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4G BATTLEFIELDII TM FT MS SE EW QoS 4G WIA MD EW MA 3G WF DJBecause militaryculture is not likelyto give up thehierarchical natureof its command,control, andcommunications,the only alternativeis to give eachsolider themeans to actindependentlyects operating simultaneously,all of which have a communicationsdevice component. Theseinclude the “WarfighterInformation Network – Tactical”(WIN-T), “Future CombatSystems” (FCS – formerlyknown as Future GroundCombat Systems), “Small UnitOperations/SituationalAwareness System” (SUO/SAS),and the “Joint Tactical RadioSystem – Programmable,Modular CommunicationsSystem” (JTRS-PMCS).Whichever program yieldsthe device that will be in everysoldier’s pocket, it will likely differfrom today’s radios in termsof size (i.e., weight) and cost.The device must be small andinexpensive for distribution anduse by every soldier. Andbecause it is meant for tacticaluse, it must operate with virtuallyno fixed infrastructure. Celltowers cannot be erected on thebattlefield due to obvious timeconstraints and the probabilityof enemy targeting.The JTRS-PCMS program isa new initiative to acquire afamily of radios for all DoDcomponents. The approach willreplace older, hardware intensiveradios with software applicationsfor waveform generationand processing, encryption,signal processing, andother major communicationsfunctions. The approach willsupport military operationsacross a spectrum of environments– from backpacks toships.But what capabilities shouldthe devices have? At a minimum,they will need:• Deployability with little orno fixed infrastructure• Geo-location well beyondthe limitations of GPS• Security, both communicationssecurity (COMSEC)and a way to protect the networkfrom unauthorized useif the device gets captured• Anti-jamming robustness• High-mobility connectivity,even at speeds in excess of100mph• Virtual undetectability byhostile forcesThe 4G Battlefield’sNetwork“Wire telegraph is a kind of avery, very long cat. You pull histail in New York and his head ismeowing in Los Angeles. Andradio operates exactly the sameway: you send signals here, theyreceive them there. The onlydifference is that there is nocat.” – Albert EinsteinWhether or not every soldieris an army of one, every soldier’scommunication devicewill be an individual networkelement with a unique IPaddress. All the network deviceson the battlefield – includingthose embedded in tanks orother vehicles – will instantlyform, heal, and update the networkas users come and go.That is, they will associate in anad hoc manner.Moreover, the devices willcontinuously optimize the connectionsbetween everyone inthe network, automatically. Thismeans that users merge in andout of the network at will. Andas intelligent elements, alldevices constantly reconfigurerouting tables to determinewhich nodes are available totake advantage of the best networkroutes.But unlike cell-based solutions,network coverage andservice levels will improvewhen soldier density increases.Network resources are also betterutilized because networksare self-balancing as well. Thesoldier’s subscriber device canhop to distant network accesspoints, away from points ofcongestion, shifting networkcapacity to where the demandis.This network will also greatlyenhance the current locationmethods. GPS, the best-knowngeo-positioning technology, is asatellite-based system maintainedby the DoD. But satellitetransmissions do not penetrateinto indoor spaces well; so GPSoften cannot find soldiersinside buildings or bunkers.The 4G battlefield network willalso provide accuracy morequickly, because the soldierwon’t have to wait for multiplesatellites to get a fixed reading.Network deployment will befast and easy because it is towerless.Whereas commercialversions will have some fixedinfrastructure mounted onstreetlights, billboards, andbuildings, the 4G battlefield willbe entirely mobile, with satellitesor other communicationssystems providing the backhaul.And the network will disappearas fast as it was formed,once soldiers leave the area.Finally, this technology willfunction as a PAN (personalarea network), a LAN (local areanetwork), and a WAN (wide areanetwork), simultaneously. Thismeans that the same networkcan connect a soldier to thesquad/platoon, to the battalion,and to a fully mobile division.This is critical to meeting thefunctionality requirements ofthe FCS program. It is theequivalent of Bluetooth, 802.11,and 3G converging, but in a singlenetwork, with a singledevice.“When, in 1940, PresidentRoosevelt called for the productionof 50,000 airplanes a yearby 1944, the leaders of the Axispowers sneered. But Americaresponded, building 104,000airplanes that year, 40 times thenumber of planes the Luftwaffeflew over London at the heightof the Blitz. The marshalling ofvast resources, the developmentof new technologies, andthe mastery of complex systemsare things America does verywell.” – Philip E. Ross, “FeelingSafe,” Red Herring, November2001, p. 50Cutting EdgeSoftwarewww.quickoffice.com32 www.WBT2.com O C T O B E R 2 0 0 2 O C T O B E R 2 0 0 2www.WBT2.com33