From Air Traffic Management to Close Air Support: Firentis presents a new C2 application for Joint Fire Deconfliction

News Report

As reported by Digital Battlespace, Frequentis is going to demonstrate a new Command and Control application to the German Bundeswehr next week. The application, named Smart Collaboration @ Joint Fires (SC@JF), has been designed to enable deconfliction between joint fire support cells and is expected to support NATO ISAF fire support operations in Afghanistan, including Close Air Support (CAS).

Defence sources who conducted such operations with NATO's ISAF in Afghanistan during 2010 said a lack of deconfliction between fire missions had caused concern. They admitted that 'mistakes' had been made and called for a software programme to replace 'pen and paper' typically used in Tactical Operations Centres (TOCs) at that time.

The Technology

Firentis' Smart Collaboration @ Joint Fires (SC@JF) is based on a previous solution that was developed for safety critical mission support in Air Traffic Management, named SmartStrips. The new product, that is still in a demonstration phase, is based on a distributed and fail-safe architecture combining three major elements: clients serving as flexible human machine interface, virtual servers as highly reliable service suppliers, and adapters providing universal external interfaces for data exchange with other information systems (including an interface to MIP-compliant systems).

Designed for command posts at brigade and division levels, a typical configuration for the system comprises two large touchscreen displays that automatically upload data from joint terminal attack controllers and alike on the ground. Displays include logging of friendly and enemy positions as well as target information; operational assessments including rules of engagement; risk assessment comprising 'danger close' parameters; and a compilation of effects available to complete the tasking. Information is automatically disseminated to multiple touchscreens- also available in wi-fi tablet form- around an operations room allowing the various specialists involved in a CAS mission to see and verify all the data.

SC@JF incorporates military concepts, including standard operating procedures and standardized processes, in the domain of Joint Fire Support and offers a highly innovative Collaboration and Decision Support Environment. The envisaged use of the system would be to assist operational staff to plan and coordinate engagements and analyse targets from strategic down to tactical level of command.

References: Digital Battlespace (1), Firentis (2)

Contract Award: SELEX Sistemi Integrati to support Italian Army's Out of Area Operations

News Report

As announced in a recent press release, Finmeccanica's SELEX Sistemi Integrati has been awarded new contracts worth a total of EUR 120 million.

The first contract, signed with the Italian Ministry of Defence, concerns the protection system upgrade for Italian Forward Operating Bases (FOB) and Fire Support Bases (FSB) operating in Afghanistan. SELEX Sistemi Integrati, as head of a temporary grouping of enterprises with two other Finmeccanica companies, SELEX Galileo and OTO Melara, will be responsible for the construction, installation and integration of the entire system.

The second contract, also signed with the Italian Ministry of Defence, relates to the upgrading of
various operational functions of the command and control system (SIACCON2) developed by SELEX Sistemi Integrati for the Italian Army and the connective infrastructure currently used by Italy’s Armed Forces in Afghanistan. This contract was also awarded to SELEX Sistemi Integrati as prime contractor of a temporary grouping of enterprises with other Finmeccanica companies, including SELEX Elsag and Telespazio.

SELEX Sistemi Integrati has signed further contracts with the Italian Ministry of Defence to maintain the Italian Army Information Management System (SIGE) and to develop new system services and functions for all of Italy’s Armed Forces.

Finally, the company has signed a contract with NATO agency NAHEMA both to develop the new mission planning system for the A129 combat helicopter, and to update the technology used in the mission planning system of the NH90 tactical transport helicopter. Both aircraft are used by the Italian Army.

The Technology

SELEX Sistemi Integrati has developed in the recent years a family of products and solutions for providing surveillance and protection of critical sites, including military bases, vital national infrastructures, power plants and industrial sites. These solutions exploit state-of-the-art middleware technologies, such as the Data Distrubution Service, for supporting systems integration, network-centric interoperability, plug-and-play system configuration, and operational flexibility. Under the terms of the contract, the surveillance integrated systems that will be provided to Italian Army include the man-portable LYRA10 radar, designed and manufactured by the same company, and several electro-optical sensors by SELEX Galileo. The supply also includes the creation of command and surveillance posts for the systems management, surveillance systems for airport areas, camera integrated systems for the internal surveillance of entrances, robotic systems in “combat” version manufactured by OTO Melara for the protection of the bases, acoustic systems by SELEX Galileo able to locate the fire sources. SELEX Sistemi Integrati will also be responsible for the transport, installation in site and the integration and management of all the systems installed.

SELEX Sistemi Integrati is also Prime Contractor and Design Authority for the Italian Army's Automated Command and Control System, named SIACCON (Sistema Automatizzato di Commando e Controllo). The systems was introduced into the Italian Army in 2000 for supporting Division and Brigade level Command and Control operations, and was then upgraded by introduction of advanced interoperability mechanisms, additional Functional Areas, and for extending its functionalities at the lower echelons.

The system is now scalable both in hardware and software terms, enabling its use at all levels from Division to Platoon and squad level. The core system remains the same at all levels, but higher headquarters have a more comprehensive range of operational functions. A typical Command Post (CP) configuration consists of a fusion centre and one or more CP cells. The fusion centre contains database servers to store all the operational data, a family of servers to provide generic services such as Mail, Web, DHCP and DNS services, and telecommunication and encryption devices. The system uses standard common data models for database replication, enabling interoperability with other systems. SIACCON provides a common operational picture to all users, with live locational information provided via GPS. The system provides functional support across the full range of staff branches and also includes specific functionality to support Operations Other Than War (OOTW). General purpose capabilities include: digital mapping, vector and raster mapping, navigational functions, terrain analysis, and 3-D viewformal message.

The SIACCON system constitutes the Command and Control backbone of the Italian Army's Forza NEC network-enabled architecture for digitized units. SELEX Sistemi Integrati is the main supplier and system integrator, with other Finmeccanica companies and other indepentent firms providing specialized equipments and sub-systems.

