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The Army is rolling out a series of \u201cmassive changes\u201d to its tactical network capabilities to provide operational units with expeditionary network systems that are more mobile, hardened, and easier to operate, officials said.<\/p>\nEl Ej\u00e9rcito USA est\u00e1 implementando una serie de ‘cambios masivos’ en sus capacidades de red t\u00e1ctica para proporcionar a las unidades operativas sistemas de red expedicionaria que sean m\u00e1s m\u00f3viles, resistentes y f\u00e1ciles de operar.<\/p>\n
The Army is rolling out a series of \u201cmassive changes\u201d to its tactical network capabilities to provide operational units with expeditionary network systems that are more mobile, hardened, and easier to operate, officials said.<\/p>\n
Through 2028, the Army will initiate a bi-annual scheduled release of capability sets, all while making continuous enhancements to the network through the insertion of new technologies.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the Army will receive feedback from a series of Soldier-led capability experiments and evaluations to make informed network design decisions, said Col. Garth Winterle, Integrated Tactical Network experimentation lead for Capability Set 2021, or CS21.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the [Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical] perspective, nothing is sacred \u2014 to include programs of record,\u201d Winterle said. \u201cIt is time to take a hard look at ourselves, do the analysis, and find out where trades can be made.\u201d<\/p>\n
PEO C3T and PEO Soldier, in partnership with the Network Cross-Functional Team and commercial agencies, have partnered to meet the list of priorities within the network implementation plan, officials said. The plan aligns with the Army\u2019s network modernization strategy.<\/p>\n
The initial CS21 will incorporate smaller, lighter, and faster communications technologies, easy-to-use applications and devices, and multiple ways to connect through the deployment of a mesh-like network.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time we are assessing new capabilities against existing capabilities to determine if there are potential tradeoffs,\u201d Winterle said. \u201cFor instance, if we can find a less expensive or better way to do things, we\u2019re open to trading that program of record capability.\u201d<\/p>\n
INTEGRATED TACTICAL NETWORK<\/strong> PEO C3T is teaming up with Army Training and Doctrine Command capability managers to take a hard look across all of the formations and cater a suite of ITN capabilities to meet the needs of each unit, Winterle said.<\/p>\n For starters, officials look to bolster the network-communications capabilities starting at the battalion level. At the same time, PEO C3T is determined to put the \u201cright radio, at the right place,\u201d and at the right quantity at the company level and below.<\/p>\n With the inclusion of a \u201csecure but unclassified, or SBU,\u201d communication\u2019s architecture into the ITN, the Army now has more opportunities to communicate all while driving down cost, Winterle said.<\/p>\n By incorporating SBU into the network, Soldiers will be able to leverage commercial cellular networks, such as 4G, LTE and WiFi, along with other commercial wavelengths to communicate. Further, Soldiers will be able to supplement these networks as needed to increase connectivity, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cA move to the SBU architecture at the battalion and below increases our options to share radios and a common operating picture with a coalition force,\u201d Winterle said.<\/p>\n SBU IMPROVES NETT WARRIOR\u00a0<\/strong> Nett Warrior, or NW, is an integrated situational awareness system for dismounted leaders, accessible through a mobile phone type of device affixed to their person, officials said.<\/p>\n Through the system, leaders have access to a geo-referenced map application, which provides them with their location and the position of other NW-equipped personnel or equipment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we changed over from having a classified network to [SBU], it changed the classification of our devices, which then changed the opportunities of what networks we can connect to,\u201d Elgort said.<\/p>\n Under CS21, PEO C3T is also evaluating TSM waveform enabled devices and its role in the integrated network. With the addition of the new waveform and the ability to access other SBU networks, Nett Warrior has seen an overall increase in functionality.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is all about how much data you can move and how you can connect it and interoperate between Soldiers,\u201d Elgort said. \u201cYou can now stream video from an unmanned aerial vehicle, you can send pictures \u2014 we can do a lot. It opens up the aperture of things we can do with this software.