With the great strides being made in tactical communications, I’ve been touting 2016 as “The Year of the Tactical Radio.” As it turns out, I might just be right.
By mid-2016, all of the contracts needed by the Army to acquire its “bits and pieces” of the network will be in place. This includes WIN-T Increment 2, the Mid-tier Networking Vehicular Radio (MNVR), the HMS Manpack and the Rifleman Radio. This milestone is a great achievement and was made possible in large part due to the Army’s commitment to bringing networked communications into the modern era.
While many of these “pieces” will be undergoing operational testing into the next calendar year, we have enough confidence in the operational capability that it is time to start putting the network together. The next challenge for the Army is how to operationally introduce these new communications systems into a network that soldiers can use reliably to improve lethality, survivability and effectiveness across all levels, units and geographies.
Tackling this next phase requires a plan for Army-wide adoption of all of these new tools to achieve its end goals. This plan requires training for integration into operational scenarios and above all, leadership to drive the culture changes needed for the new technology to succeed.
Other services have faced similar challenges as they moved to operationalize network modernization efforts, though none on the Army’s massive scale. For example, it took several years for the Marine Corps to adapt its operational culture to make the most effective use of its new battlefield communications system, the AN/PRC-117G. The Marines’ radio system enables mobile ad-hoc wideband networking across the battlefield for voice and high-bandwidth communications, including collaborative voice, and data and video streaming.
Similarly, the Special Operations Command has worked this challenge by integrating and training on the Manpack AN/PRC-117G and AN/PRC-152 handheld radio systems to meet requirements for next-generation tactical communications.
As of this writing, the Army now has the hard work ahead needed to achieve the admirable goal of simplifying the network for soldiers. Now that the technology components are coming into place, the next step in this network journey is keeping focused on the roadmap to integrate the largest and most advanced mobile battlefield network in the world.
Is this an attempt to test a Big Bang theory of network integration — all these systems tossed into the field and viola, you have a fantastic network? Based on my experience, I hope not.
To date, the Army’s commitment to network modernization has been an effective combination of leadership and planning. The Program Executive Office for Command Control Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) has made major steps forward, spending years of effort in the design of what is essentially a secure version of a mobile Internet for the battlefield. Along with technologies that are powerful, yet intuitive and easy to use, the PEO C3T has developed a Network Modernization Roadmap to help government and industry better focus research and development efforts on continuing technology innovation in this crucial area.
Software-defined radio technology such as the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) or the WIN-T— the Army’s on-the-move, high-speed, high-capability backbone communications network — are only enablers. The power lies in the soldiers’ and commanders’ application of the technology.
Clearly, the integration of the nine major communication systems is a journey that has to begin with a first step. As basic as this sounds, a signal soldier must be tied to the commander’s intent and scheme of maneuver in order to anticipate where to position the network to meet these requirements.
No software or device can do this. It requires a trained, seasoned signal soldier, backed by an organizational culture that supports these new ways of transmitting and receiving vital information. Despite budget constraints and cutbacks, training and network introductions must be funded if all the years of investment are to pay off as intended.
Leadership to ensure this real-world training and mentorship takes place is essential. The Army will have to adapt to its new tools. Certainly the SINCGARS remains a reliable network component. It must now, however, be integrated into a wider, more connected and secure Internet for the battlefield that can meet the challenges such as those the Army faced in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as overcome threats on future battlefields.
MG (retired) Dennis Moran is the vice president of Government Business Development for Harris Corporation.