Reference: Finmeccanica (1), SELEX Sistemi Integrati (2), Jane's (3)

Contract Award: General Dynamics to maintain U.S. Army's Common Ground Station system

News Report

As announced in a recent press release, General Dynamics has been awarded a five-year, $47 million follow-on contract to update and maintain the operational readiness of all Common Ground Stations (CGS) for the U.S. Army. General Dynamics will provide the spare parts, assemblies, engineering support and other logistics needed to keep the CGS fleet technically current and fully operational worldwide.

The System

Common Ground Stations are deployed by U.S. Army to assist commanders in the collection, analysis and distribution of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information gathered by airborne radar aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and other sensors.

The upgraded version of the system enables high quality imagery and video at ultra low bandwidth, directly to the soldier, providing multiple real time video feeds, Import/Export of all common imagery formats including NITF (National Imagery Transmission Format), and integrated transmit/receive imagery products across the network.

The Context

In 1996, the U.S. Army awarded the original Common Ground Station system contract to General Dynamics, ordering 102 systems. The first Common Ground Station was delivered to U.S. Army in 2000. In 2005, General Dynamics received the first contract to supply logistics and maintenance support for the fleet of Common Ground Stations.

Since 1996, General Dynamics' Common Ground Stations have been deployed in support of U.S. Forces operations, including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Global War on Terrorism, Bosnia/Kosovo, U.S. Forces Korea, and U.S. Forces Europe.
Comments

Mark Showah, director of Integrated Systems for General Dynamics C4 Systems, said, “This award reflects the continuing confidence our customer has in the system and the relevant capabilities it provides in support of vital Army and joint missions around the world.”

References: General Dynamics (1,2,3)

The U.S. Army's assessment of Company Level network-centric capabilities

U.S. Army photo by Claire Schwerin

News Report

This blog has already covered the development of the the second Network Integration Evaluation (NIE 12.1), i.e. the second in a series of semi-annual field exercises designed to rapidly integrate and mature the U.S. Army's tactical network. NIE 12.1 involved 3,800 Soldiers of the U.S. Army's 2nd Brigade and 1st Armored Division, which evaluated dozens of systems in operational scenarios.

A recent entry in the U.S. Army's hompage provides additional details regarding one of the key areas under evaluation in the last NIE, i.e. the capability to extend the interoperability to the lowest hierarchical units of the forces that are deployed in theatre. The three-week NIE 12.1 evaluation, which ended Nov. 19, helped in fact to assess the ability of most of the examined systems to deliver communications capability to those in the lowest echelons of the Army, the Soldiers who physically execute the Army's mission "at the tactical edge".

In this framework, among the key priorities evaluated during the various NIEs, there is is the role of the Company Command Post Nodes, or CoCPs, when involved in "mission command on-the-move". Inside the CoCP, company commanders can utilize critical collaborative mission command applications that were previously only available at levels above battalion. Included among those applications is Tactical Ground Reporting, which gives Soldiers the ability to collect, share and analyze patrol data in a central database, as well as collaborative environments like the Command Post of the Future (CPOF), and plan fire support mission systems as the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS).
The Company Command Post provides “drop-and-deploy” capabilities at static sites, including Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and Joint Common Operating Pictures (JCOPs). Deploying the CoCP Node across the battlefield creates a high bandwidth ad-hoc terrestrial mesh backbone network, minimizing reliance on satellite communications as the primary means for brigade and below communications.

The Company Command Post (CoCP) is also “mobile ready” and can be utilized on mobile platforms such as MRAPs, HMMWVs, or air assault via rotary wing aircraft, with the addition of an optional inertial navigation unit. Inside their Command Posts, company commanders can utilize Battle and Mission Command applications previously only available at the battalion and above levels including the ability to send and receive text messages and e-mails, utilize ground tactical data reporting systems 
One of the primary variants of the CoCP evaluated during NIE 12.1 was the Caiman mine-resistant, ambush-protected, or MRAP, tent-based CoCP. That variant provides Soldiers mission-critical command capabilities onboard the MRAP vehicle. When the mission becomes more stationary, Soldiers can employ the system's tent to maximize the CoCP capabilities.

A second variant is called the "Trailer Mounted Support System-Medium" This tent-based system is mounted in a trailer, and includes an 18-kilowatt generator and an environmental control unit. The system is integrated with critical mission command systems that take advantage of a SIPR/NIPR Access Point, or SNAP, terminal to provide satellite connectivity.

TMSS-Medium

During the next evaluation, NIE 12.2, which will happen in the spring of 2012, the U.S. Army will be evaluating two new variants of the CoCP, based on solutions chosen by the U.S. Department of the Army.

Comments

"I see the company as a massive intelligence and information-gathering point," said Capt. Scott DeWitt, who previously served as a company commander with 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division. The 2/1 AD was the unit involved in the NIEs. "It is the point where you are going to disseminate your orders, and they are going to get executed at the final tip of the spear -- the squad level."

"Extending the network down to the individual Soldier is a priority in the Army," said Maj. Brian Mack, CoCP trail boss at NIE 12.1. He said the CoCP is an important part of providing Soldiers at the tactical edge the ability to both send and receive data.

"The company command post solution is evolving and 12.1 is just another iteration of that evolution," said Lt. Col. Carl Hollister, product manager for Command Post Systems and Integration. "We don't yet know what the 100-percent answer will be. But whatever the final solution may be, it is key, particularly to a company, to provide a fully-integrated command post package that is sustainable with a training package that goes along with it."

References: U.S. Army (1,2), DRASH (3)

Project Review: the Afghan Mission Network

All ISAF forces (~100,000 additional users) must move to a common network to more effectively share information and resources across Afghanistan
(General Stanley McChrystal, USA, COMISAF)

History

ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) was created in accordance with the Bonn Conference in December 2001. Afghan opposition leaders attending the conference began the process of reconstructing their country by setting up a new government structure, namely the Afghan Transitional Authority. The concept of a UN-mandated international force to assist the newly established Afghan Transitional Authority was also launched at this occasion to create a secure environment in and around Kabul and support the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

On 11 August 2003 NATO assumed leadership of the ISAF operation, ending the six-month national rotations. The Alliance became responsible for the command, coordination and planning of the force, including the provision of a force commander and headquarters on the ground in Afghanistan.

