Armored Corps Receives Modernized Network

FORT HOOD, Texas - The Army is divesting its legacy tactical network communications equipment and delivering a modern, high speed network architecture, enhancing readiness, battlefield agility and decision overmatch.

The III Armored Corps, stationed at Fort Hood, is the first formation to receive the new command and control network baseline through a centralized fielding and training process.

"With what we've seen in some of the testing, training and validation that we've done, it's really going to augment our capability to help our commanders better command and control the organization, provide mission command at echelon, and ultimately make better decisions faster," said Lt. Col. Tyler Bradley, Deputy Chief of Staff-G6 (Signal) for 1st Cavalry Division, III Armored Corps.

The new C2 network transport and infrastructure hardware is smaller, higher speed and more advanced compared to the legacy systems, ensuring units are armed and ready with the capabilities and battlefield maneuverability needed to outpace sophisticated adversaries. The systems provide the information highway and computing capabilities needed for resilient real-time data exchange at the edge, even in denied, degraded, intermittent and low bandwidth environments while drastically reducing size, weight and power.

"The capabilities we received are going to significantly augment our ability to use data at the edge [with] networking capabilities that find the best path to reach authoritative data sources and bring them to the fingertips of our signaleers and staffs," Bradley said. With this equipment, "we can do a better job [exchanging data] at the rhythm of the battle, at the speed of relevance, to help paint the [operational] picture for our commanders in real-time to help them make better decisions."

FOUNDATIONAL CAPABILITY

The network transport and infrastructure network baseline will support the delivery of the Army's new command and control system and provide the foundation for modern data and applications.

The network baseline includes dismounted high-throughput multi-orbit satellite communications antennas for enhanced transport capability and resiliency; appliances that automatically orchestrate and prioritize network traffic and data; and a tactical network gateway enclave to connect nodes at the edge of the battlefield. It also includes a tactical edge server for compute and store capabilities that provide access to the cloud anywhere on the battlefield. Together with additional software capabilities, this equipment baseline delivers transformative at-the-quick-halt "fight tonight" capability needed to be successful on a dynamic modern battlefield.

"With our tanks we move fast; we need something small, scalable and can be quickly set up and established," said Sgt. Maj. Joseph Scalies, 1st Cavalry Division G-6 non-commissioned officer in charge.

The low earth orbit terminals, for example, provide approximately 40 times more throughput and speed compared to our legacy capability, yet they are small enough to be checked on a commercial airline and set up in minutes, Scalies said. "Also, with this kit, if we understand that we're going to an environment where one capability could be jammed or seen, then we have options across our PACE plan - our primary alternate, contingency, emergency - and we can adjust that PACE accordingly."

The baseline's increased capabilities and significant size, weight and power advantage better equip units to adapt to modern battlefield challenges and out-maneuver the most advanced enemies. The kit is transit case-based for rapid deployment anywhere in the world, and once on the battlefield, the reduced footprint and rapid setup and teardown enable units to quickly maneuver to new locations to adapt to changes on battlefield or avoid enemy detection.

"Smaller, lighter, faster. Anything we can do to more rapidly deploy, tear down, and set up is going to allow us to move before the enemy is able to detect where we are," said Lt. Col. Christopher Vanderberg, commander of the 57th Expeditionary Signal Battalion-Enhanced (ESB-E).

The 57th and the 62nd ESB-Es, assigned to the 11th Corps Signal Brigade, which support the III Armored Corps, were also fielded the baseline equipment set at Fort Hood. Although ESB-Es had previously divested their legacy equipment - known as Warfighter Information Network-Tactical - during past ESB modernization efforts, they will still reap the rewards of the updated baseline equipment.

"The way we look at the modern battlefield now, it's not if we're contested, it's when and how," Vanderberg said. "As Signaleers, we have to be able to allow commanders to maintain communication with their lower echelons, and that means we have to keep the network up and running."

With this in mind, he emphasized the importance of mobility and resiliency, having multiple transport pathways, so if one's contested, the network is smart enough to automatically reroute traffic through the next mode of transport to ensure continued communications.

"The key phrase is decision dominance," Vanderberg noted. "So having this increased bandwidth and low latency allows us to access [data] faster, and in real-time. It's that rapid information that commanders are looking for. For that, we have to have faster, higher speed network capability."

FIELDING AND TRAINING

"The network transport and compute infrastructure equipment set will serve as the baseline for all of the Army's current and future modernization efforts across the force," said Brig Gen Shane Taylor, capability program executive Command and Control Information Network - CPE C2IN - which modernizes, acquires and delivers the Army's C2 network solutions. "It takes advantage of advanced commercial capabilities to give operational units superior bandwidth and resiliency, while increasing battlefield mobility, survivability and lethality, at an affordable cost to the taxpayer."

In close collaboration with Army units, CPE C2IN is managing the delivery of the baseline equipment using a regional fielding plan to reduce time, cost and Soldier burden by combining fielding and training for multiple formations into collective regional fielding locations, such as the first one at Fort Hood. Most units will receive the new equipment and training and also turn in their current Warfighter Information Network-Tactical equipment all at the same locations. Similar regional fielding efforts will be conducted across the country and the globe until the Army is fully fielded.

Because the new baseline C2 network equipment is more intuitive and easier to operate, it is easier and faster to train, enhancing readiness. Having the same baseline capability across the force also lowers the training burden for Soldiers who move to new units, creates more familiarity and makes it easier for Soldiers to troubleshoot equipment and rapidly implement network configurations during operations.

Beyond the initial new equipment training, the Army will emphasize unit proficiency through "reps and sets" during continued home station and operational training exercises to ensure Soldiers are ready to successfully execute their missions whenever the call arises.

In addition to easing training burden, the new baseline also avoids significant WIN-T maintenance, sustainment, and modernization burden and cost, and reduces the logistics burden and cost to deploy the systems.

"The new network baseline is going to help our commanders, staffs, and brigade combat teams sense, detect, strike, and assess at the speed and scale necessary for armored formation," Bradley said. "To achieve those effects… we are taking a hard look at how we are growing the skills of our signaleers, now and in the future, to be able to successfully continue providing the right capabilities, network, and data architecture for our commanders."