the Bundeswehr. Its forces have little visibility, but are essential for the planning and conduct of operations. BwGIC supports German forces and their allies by providing them with refined geoinformation.

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Leutnant Brockmann, who is a member of the BwGIC Terrain Analysis Branch, advises forces taking part in national and international exercises as well as in Bundeswehr operations. The 33-year-old officer is a much sought-after adviser for patrols and mission planners. He uses a computer simulation to demonstrate on the monitor the characteristics and trafficability of terrain so that patrols can prepare even for unknown or impassable terrain.

Computer simulation makes unknown terrain calculable

The simulation of the trafficability of terrain developed by BwGIC is based on ground data, dynamic weather data and vehicle data. It was tested during a recent multinational exercise in Zaragoza, Spain and is now about to be cleared for operations. Other programs and analysis tools, based on elevation and satellite image data, can, for example, be used to project the driver’s or vehicle commander’s line of sight and to display the range of weapon systems.

Seeing through the eyes of the enemy

The data can also be used to determine the places from which the enemy can observe movements of friendly forces best, Lt Brockmann explains. “I find advisory work done on site in Mali and Afghanistan particularly interesting. It allows us to see the concrete value terrain analysis has for field forces”, says Lt Brockmann. He takes part in deployments abroad regularly for four to six months.

Lt Brockmann, who joined the Bundeswehr in 2007, is very familiar with difficult and impassable terrain both as part of his job and privately. He has a mountain biking coaching license and coaches his colleagues in Euskirchen. He enjoys mountain biking and exploring mountains by via ferrata for leisure.