For the majority of organizations operating in Afghanistan, the problem was not data scarcity. This was particularly evident after the first years of operations and interaction with military units, local and national leaders, regional and global media, fact-finding teams, governmental and non-governmental survey organizations, and an alphabet soup of other international actors. Rather than scarcity of data, it was both data overload and the “glare” of ambiguous, contradictory, inconsistent, latent, and incomplete reporting that often caused ISAF forces to avert their eyes and diffuse their attention from the underlying dynamics and relationships of key actors and drivers that really matter in the Afghan operating environment.

Already in 2006 the U.S. and NATO embarked on an effort to establish mail exchange between the NATO and U.S. mission networks. The U.S. mission network at the time was the Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System (called CENTRIXS) Global Counter Task Force (GCTF) and NATO operations were conducted on ISAF SECRET. This project sought to enable email exchange between the two networks. Although the objective was achieved (mail was exchanged), the solution included various guards, firewalls and intrusion detection systems that made it difficult to use and administer. It was so difficult that the system failed for 35 days without even being reported.

The next notable effort in NATO-national interoperability in Afghanistan was the UK-led effort, OVERTASK. With the UK forces deployed to Regional Command South and Helmand in 2005, there was a requirement for UK forces to be interoperable with coalition partners. The solution to meet this requirement was OVERTASK which was based on an enclave within the NATO mission network, ISAF SECRET. A portion of the ISAF SECRET was dedicated for the use of UK forces. As the UK operated on the same network as NATO forces, interoperability was assured. However, operating on the same network requires centralised configuration control. This centralised control maked it difficult for individual nations to install and operate their own nationally-developed systems without considerable coordination.

The real genesis of the Afghan Mission Network can be traced back to 2008, when the Afghanistan campaign plan was revised and the U.S. brass began to look for a way to develop a true mission network for Afghanistan. At that point the U.S. was mainly operating on SIPRnet and NIPRnet, while NATO and the coalition members were on the ISAF secret network. NATO funded an effort to provide voice, chat and Web access over a United Kingdom network called Overtask. But there was still not a real capability for the U.S. to communicate with coalition members at the secret level.

In order to increase situational awareness, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the ISAF and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, required each coalition nation to share information on a single information infrastructure, the Afghanistan Mission Network. On 7 April 2010, NATO’s resource committees formally approved the way ahead for the Afghan Mission Network project, which radically changed the way Nations contributing to the ISAF mission share information.

The Afghan Mission Network basically provided the connective tissue between the U.S. CENTRIXS (Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System), which is the theater version of SIPRNet, and NATO’s ISAF Secret network, to which the networks of the other ISAF nations connect. By law, SIPRnet does not allow access to non-U.S. users.

Initial operating capability for the network was declared in July 2010, signifying the availability of the network to at least 50 percent of all ISAF forces. AMN’s initial capabilities facilitated human-to-human contact that includes chat, VoIP telephone connectivity, e-mail, Web browsing, friendly force tracking exchange and video teleconferencing.

Analysis

Tipycally, Coalition forces do not easily share information, and Commanders had to gather at a central location to discuss plans without the use of advanced technology. Often, one of their only viable alternatives is to share mission-related information via "Sneaker net". This cumbersome practice called for the warfighter to transfer information onto removable media and manually move it from one system to another, which often is not secure, is very labor intensive, and prohibits information from being shared in a timely manner.

The Afghan Mission Network marks a strategic shift in the sharing of data.

U.S. Defense leaders and their counterparts from other nations say a network infrastructure linking coalition partners in Afghanistan has fundamentally changed the way the multinational effort has been conducted over the last several years. NATO, the U.S. military and other national forces say the Afghan Mission Network (AMN) as it now exists has been a game changer for operations in Afghanistan. Earlier efforts didn't work so well. As already stated, one progenitor to the AMN, geared toward bridging simple email capabilities between U.S. and NATO, was so cumbersome and hard to use that it went out of service for more than a month and no one noticed.

From their respective secure networks, and at their individual discretion, separate Coalition forces can share data, situational awareness and Commander’s intent across the battlefield on a centralized network.

AMN is also an example of technology that allows expeditionary forces to move their data as they deploy. Divisions install the AMN in their headquarters, which allow them to virtually move data when they deploy. This keep the units from having to physically move their servers and there is in principle no lag in the data because it is constantly being updated.

Nowaday, the success of the AMN is spreading beyond the ISAF coalition. Civilian partners in Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have expressed interest in being able to share information with the AMN.

AMN in brief

The Afghanistan Mission Network AMN is the primary Coalition C4ISR network in Afghanistan for all ISAF forces and operations consisting of the ISAF-Secret network as the core with national extensions.

The Afghan National Army furnishes the infrastructure to enable the U.S. and other Coalition forces to provide them with relevant, though selective, data and situational awareness, which does not compromise the security of any partner including the U.S. The Afghan National Army can then respond, making crucial decisions based on current and comprehensive data.

As already stated, the ISAF Secret Network provided by the NATO NC3A is the heart of the AMN. It is connected via six network interconnection points to CENTRIXS and to the networks contributed by Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada. “If Italy wants to talk to us, they can transition across the ISAF core from their network and talk to us over CENTRIXS,” said Lieutenant Colonel Andy McClelland, who is attached to NATO Allied Command Transformation headquarters in Norfolk. “The core is the glue the binds all of the networks together.”

The AMN allows nations to operate their own network within the ISAF SECRET classification, which seamlessly connects to the ISAF SECRET core through a series of Network Interconnect Points (NIPs).

AMN enables the 45 nations of the Coalition to unite and fight the enemy as a single force, leveraging the combined strength of each partner.

