Operator integrates multiple systems with the Sit(x) solution to enhance situational awareness.
Realistic training to speed readiness and collaboration
As a former Army officer deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, I learned firsthand that situational awareness—my understanding of surroundings—made the difference between a mission’s success or failure. Each day, I saw that our situational awareness gave us an edge on the battlefield.
Since I retired from the Army, new technology, including items made by Booz Allen, has helped warfighters and first responders better analyze and understand all the information they receive in a given day. The new tools provide data-backed insights, enabling better, faster decision-making.
At Booz Allen’s recent Tactical Assault Kit Pro-Am event, military members and first responders had the chance to use this tech in realistic scenarios. It provided the opportunity for the 126 participants to share and gain knowledge of these new, cutting-edge tools.
Commercial Technology to Accelerate Awareness and Decisions
Held in early 2025 at Reveille Peak Ranch in Texas, the three-day Pro-Am empowered users to experiment with tools compatible with the TAK framework, such as the Booz Allen Sit(x)® and Gv™ utility and technology from vendors from across the TAK ecosystem. These systems bring together information data from multiple sources and compile it an easy-to-read format, making it possible to respond to threats and make decisions faster.
Commercial vendor solutions collect high-resolution BlackSky imagery, showcase space-based data in TAK, and use AI-enabled outputs to receive intelligence quickly.
Todd Krokowski, director of Booz Allen TAK solutions, arranged for tech teams at the Pro-Am to connect these solutions ahead of time so that when a participant flew a drone, for example, the video feed could be used by multiple teams simultaneously. Booz Allen tech experts and our partners also showed participants how to employ their solutions to further enhance the capabilities found within the TAK ecosystem.
Sit(x), used by defense, law enforcement, and first-responder teams, provides situational awareness to support operations and intelligence gathering. With it, users can view teammates' actions and communicate with them in real time. It’s a technology-agnostic mobile solution that enables seamless connectivity between Android (ATAK), Windows (WinTAK), web (Dashboard), and iOS (iTAK) users within the same operating environment, allowing for live communications.
GvStreamer, used by defense and national security organizations, delivers full-motion streaming video to enhance their situational awareness.
Mission-Focused Competition
The event’s culmination was the Pro-Am competition, which focused on real-life situations for three simulated missions: reconnaissance, medical assistance (pilot recovery), and black box recovery.
For Pilot Recovery, contestants were asked to:
- Connect the TAK solutions to the field equipment
- Navigate to the hypothetical pilot’s position using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) connected to TAK
- Provide a digital situation report (sitrep)
- Access biometrics to assess the pilot’s condition
- Issue a medical evacuation (medevac) request in military-standard 9-line format
Participants competed in groups of eight, rotating through the three scenarios to apply their training. Vendor subject matter experts acted as advisors, while Booz Allen TAK professionals facilitated the contest.
It was an honor and an inspiration to see these mission-ready technical solutions in action. If the military units I had the honor of serving with had been able to use these innovations years ago, we would have had far better situational awareness that would have turbo-charged our combat effectiveness. Needless to say, we look forward to hosting TAK Pro-Am again next year!
