C4I ENABLING TACTICAL INTERCOM SOLUTIONS
Making Tactical Communications Fighting Fit for the 21st Century Jo Roth, Staff Writer
How the military’s long search for a communications system suitable for modern military needs is finally coming to an end.
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The Chowkay Valley incident, and others like it, reveals the limitations of many traditional tactical communications tools
N 2010, with relatively little fanfare, the US Government quietly dropped the bulk of its much vaunted Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) project. Despite billions having been spent over the years, the results had been bitterly disappointing leading some to ask whether the military would ever manage to develop a tactical communications capability. Now, though, fresh technology is coming to market, which, finally, is starting to realise the revolutionary improvements the army needs.
Past Failures The failure of the JTRS was a major blow. Nicknamed appropriately Jitters, the aim was to replace the army’s existing radio capabilities with software defined radios which could swiftly upload new frequencies instead of requiring multiple radio types embedded within military vehicles. The concept was sound, but the end product was disappointing. Costs overran. The program managed to burn through $6billion4 without producing much in the way of workable hardware. That which it did produce was poor and the army had to spend $11 billion5 on out-of-date radio systems, just to be ready for the Iraq and Afghan wars. It has been far from an isolated incident. Indeed, a look at the history of US development in this area has been one of consistent failure. A study by Harvard Business School found that “major defense programs still require more than 15 years to deliver less capability than planned, often at two to three times the planned cost.”6 A 2010 report noted that the army spends more than a billion dollars annually on projects which are ultimately cancelled . Part of the difficulty has been the immense technical challenges involved. Creating a large and secure data network is a major challenge. Maintaining wireless communication in the many
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different hostile environments that armed forces may encounter is also a major undertaking. For example, in an urban environment, transmission signals can easily be blocked or interrupted by buildings. Mountainous terrain can also block radio signals.
Compatibility Issues Furthermore, compatibility is a major challenge. Any unit would have to be suitable to a range of different functions. This can be challenging as the size and design of radios often depends on the tasks they will be undertaking. For example, a radio for broadcasting to a distant headquarters will have to be large enough to accommodate a large antenna. This may compromise storage and mobility. The task for finding one system suitable for all eventualities is daunting. It is, though, a goal the military is determined to realise – it has to. The consequences of inadequate equipment can be severe. In 2010, soldiers from US Army Taskforce Rock found themselves ambushed by Taliban fighters as they drove into Afghanistan’s Chowkay Valley. Their mission was to support a reconstruction team as it met with local village leaders, but they were unable to move from their position. The problem was their radios. They had several different units for different tasks; for talking with the reconstruction team they had short range models while for headquarters 25 miles away they had longer range models and a back-up satellite radio in case the mountains blocked their transmissions. Another air force controller, meanwhile, carried his own radio to talk with jet fighters overhead and yet another radio downloaded video from the aircraft overhead. What’s more, some only worked while soldiers were stationary and others were too cumbersome to operate on the move!