Red, Blue, Green, White

Different national networks use different viewers to examine data, i.e. the Canadians use a system called BattleView, the U.S. uses Command Post of the Future and the British have a system called JADOCS. The firts task of AMN was to make data available to all these viewers. “Data is published on a server,” said U.S. Army Colonel Pete Gallagher, chief of the ISAF CJ6 branch, at ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, “and users subscribe to that data.”

But while the common perception is that battlefield systems provide information about friendly and enemy forces - so called blue and red forces - in Afghanistan, it may be the green and white icons on the screen that make the real difference. Green is the color for the Afghanistan government and security forces, while white represents the local population centers. “We’re trying to separate the red and the white, the insurgents from the population, and insert the green between them, which is the Afghan government and the security forces,” said Col. Derek Orndorff, USA, the communications director for the ISAF Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan. “That information is not in the normal, everyday battle command systems that we just pull off the shelf. This is all stuff that is created from the bottom up, from the guys who are on patrol walking around in the bazaars, who had a key leader engagement with an elder in a village. That information has to get into the system in ways that we’ve never done it before. We’ve been getting after that here in Afghanistan.”

One way of providing access to that information has been to add a wiki capability to the AMN that allows tip-of-the-spear forces to share vital human intelligence at all levels. By clicking on a particular city or region, for example, a commander can research local leaders, based on impressions and information provided by personnel who have had first-hand encounters.

Cyber Issues

The Conficker computer virus, which was first detected in 2008, reared its ugly head on April 2011 in Afghanistan, where it was detected on the Afghan Mission Network.

“We had an older virus that showed up on the network, and when that older virus was discovered, we immediately isolated it, protected the rest of the network, identified what we needed to do, and in about five hours, everybody was operating normally again,” says Col. Derek Orndorff. “It was the Conficker worm. It was a success story from our perspective because our tools picked it up, we identified it, we protected the entire network, and we were able to defeat the challenge relatively quickly and get back to business instead of letting it become debilitating to us.”

Col. Orndorff credited network transparency for helping to quickly stamp out Conficker. “AFN is a very open and flat network, so if a user on an ISAF machine wants to see something on the United Kingdom OVERTASK, there’s no login, no firewalls, no certificates, no passwords. There’s nothing. What that means is that everyone who is part of the network has a shared vulnerability. Everybody shares the same risks. So therefore, when we have challenges, we have to have transparency between all the different parts and pieces or you’re going have problems with it,” he explained. Without that transparency, CENTRIXS network operators could have chosen to remain mum about the Conficker vulnerability, which would have allowed it to spread. “This incident was a perfect example of why this is so successful, because everybody understands where their piece is in this so we can all work together.”

Comments

“On the battlefields of Afghanistan, AMN has transformed the way Coalition Commanders share information,” said Brig. Gen. N. Lee S. Price, PEO for C3T. “Independent discussions and planning efforts between separate Commanders of different nations have been replaced by data sharing across AMN.”

References: DefenseSystems.com (1,2,6,10), NATO (3,4), CimicWeb (5), AFCEA (7,11), Military Information Technology (8), KZO Innovations (9)

U.S. Army concludes the NIE 12.1

News Report

Here in this blog we have extensively covered the recent exercises that have been scheduled by U.S. Army within the Network Integration Evaluation process (NIE). Establishing the NIE helped the U.S. Army employ a new agile acquisition process, since the U.S. Army now has a strategy to keep pace with industry and technological network advances and accelerate the pace of network modernization to a rate unachievable by traditional acquisition strategies.

As reported by the U.S. Army, the second Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE 12.1, has now concluded. The three-week event, represented the first time that all of the components of the U.S. Army network to be fielded in fiscal year 2013 were united and evaluated in a realistic operational environment. Soldiers at the lowest echelons were brought into the network, communicating through text messages, digital photos and chat rooms. Company commanders made quick decisions using information received in real time while moving around the battlefield. New hardware and software was integrated for the first time outside of a lab, and put to the test in mountainous desert terrain that mirrors the communications challenges in rugged places such as Afghanistan.

The second in a series of semi-annual field exercises designed to rapidly integrate and mature the U.S. Army's tactical network, NIE 12.1 involved 3,800 Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division evaluating dozens of systems in operational scenarios. Soldier feedback and test results from the NIEs are directly shaping the makeup of the U.S. Army's network Capability Set 13, which will begin fielding to up to eight brigade combat teams in fiscal year 2013. Additional brigades will receive the latest network assets as part of Capability Set 14. Those capability sets will include greater bandwidth to transmit voice, video and data across the battlefield, as well as the ability to bring situational awareness and mission command information down to the dismounted Soldier.

NIE 12.1 provided the means to test, evaluate, and conduct risk reduction on a number of systems. One of those systems is the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2, i.e. the U.S. Army’s on-the-move, high-speed, high-capacity backbone communications network, linking Warfighters on the battlefield with the Global Information Grid (GIG). WIN-T introduces a mobile, ad-hoc, self-configuring, self-healing network using satellite on-the-move capabilities, robust network management, and high-bandwidth radio systems to keep mobile forces connected, communicating, and synchronized.

NIE 12.1 was also host to the Joint Tactical Radio System, or JTRS, Rifleman Radio program of record test. This radio, which is carried by platoon, squad and team-level Soldiers for voice communications, can connect with handheld devices to transmit text messages, GPS locations and other data. Soldiers with 2/1 AD also informally evaluated more than 45 other systems, including solutions proposed by industry to meet the Army's identified network capability gaps.

The Context

The NIE process was born of the U.S. Army’s recognition that its requirements, testing and acquisition processes were too slow, expensive and complicated. Moreover, it did not include the operator’s perspective. This realization was in itself a minor miracle. Credit for this epiphany goes to the outgoing Vice Chief of Staff, General Peter Chiarelli.

The U.S. Army is including the individual soldier in the NIE process. The solutions are not being imposed on them by a program office or acquisition authority. The soldiers in the field are telling the evaluators what works and what does not, what else they want and how they want to employ these new capabilities.

