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One Network Connecting All
The U.S. Army is in the midst of a series of tests to determine the readiness of a single battlefield network poised to provide soldiers with enhanced operations integration. By Kris Osborn, ASA (AL&T) The U.S. Army is vigorously immersed in an ambitious, farreaching Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) at White Sands Missile Range, NM, designed to simultaneously test programs of record and assess a host of emerging network technologies, the services’ senior leaders said. The NIE, which includes five programs of record going though formal Limited User Tests (LUT) and a host of emerging or developmental technologies undergoing various evaluations, … Continue reading
Joint, Coalition Partners Prep IBCT for Combat in Afghanistan
By Casey E. Bain and Marie La Touche, JFIIT, USJFCOM Soldiers from the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), Baumholder, Germany, and joint and coalition partners from eight nations completed a unique exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) that focused on enhancing joint and combined fires, as well as improving the integration of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets to better prepare the unit for the irregular warfare environment they will face in Afghanistan. This capstone training event for the 170th IBCT included vital support from the U.S. Air Force Europe (USAFE) Warrior Preparation Center, known as the … Continue reading
Blue Force Times Ten
The U.S. Army is upgrading its tried and true Blue Force Tracking System to accommodate data throughput at speeds much faster than current platform capability. By Kris Osborn, PEO C3T Public Affairs The U.S. Army is in the midst a host of high-tech upgrades to it force tracking system – Force XXI Battle Command Brigade-and- Below (FBCB2) – to include new, next-generation software and a new, faster satellite network, service officials said. As part of this overall effort, the Army is preparing to deploy the high-tech, high-speed Blue Force Tracking (BFT) 2 — a force tracking satellite communications network. Although … Continue reading
BCT Comms: Deploying Wideband Tactical Networking to the Tactical Edge
By Brook Reinhold, Harris RF Communications Brook Reinhold, an applications engineer for Harris RF Communications, is a former communications chief for the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Reinhold and two colleagues—Will Fletcher and Mike Gonzalez—recently spent several months working with an Army Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan to deploy the first-ever battalion-level mobile wideband radio network for front-line personnel. This network consists primarily of Harris Falcon III® AN/PRC-117G tactical radios and meshes with larger networks at brigade and above. This is Reinhold’s personal account of bringing this vital new capability to currently deployed forces. FROM SATCOM BEGINNINGS A lifetime ago, I was trained to carry telephone wire to provide communications … Continue reading
In a SNAP: Bridging C4ISR Gaps with SATCOM Boost
The U.S. Army is employing COTS know-how to extend SATCOM speed and integrateable reach. By Amy Walker, staff writer for Symbolic Systems, Inc. supporting Army PEO C3T Project Manager Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (PM WIN-T) is bridging gaps in C4ISR created by rugged terrain and sparse infrastructure by deploying transportable Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) SIPR/NIPR Access Point (SNAP) satellite terminals that can deploy far quicker than their traditional counterparts. “These terminals get network battle command to the tactical edge,” said Lt. Col. Gregory Coile, product manager, Satellite Communications (PM VSATCOM). Certain locations in theater create … Continue reading
WIN-T Take Two: Second Increment of Army Combat Comms Network
The U.S. Army is preparing to field the next generation in tactical communications to better connect command and warfghter. By Amy Walker, Staff Writer for Symbolic Systems, Inc. supporting Army Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) By amplifying warfighter capability and battle rhythm tempo, the second increment of the Army’s tactical communications network will greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of armored and mechanized forces. Once fielded with Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2, Heavy (H), Infantry (I), and Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCT) will be able to communicate on-the-move (OTM), increasing speed of maneuver on the battlefield … Continue reading
SUGV: BCT Modernizer and Force Multiplier
U.S. Army Brigade Combat Teams are fielding a small unmanned ground vehicle (SUGV), the XM1216, to perform critical surveillance and reconnaissance missions, keeping warfighters out of harm’s way. Submitted by Unmanned Ground Vehicles Product Management Office, PEO GCS U.S. Army Brigade Combat Teams are fielding the Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) officially known as the XM1216. The SUGV has been developed to perform critical surveillance and reconnaissance missions to increase the distance between the warfighter and the potential threat. SUGV Go Ahead In February 2011, the Defense Acquisition Board formalized approval to purchase additional SUGVs under the U.S. Army’s Brigade … Continue reading
USMC Combat Operations Center: Deployable, Tactical C2
The U.S. Marine Corps is continuing to field the next-generation in mobile tactical command and control (C2) to provide joint commanders with common operational data in real time. By Mike Fallon, Director, Marine Corps Programs for General Dynamics C4 Systems U.S. Marine Corps Combat Operations Centers (COCs) have raised the bar for deployable, tactical command and control (C2) facilities for the U.S. military. The first operations center contract was awarded to General Dynamics C4 Systems in 2002. Since then, General Dynamics, the prime contractor for the program, has delivered more than 360 operations centers in support of Marine Corps training … Continue reading
Small and Flying Tall
Hand-launched unmanned aerial systems are finding prolific application in immediate, special unit intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. By Steve Gitlin and Bryan da Frota, AeroVironment, Inc. Not since World War II was fought simultaneously in the vastly different European and Pacific theaters have U.S. military operations been engaged at the same time in two such diverse and equally challenging territories as Afghanistan’s mountainous, remote terrain and Iraq’s urban environments. While military challenges some 65 years ago were addressed with the most cutting-edge innovations for their time, they were more suited for the massive standing armies that fought then. Today’s threat … Continue reading