By: Mark Pomerleau
The Army has outlined a unlike network blueprint based on a serial of programs as well as systems making the Army to a greater extent than lethal as well as faster. (U.S. Army)
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Rather, the modernization effort, known every bit the integrated tactical network, is a concept that looks to usage a serial of existing systems – including radios, tablets as well as satellite communications capabilities – to enable greater connectivity to units battalion as well as below. In a novel approach the Army is calling the integrated tactical network, the service is seeking to enable greater mission ascendency at lower echelons.
“What we’re doing, this isn’t a novel network. We’re non replacing anything. What we’re doing is we’re basically taking programme of tape as well as we’re looking at injecting commercial off the shelf items to come across where nosotros tin heighten or amend our capabilities,” Lt. Col. Brandon Baer, production manager, told reporters at the Army’s Network Integration Evaluation at Fort Bliss inward slowly October.
Baer, every bit good every bit other officials receive got said the ITN’s goals include a to a greater extent than simplified network for full general role soldiers as well as beingness able to plain this simpler build faster than the electrical current procurement timeline.
What work is the ITN solving?
Officials said the ITN volition assist the Army travel to a greater extent than lethal as well as faster, a critical attribute for futurity conflicts against close peer adversaries.
Through an Android device strapped to soldiers’ chests, troops inward the plain tin access a shared photograph or map amongst information as well as imagery providing unprecedented situational awareness. This non solely allows these soldiers to know where others inward the plain are, but likewise allows those inward the ascendency post to know where the soldiers are as well as creates a shared agreement throughout the unit.
Improved synchronization likewise allows for faster mission command. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 battalion executive officer, Maj. John Intile, of the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, told reporters the ITN provides a unmarried graphic that is shared across the forcefulness allowing him to utter to battalion commanders as well as fellowship commanders. His fellowship commanders tin likewise part information for the entire forcefulness to see.
This allows the forcefulness to solve multiple problems simultaneously, Intile said.
“This is 1 of the biggest capabilities that it gives me because I tin chat, because I tin utter on 2 unlike radios, I tin bounce from 1 channel to the adjacent hence my forcefulness can, if nosotros utter nearly the enemy providing you lot amongst multiple dilemmas, I tin deal as well as counter numerous dilemmas fourth dimension as well as fourth dimension as well as fourth dimension again,” he said, referencing the Army’s novel two-channel radios that enable forces to access 2 waveforms on the same box inward the effect that the enemy jams one.
How is the ITN different?
Across the entire Army, overstep service leaders receive got charged organizations to produce things differently as well as to produce it faster.
In the past, the armed forces would pose a programme out to bid inward a long drawn out procedure that could receive got years inward approximately cases, inward most cases marriage ceremony the armed forces to a vendor or household unit of measurement of vendors for the duration of the contract.
Not anymore. Army leaders promise the ITN build volition allow for continuous conception as well as rapid insertion of novel technologies as well as systems from a diversity of vendors every bit a means to remain ahead of engineering scientific discipline trends.
Officials said they hold off to rely on a steady current of experiments to exam the network’s novel concepts as well as systems.
“It helps us hold stride amongst engineering scientific discipline … because it gives us an chance to hold upwards amongst manufacture as well as tweak things every bit nosotros go, amongst user feedback as well as likewise inject capabilities depending on what the unit of measurement has [and] what the unit’s missions are,” Baer said.
The vision is the Army won’t live on wedded to a unmarried vendor, but rather rely on multiple vendors for the programs as well as systems that brand upwards the ITN.
Once the Army has an established baseline based on what it learns from continuous experimentation, officials said the that production won’t travel to the entire Army.
“We’ve seen when we’ve purchased radios as well as nosotros state ‘Okay, to acquire them out to the whole Army based on resources constraints it takes a long fourth dimension to plain everything to the Army,’ as well as apparently engineering scientific discipline is changing real quickly,” Baer said. “By doing this, we’re making certain nosotros tin proceed to aspect at where industry’s going, where technology’s going as well as injecting it into our process.”
Top Army officials inward accuse of the network modernization receive got said patch the electrical current ITN seek has focused on battalion as well as below, the destination is to eventually scale to a brigade.
The Army hopes to laid about equipping units amongst a novel network blueprint past times 2020.
“The kickoff sort of destination post ... over the adjacent 12-18 months is defining what this integrated tactical network capability ready should aspect similar inward the diverse formations as well as and hence laid about fielding. We desire to start fielding units, similar kickoff units equipped on a conveyor belt, starting inward ’20,” Maj. Gen. Peter Gallagher, managing director of the Network Cross Functional Team told reporters Oct. 9.
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