The next event, known as NIE 12.2, will take place in the spring and further solidify the Capability Set 13 network. The six-week event will include the formal operational test for the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, known as WIN-T, Increment 2, the Army's on-the-move, satellite-based communications network, which was informally evaluated at NIE 12.1.

Comments

"We are getting a great look at connecting the Soldier to the network, and a fantastic look at mission command on the move -- for the first time in an operational setting," said Col. John Morrison, director of the Army G-3/5/7 LandWarNet-Battle Command Directorate. "For the first time we've got everything talking together, so now we can establish an integrated network baseline. It's just been phenomenal."

"Getting information technology to the field in a rapid fashion is what we're trying to do here," said Col. Dan Hughes, the Army's system of systems integration director. "Some of the systems that are here are systems that industry paid their money for, that they built, that they brought out, and are in the hands of Soldiers probably five to six years before they would be in the hands of Soldiers if we had gone through the regular (process). And they're getting feedback immediately."

"You can look back in history and think about how we commanded on the move," said  Brig. Gen. Randal A. Dragon, commanding general for the Brigade Modernization Command. "At one time we used messengers or runners. We've used flags while we were moving formations. We've used radios to be able to talk to one another. In this digital age, we're now able to pass information rapidly -- large quantities of information to create a common picture so that commanders can command effectively and get their Soldiers to the right place at the right time."

"It goes back to the basics of what we all do -- shoot, move and communicate," said Sgt. Ryan Moore. "All this equipment lets us do that faster. There's no shooting flares in the air to signal things anymore. I can call somebody, and everybody knows; we're all on the same page at the same time."

References: U.S. Army (1), Military.com (2), Defensemedianetwork (3), DefPro.com (4)

Exercise SUDARSHAN SHAKTI: Indian Army's biggest war game to date

News Report

As reported by Defense-Aerospace and other news sources, sixty thousand troops and 300 tanks of the Indian Armed Forces (IAF) are participating in the exercise codenamed 'Sudarshan Shakti', aimed at strengthening war fighting skills of army's Southern Command and IAF's South Western Air Command by bringing together all elements including air power on one single platform.  In this overall effort, Network Centric Warfare (NCW) is one of the crucial aspects being validated.

Spread over the "huge geographical area" in the deserts of Barmer, Jaisalmer, Pokhran and Pachparda, the exercise is going to ensure infusion of latest technology with the weapons and troops while providing a real-time information of the battlefront to the field commanders. The exercise will help the Southern Command to validate its war-fighting concepts while working towards 'capability- based approach' relying on a series of transformational initiatives, concepts, organisational structures and absorption of new age technologies, i.e. those in field of precision munitions, advance surveillance system, space and network-centricity.

The endeavour has been to validate and integrate the use of all available assets, including Satellites, UAVs and HUMINT to assist commanders in taking dynamic and proactive operational action in a fluid battlefield. Another important facet being validated is the real-time sensor-to-shooter loop, which enables commanders to take instant decisions even as information is shared among platforms and personnel to order the weapons to be deployed.

It appears as the first time that the Indian armed forces are going to test its new capability-based tactics in a battlefield scenario.  Under the new war-fighting concept, the entire combat resources and support elements will be managed through a single command centre at Pachpadra, which will use the latest technologies to get a complete picture of the battle. The battlefront will be managed seamlessly through the command centre or centres without the administrative “borders” of various commands slowing things down.

Once the efficacy of the doctrine has been established in the exercise, the theory would be implemented, paving the way for a radical re-structuring of the Indian command system as well as the Indian Army Headquarters.

References: Defense-Aerospace (1), rediff.com (2), Pakistan Defence (3), Deccan Herald (4), Defence News (5)

Network Integration Evaluation 12.1

News Report

Here in this blog we've already discussed about the benefit that U.S. Army is receiving through the Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) exercises (1,2), i.e. a serie of semi-annual evaluations designed to integrate and mature the U.S. Army’s tactical network.

In July 2011 the US Army concluded the first NIE. The evaluation was a six-week effort conducted at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., involving the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division (2/1 AD). Its primary purpose was to conduct formal tests of 6 Army Programs of Record, with a secondary purpose to less formally evaluate 29 developmental and emerging networked and non-networked capabilities. The July exercise was the first of this type of combined test and evaluation – a new process that demonstrated the U.S. Army’s holistic focus to integrate network components simultaneously in one operational venue.

Doctrinal results from the July 2011 NIE have shown two broad network findings for Capability Set 13: the U.S. Army lacks Soldier-level connectivity and unit mission command capabilities, and must develop comprehensive requirements accordingly.
The second event in that series, known as NIE 12.1, officially began on Oct. 31. A triad consisting of the U.S. Brigade Modernization Command, U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command and U.S. System of Systems Integration Directorate will integrate and assess a host of capabilities and determine their implications across doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, personnel and facilities, (known as DOTMLPF). During NIE 12.1, more than 3,800 Soldiers will operate the systems and employ them in various realistic combat scenarios in operationally relevant terrain designed to replicate the environment in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Army has three overarching priorities for NIE 12.1:

• Bringing lower-echelon Soldiers into the network
• Executing mission command while on the move
• Establishing an integrated baseline for the objective and bridge U.S. Army network architectures.

For the first time in an operational setting, Soldiers will attempt mission command on the move using WIN-T Increment 2. WIN-T Increment 2 is a major upgrade to the tactical network backbone that will extend satellite communications to the company level, allowing Soldiers to communicate seamlessly through voice, data, images and video -- even in complex terrain that can break line-of-sight radio connections.

 

While WIN-T Increment 2's formal operational test will take place during NIE 12.2 in the spring of 2012, the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical, known as PEO C3T, has installed WIN-T Increment 2 equipment on more than a dozen 2/1 AD vehicles for NIE 12.1, some of which also contain an initial set of mission command software applications. Hosted on a single computing system, the applications will provide mobile company Soldiers with the real-time information that typically would only be available inside a tactical operations center.

