SEAMLESS WAVEFORMS


TEAM EFFORT


PEO C3T and Network Cross-Functional Team members and vendors assess commercial waveform strength during their Rapid Innovation Fund capstone event at Yakima Training Center.


ASSESSING THE PACE


Soldiers with the 1/504 PIR participate in the Rapid Innovation Fund capstone event, where they assessed three separate commercial waveforms designed to enhance the PACE plan for Soldiers operating in contested or congested environments.


Kathryn Bailey: Please explain primary, alternate, contingency and emergency plans, and how commercial waveforms fit into the equation.


Lt. Col. Brian Wong: PACE [primary, alternate, contingency and emergency] plans are created to provide continuity of commu- nications from user to user, or Soldier to Soldier. Commercial waveforms are a set of software instructions that dictate things such as wavelengths, encryption and rapid frequency changes. Even though the enemy can jam one or more of these waveforms, it would be nearly impossible to jam every single one. If we provide multiple wavelengths, or pathways, we can ensure redundant communications in congested or contested environments—both of which can degrade or deny Soldier communications. Auto- mated failover is critical since most Soldiers are not trained to manipulate complex network configurations. When we provide automated failover PACE plans, we are seamlessly routing data to the unjammed wavelengths. Soldiers are unaware of what is happening in the background and are therefore able to concen- trate on the mission.


Bailey: What is meant by nontraditional vendors?


Dr. Sayeed Hasan: Nontraditional vendors are those who may have mature, relevant technologies, but they have not typically been embedded in a program of record. Tey are just looking for an opportunity, and guidance, on how to introduce their tech- nologies to the government. In this case, they had to explain to us how they would integrate their technologies into the tactical network. However, there is one caveat—the vendor’s capabil- ity must have been tested in a relevant environment. OSD [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] makes occasional exceptions if the capability is deemed “game-changing” and if it meets other strict criteria. During the RIF effort, we leveraged an OTA [other- transaction authority] process, which is tied to the RIF process, to award contracts for prototype capability and experimentation.


Bailey: How are PEO C3T and the Network Cross-Functional Team implementing the Rapid Innovation Fund process?


Wong: We began our RIF 2017 process in April 2018 by post- ing a request from the Network Cross-Functional Team for white


72 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2020


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