TO A NETWORK MARKETPLACE
the latest technology as it adapts to changing circumstances— without losing control over the integration and fielding process, and while keeping the capabilities simple for the Soldier.
A ‘CRAZY TIME’ What followed Force XXI was a decade of leaps forward and steps sideways, punctuated by major capability enhancements and an atmosphere in which commercial capabilities often arrived in theater without the Army’s typical level of vetting, training or oversight. Te deluge of operational needs statements from the field reflected the demand for information technology, as commanders recognized the value of digital maps, messag- ing, command and control, sensors and other capabilities for visualizing and executing missions across a complex battlefield. Te push to deliver new capabilities ensured troops had the tools they needed in the fight, but created a situation where the result- ing systems often didn’t interoperate with one another, were too complex for Soldiers to use without dedicated field support, and sometimes ended up forgotten in a shipping container after one unit left and another took its place.
“It was an entirely crazy time,” said Chuck Pizzutelli, then a lead systems engineer for the PEO. “It was a learning process of, ‘How do we do this, without negatively affecting the overall performance of the system of systems?’ ”
BUILDING ENCLAVES
MAJ Jason A. Foreman, network operations director for the 35th Signal Brigade (Theater Tactical) (TTSB), tries on personal protective equipment at Fort Gordon, GA, in October 2014 before deploying to Liberia in support of Operation United Assistance. Capitalizing on more than a decade of lessons learned, the Army is now working to bring emerging information technology to field operations. For Operation United Assistance, it fielded secure Wi-Fi, commercial network enclaves and additional communications capabilities to West Africa to facilitate information sharing and collaboration between military units and non- governmental organizations battling the Ebola virus. (U.S. Army photo by CPT Lindsay D. Roman, 35th TTSB Public Affairs)
To impose a more deliberate structure, the acquisition com- munity worked with the Army CIO/G-6 to introduce software blocking, Army interoperability certification, unit set fielding and other processes. Together, these processes aimed to ensure systems were tracked to a common baseline, were able to com- municate with one another and were deliberately fielded and trained. However, they primarily applied to programs of record, not the quick-reaction commercial capabilities that flooded into theater.
Now, with the accumulated wisdom of Force XXI, two wars and key process changes since, the Army once again stands on the threshold of change. Recognizing the important role that infor- mation plays in the new Army Operating Concept and an agile, expeditionary force, the Program Executive Office for Com- mand, Control and Communications – Tactical (PEO C3T) is introducing a “network marketplace” model to efficiently sup- port evolving needs. Treating digitization as an ongoing journey, this approach will create the conditions for the Army to access
48 Army AL&T Magazine April–June 2015
Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom (OEF and OIF) pro- duced innovations that saved lives and became a lasting part of the force. Te Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) and counter rocket, artillery and mortar systems lev- eraged commercial and government technologies and moved to the field faster because of wartime priorities. Software-defined radios demonstrated the potential of extending the network to lower echelons and dismounted troops.
Te wars opened the door for Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) systems like Command Post of the Future, which synthesized mission command information on
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172