These capabilities include Command Post of the Future, or CPOF, a collaborative system allowing users to visualize the common operating picture and efficiently plan the battle; Tactical Ground Reporting, known as TIGR, which empowers Soldiers to collect, share and analyze patrol data in a central database; the Effects Management Tool, which provides access to critical fire support information; and the Microsoft Office Environment, which enables interaction with email and documents from the command post.

These applications will run alongside the next-generation software for Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below, or FBCB2/Blue Force Tracking, which is the only major mission command application available on-the-move in theater today.

Soldiers will informally evaluate more than 45 other systems, including solutions proposed by industry to meet the U.S. Army's identified network-capability gaps.

 

Soldier feedback and test results from the NIEs are directly shaping the makeup of the U.S. Army's network Capability Set 13, which will begin fielding to eight brigade combat teams in fiscal year 2013. Ten additional brigades will receive the latest network assets as part of Capability Set 14. Those capability sets will include much greater bandwidth to transmit voice, video and data across the battlefield, as well as bring situational awareness and mission command information down to the dismounted Soldier.

 

The Technology (WIN-T Increment 2)

 

Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) was designed to be the cornerstone tactical communications system supporting the implementation of the U.S. LandWarNet strategy during the 2007 to 2025 timeframe (look here for additional information)

 

WIN-T is the U.S. Army’s on-the-move, high-speed, high-capacity backbone communications network, linking Warfighters on the battlefield with the Global Information Grid (GIG). WIN-T introduces a mobile, ad-hoc, self-configuring, self-healing network using satellite on-the-move capabilities, robust network management, and high-bandwidth radio systems to keep mobile forces connected, communicating, and synchronized

WIN-T Increment 2 adds Warfighter mobility and provides a communication network down to the Company level. Increment 2 enables mobile battle command from Division to Company in a completely ad-hoc, self-forming network. The WIN-T Increment 2 addition of embedding communications gear in the Commander’s vehicles enables SIPR (Secure Internet Protocol Router) into the Warfighting platform. Commanders and select staff have the ability to maneuver anywhere on the battlefield and maintain connectivity to the network.

 

The Technology (Command Post of the Future)

 

The Command Post of the Future (CPOF) is an executive level decision support system providing situational awareness and collaborative tools to support decision making (look here for additional information). Originally a DARPA technology demonstration, in 2006 CPOF became an U.S. Army Program of Record.

 

The CPOF software is based on the CoMotion platform, a proprietary commercial framework for building collaborative information visualization systems and domain-independent "decision communities". CoMotion's design principles originated as a research program at Carnegie Mellon University, and was subsequently developed at MAYA Viz Ltd and General Dynamics C4 Systems.

 

The Technology (Effects Management Tool)

 

Raytheon's Effects Management Tools provide a fires and effects command and control tool to remote users of the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS). 

• Initial proven capabilities include:
• Display AFATDS derived fire support situational awareness on the Joint Mapping Tool Kit (JMTK)
• Initiate a call for fire from the EMT
• Allow movement of AFATDS maintained units from the JMTK
• Import and export target lists, air support lists, and geometry worksheets

The Technology (FBCB2/Blue Force Tracking)

 

FBCB2/Blue Force Tracking (BFT) is a digital, battle command information system intended to provide commanders, leaders, and soldiers with integrated, on-the-move, near real-time battle command information and situational awareness from brigade to vehicle level. Three principal components are the hardware, software, and either a Tactical Internet (Terrestrial FBCB2) or L-band
satellite (Blue Force Tracker) communications means. FBCB2 provides a capability for developing and distributing orders, friendly locations, operational graphics, combat reports, and free text messages.

 

The FBCB2 system provides software and hardware tools that supporting battle command and near-real-time brigade level situational pictures, down to the individual soldier, single platform level. The system integrates over 1,000 subscriber sets covering the brigade's entire area of interest, including Bradley or Stryker combat vehicles, M-1A2 tanks, AH-64D, OH-58D and Black Hawk helicopters, artillery and combat support elements etc.

 

Comments on NIE 12.1

 

"It's a revolutionary thing to push the network all the way down, because it allows a more real-time interchange of information and a much more proactive force," said Capt. Joseph D. Perry. "You provide the data up, it's analyzed, and they can turn around and say, 'Hey, this number matches this number,' push it right back down to the patrol and say, 'We need you to go hit this place now."

"Our mission is to integrate network capabilities into a real-world scenario, and evaluate how the networked capabilities interface with each other and how we can employ that effectively on the battlefield," explained Capt. Patrick Lavin, 2/1 AD Brigade battle captain.

 

"We can shorten the cycle time of acquisition, which equals cost savings, and gets capabilities to the hands of our Warfighters a lot quicker," said Heidi Shyu, the acting assistant secretary of the U.S. Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. "Leveraging these types of exercises also allows us to understand and resolve interoperability issues before we deliver this equipment downrange."

 

"The network is nothing more than an enabler," said Col. John Morrison, director of the Army G-3/5/7 LandWarNet-Battle Command Directorate. "The key is mission command essential capabilities that we want to deliver for our leaders and our Soldiers. That is what we're really after. It's about achieving an operational effect."

The Context (NIE)

Establishing the NIE helped the U.S. Army employ a new agile acquisition process; the U.S. Army now has a strategy to keep pace with industry and technological network advances and accelerate the pace of network modernization to a rate unachievable by traditional acquisition strategies. The NIE also has enabled an Army ability to integrate network hardware and software up front before deployment - this will lessen the integration challenges faced by deployed units.

NIE represents thus for the U.S. Army a new way of doing business – a fundamental change in how capabilities are delevered to the Soldiers. The US Army has in fact adopted a strategy that will align the tactical network to the Army Force Generation process (ARFORGEN) through Capability Sets that will enhance vertical and horizontal connectivity and provide an integrated network baseline from the static tactical Operations Center (TOC) to the dismounted Soldier. Network Integration Evaluations are key enablers to executing this strategy.