\u201d<\/p>\n The classification level of the radio network also dictates the security level of the NW device, Elgort said. With the introduction of SBU, Soldiers can now store applicable communications equipment, to include NW-enabled devices, at their location.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time I want to use [a Nett Warrior device and radio], I no longer have to go see someone, draw the equipment out [from a secure locker], and monitor it,\u201d said Staff Sgt. Jason Roseberry, assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.<\/p>\n Over the past year, Roseberry experimented with Nett Warrior and other CS21 equipment.<\/p>\n \u201cI can now issue it like any piece of equipment, just like I would issue a laptop to my Soldiers,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat that did is allow [Soldiers] to train on the equipment, daily.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaving situational awareness is a game-changer,\u201d Roseberry added. \u201cIt makes Soldiers easy to talk to and easy to find. [Nett Warrior] pretty much enhances every mission.\u201d<\/p>\n TETHERED DRONE ANTENNAS<\/strong> Tethered drone antennas could be an answer.<\/p>\n \u201cThese [devices] are aerial assets that are tethered to a base station,\u201d Elgort said. \u201cThey don\u2019t produce a radio frequency, and all the power and data is transmitted through the tether so it can\u2019t be jammed. We can put a [repeater] node on the platform, put it into the air, and extend our network out 25 kilometers.\u201d<\/p>\n The Army is currently evaluating two variants to support battalion-level and company-level tactical networks. The company-level drone can reach a max elevation of 200 feet, while the battalion one can reach 300 feet, Elgort said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe company variant can be put into the back of a vehicle,\u201d he added. \u201cAny military vehicle with a vehicle inverter can power [the drone]. You can even drive with it up in the air up to 30 mph, and it can fly in 25-knot winds.\u201d<\/p>\n Equipping units with tethered drones could eliminate the need for them to stop and put up an antenna to establish communications, Elgort said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw when we were at a [Network Integration Evaluation] at Fort Bliss, Texas, we were able to extend our bubble 25 kilometers, which is beyond the needs of most tactical units,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n FUTURE CAPABILITY SETS<\/strong> \u201cThey will exercise new capabilities and provide us the feedback,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will continue to poll them on what needs to be improved \u2014 what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not working.\u201d<\/p>\n Moving forward, CS 2023 will introduce more capacity, improvements in resiliency that allow the Army to fight through communications jamming, and increased bandwidth and line-of-site capability through low- and medium-orbit satellites, Winterle said.<\/p>\n CS 2025 looks to introduce cloud capabilities to the Army\u2019s network, to include automated switching capabilities, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, your phone switches between WiFi and LTE seamlessly and you don\u2019t have to do anything about it,\u201d Winterle said. \u201cWe want that same kind of capability when we established multiple options to connect to a network.\u201d<\/p>\n By CS 2027, the Army hopes to incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to help augment a commander\u2019s decision-making process, he said.<\/p>\n Future command posts will also be designed to operate at low electromagnetic signatures, he said, adding the Army could employ the use of electromagnetic spectrum decoys to slow the enemy\u2019s ability to detect key command and control infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\nStarting with CS21, Soldiers will have access to better ways to facilitate mission command via the Integrated Tactical Network, or ITN. PEO C3T and PEO Soldier officials discussed future capabilities Wednesday during an Army Tactical Network Capability Set 21 demonstration.<\/p>\n
\nWith the incorporation of SBU architecture into the Integrated Tactical Network, Soldiers now have access to increased capabilities through the Nett Warrior system, said Maj. Ken Elgort, an assistant program manager with PEO Soldier. This is just one example of what the Army is doing to improve the ITN under CS21.<\/p>\n
\nDepending on the environment the Army is training or fighting in, maintaining line-of-site communications can be a challenge, especially for expeditionary units. Officials are looking into improved technologies to keep Soldiers connected while on the move.<\/p>\n
\nThe 82nd Airborne\u2019s 1st BCT in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will be the first to receive the initial ITN equipment as part of CS21. Fielding of the ITN will begin in early 2020 as they prepare for an upcoming global response force mission, Winterle said.<\/p>\n