References: C4I Technology News (1,2), ASDNews (3), U.S. Army (4), Fort Hood Sentinel (5), GD (6), GlobalSecurity.org (7), Raytheon (8), DefenseUpdate (9), Dote.Osd.Mil (10)

Forza NEC moves on

News Report

As reported on the Italian Army's website, Italian Land Forces have recently completed a set of trials and exercitations aimed at evaluating the achieved level of interoperability among the newly developed units of the Forza NEC digitalized Brigade.

The first part of these tests occurred between October 3rd and 7th during the "Joint Trials 2011" that took place in Brindisi and Lecce. SELEX Sistemi Integrati, the Finmeccanica Company acting as Prime Contractor and Lead System Integrator for the program, has supported the Italian Army's Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo" in conducting a Command Post Exercise (CPT) that required network-enabled integration with Regimental Infantry Units and Joint Fire Support Teams.

During the exercise, all the key C4I components of the Forza NEC architecture were interconnected at both the operational and tactical level and allowed the creation of a Joint Common Situation Awareness to be exploited by ground, naval and air forces.

The second part of the tests was performed on October 7th during the 31st anniversary of the Italian Army's CEPOLISPE (polyfunctional centre for the experimentation), and was focused on the demonstration of the soldier-vehicle interoperability.

The System

Forza NEC (Network Enabled Capability) is a Large System for military operations that provides the wide range of capabilities that is required by a modern land brigade operating in joint or multinational coalitions, including: Command and Control, Maneuver / Close Combat, ISTAR, Land Fire Support (Artillery), Air Defence, Force Protection (including CBRN), Mobility and Counter-mobility, Logistic Support, Helicopter Support, Joint and Coalition Interoperability, and Civil-Military-Cooperation (CIMIC).

Forza NEC units and related operational, logistic components are designed and structured in complete
compliance with a network-enabled architecture. Architectural design plays thus a key role for the development of such a system, since it ensures that the technical requirements of the individual components achieve an Integrated Force, in compliance with the operational requirements related to the specific efficiency level.

FORZA NEC system architecture is based on the following main components:

• C4I modules, covering all the hierarchy levels spanning from Brigade commanders to single soldiers, and all the functional areas associated with requested operational capabilities.
• Communication equipments for data and voice transmission (HF/VHF/UHF wireless radios, mobile satellite communications, advanced networking devices)
• HW stations and infrastructures (shelters) for deployable command posts.
• C4I stations (BMS, Battlefield Management Systems) for mobile command posts (to be mounted on a wide family of vehicles)
• C4I components for dismounted soldiers, fully integrated with the global architecture.
• Tactical gateways and Service Oriented Architectures for achieving interoperability among network-enabled units, legacy equipments, and external C4I systems.
• Certified components for allowing secure and protected data transfer between different security levels
• Unmanned Systems (maneuver range UAVs, UGVs)
• Helicopters (combat and cactical)
• Sensors (surveillance radars, EO/IR devices, acoustic sensors)
• Battlefield Target Identification Devices
• Electronic Warfare devices
• Force protection devices (including CBRN defence assets) 

Most of the above components are integrated within mobile combat and tactical vehicles, including Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV), Armoured Infantry Figthing Vehicles (AIFV), Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV), Light Multirole Vehicles (LMV), Medium Multirole Vehicles (MMV).

Currently, the reference platforms considered within Forza NEC are the IVECO 8x8 IFV "Freccia" and the IVECO Ligth Multirole Tactical Vehicle "Lince".

The Context

Finmeccanica subsidiary SELEX Sistemi Integrati announced on June 2010 that was awared a 238 M€ contract from the Italian Ministry of Defence’s Land Armaments General Directorate, for implementing the Forza NEC digitized system.

SELEX Sistemi Integrati is the main supplier and system integrator, but they will work with a very broad alliance of Italian firms. Other Finmeccanica companies such as SELEX Elsag, SELEX Galileo, Oto Melara, AgustaWestland, and MBDA are included. So are independent firms like Elettronica, Iveco, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, the Iveco-Oto Melara consortium, and the Soldato Futuro consortium.

Italy’s system is hardly unusual, joining recent efforts in Australia (LAND 75/ 125), Canada (LCSS), Germany (FuInfoSys Heer), and Israel (Tsayad). America has its Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade and Below system, which is being expanded and improved.

References: Italian Army (1,2), SELEX Sistemi Integrati (3), Defense Industry Daily (4)

Contract Award: Adapx to build Natural Command and Control User Interfaces for US Army

News Report

As announces in a recent press release, Adapx has been awarded a contract by the US Army Research Laboratory's Simulation and Training Technology Center (STTC) to build advanced speech and sketch interfaces for course-of-action simulators. The Capturx natural interfaces enable commanders of small units to model outcomes faster and improve decision making without the distractions and data-capture obstacles of today’s complex C2 and C4ISR interfaces.

The contract covers Adapx technology which commanders can use to create digital courses of action by speaking commands as they sketch on digital maps using touch-screen computers. Commanders will be able to enter data into computer simulators by using their standard operating procedures – speaking in natural military jargon and sketching plans and military symbols on maps. With the click of a button, the spoken and sketched commands become digital courses of action for immediate simulation.

The Technology

Capturx Command and Control Solutions enable Warfighters to quickly capture Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) data or create digital courses of action using speech and sketch with touch-screen computers in vehicles or Android handhelds when dismounted. With Capturx Forms and GIS solutions, Warfighters can instantly capture and share data written on paper forms and maps using digital pens which integrate data directly into central databases, GIS, and C4ISR systems.

The Context

Capturx was created in conjunction with DARPA and is used by a range of civilian, military and intelligence teams to dramatically speed up a range of map-based command and control.

The STTC is a subordinate organization under the Research, Development and Engineering Command's US Army Research Laboratory that engages with other services, academia and industry to research and mature critical simulation and training technologies to increase Warfighter battlefield readiness and performance.

The center's research focus is technology in the areas of intelligent tutors, immersive learning environments, human agent teaming, dismounted Soldier training, virtual world technologies, mobile applications and medical simulators and simulations.

Comments

“Warfighters across all echelons can greatly benefit from powerful simulation tools to model outcomes of potential courses of action and make better decisions,” said COL Craig Langhauser, Commander, STTC. “Natural user interfaces can help make these powerful tools more accessible to small units and dismounted warfighters, who need portability, streamlined data input, and minimal distractions.”

“We’re pleased that agencies continue looking to Adapx and Capturx products for innovative ways to speed up field data capture and collaboration,” said Ken Schneider, CEO of Adapx. “Our new Capturx natural user interfaces for command and control for in-vehicle systems and Android handhelds will make it even easier for Warfighters to capture and share actionable data.”

Additional Information

• Capturx videos (link)
• Capturx for C4ISR (pdf)

References: Adapx (1,2)

Lockheed Martin's Command Web system is being tested by US soldiers in theater

References: Lockheed Martin (1), DefenseSystems (2), C4ISR Journal (3)

News Report

As announced in a recent press release, US Active Army units have been testing a Lockheed Martin web-based system that combines the power of Google Earth, Command and Control web applications and existing tactical communications systems to deliver a common operating picture of the battlefield to any network user with a laptop. Command Web provides users with a web-based view of the mission command picture to both the commander in the tactical operating center as well as warfighters in the battlespace.

The System

The Command Web system is being tested by soldiers in theater to validate the system’s architecture, requirements and user interface design. Both the US Army and Lockheed Martin are using feedback from the testing to refine requirements and prioritize ongoing development for future system rollouts that will continue to expand, ultimately providing as much as 80 percent of current mission command functionality via the web environment.

Designed with a standard Army Battle Command Systems interface, Command Web mimics the functionality, naming conventions and other attributes of the Army’s primary common operational picture viewer that is used in all theaters. With its web-base capability, Command Web significantly reduces the logistical support footprint for the operational user. The system’s software developer's kit enables rapid third-party development of new warfighting capabilities.

The Context

Command Web is based the US National Security Agency's Ozone framework, which offers a non-proprietary, government-owned solution that allows for maximum interoperability. Since the Ozone framework is also used by the web version of the US Distributed Common Ground System – Army (DCGS-A), the Army’s ISR enterprise, it lays the groundwork for future interoperability across the intelligence and operations communities.

Ozone is a object-oriented framework for developing advanced web applications. By shifting to this framework, the US Army expects to cut millions of dollars in licensing and hardware costs and give more soldiers access to intelligence. The framework’s success, however, seems to depend on the willingness of software developers to divide their products into widgets, and those developers warn that they do not yet know how they will turn a profit under such a strategy.

US DoD intelligence officials started talking about the need for a common framework almost three years ago. All the services and organizations have very specific requirements and functionalities. There are unique things within each service and program, and then there are the combatant commands with their own unique requirements. Between all of them, there are a lot of different analytical capabilities. The key point of the US DoD strategy is to share those capabilities and not duplicating effort so much.

Comments

“Command Web extends the collaborative capabilities of mission command systems for those who don't have the real deal," said Lt. Col. Thomas Bentzel, the US Army's product manager for Tactical Mission Command. “It's got great potential for expansion and convergence with other systems.”

“Command Web brings the big picture down to the company level,” said Jim Quinn, vice president with C4ISR Systems for Lockheed Martin IS&GS-Defense. “It also provides any user with access to the Army's tactical network with actionable data to support their missions”

Related Posts

• Contract Award: Lockheed Martin to improve intelligence sharing capability of US DoD (link)

Contract Award: General Dynamics to enhance and maintain US Command Post Of the Future (CPOF)

References: US DoD (1), General Dynamics (2,3)

News Report

As announced in the US DoD Contracts Bulletin, General Dynamics was awarded a $78,000,000 contract for the procurement of software development and software maintenance efforts for the Command Post of the Future System. Work will be performed in Scottsdale, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 26, 2013. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command is the contracting activity.

The System

The Command Post of the Future (CPOF) is an executive level decision support system providing situational awareness and collaborative tools to support decision making. This tool suite is built using General Dynamics C4 Systems CoMotion® technology. CoMotion supports visualization, information analysis, and collaboration, in a single, integrated environment that ultimately helps commanders and decision makers analyze information, share thoughts, and evaluate courses of action.

CPOF supports commanders with three key capabilities:

• 2D and 3D information visualization
• Information Liquidity: drag and drop information analysis across visualization products
• Topsight: visibility of evolving understanding among distributed subordinates and team members

These three areas are highly integrated in a single system to enable the commander and his staff to see information, interact with it (to understand it and create new information), and to selectively and dynamically share their evolving understanding of it for analysis, planning, and execution.

 

CPOF's greatest strength is it’s easy-to-use collaborative environment. In other automated command and control systems, collaborative tools are often an add-on or a specific application that must be engaged. In other cases, existing systems are forced to use various messaging formats or database transfer procedures. These information exchange techniques place a significant burden on the user to actually initiate the transfer and identify all addressees. CPOF’s basic environment is collaborative from the moment the system is turned on. All one has to do is drag and drop a visualization product into the “Shared Products” region, and it is instantly shared withall registered users. CPOF operators do not have to acquire an extensive repertoire of hot key and other commands to operate the system.

CPOF users at any level can assemble workspaces out of smaller tool-and-appliance primitives, allowing members of a collaborating group to organize their workflows according to their needs, without affecting or disrupting the views of other users. CPOF's Tool-and-appliance primitives are designed to let users to create quick, throw-away mini-applications to meet their needs in-situ, supporting on-the-fly uses of the software that no developer or designer could have anticipated.

The Context

Originally a DARPA technology demonstration, in 2006 CPOF became a US Army Program of Record. The prime contractor on the CPOF program is General Dynamics C4 Systems, which purchased the original developer of the software in 2005.

CPOF is used 24/7 in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom as a Key C2 System by Army and Marine Corps units. Over 3,000 systems have been fielded and over 1,200 systems are currently deployed from Corps to Battalion.

Further Readings

• CPOF datasheet (pdf)