U.S. Army and United Kingdom Complete Future Military Network Experiment

FORT MONMOUTH, N.J., June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Network integration
experts from the Army's Brigade Combat Team modernization effort, together
with their allied counterparts from the United Kingdom, were able to prove
significant network interoperability and combat data sharing concepts during
the recently completed Multi National Experiment 3.0. As the Army continues
development of its network as part of its Brigade Combat Team Modernization
effort several experiments are being conducted in a Joint Service and
Multinational environment to ensure networked secure data transfer and target
acquisition methods. "We're now building multinational and Joint Service
interoperability into the network from the start and are incorporating lessons
learned from the past seven years of combat operations in a joint and
multinational battle space environment," said Maj. Troy Crosby, Assistant
Product Manager for the Joint Interagency Multinational Interoperability
(JIMI) Product office.

This experiment represents a major step in developing the ability to send and
receive accurate target acquisition data among allied partners using a secure
network. "It's become increasingly clear over the last several years that
wherever we go in operations, we fight alongside of the Americans, in order to
do that effectively, we need to be able to communicate with them," commented
the U.K. Head of Capability Ground Maneuver, Brigadier Mike Riddell-Webster.
"A clear part of that are the real technical challenges with today's modern
equipment and making sure they can speak to each other," he said.

A year-long effort culminating this month, MNE 3.0 has evaluated the
preliminary secure network infrastructure necessary to send and receive
accurate target acquisition data between US and UK forces across the
battlefield at brigade and below level. Today, due to bandwidth and a lack of
fixed infrastructure, secure data can only be transmitted at high chain of
command levels and then retransmitted to Soldiers who are carrying out the
operations. "Once the network is fully developed you get the ability to go
directly across organizational levels; what you provide the Soldier is speed
to make a rapid but more informed decision," commented Crosby.

The final event in the experiment simulated UK forces initiating a call for
fires and providing coordinates of an enemy target to US forces. The MNE 3.0
marked the first time the Joint Tactical Radio Systems Bowman Waveform radio
(JBW) successfully communicated on the U.S. Soldier Radio with the UK ADR+
(Bowman) Radio. Further, information was also shared successfully between US
FCS Battle Command & Army Battle Command System (Advanced Field Artillery
Tactical Data System/FBCB2) and UK Command, Control, Communications &
Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Systems.
Past experiments sought to reduce latency between communications platforms and
exchange Blue (friendly) and Red (enemy) situational awareness between the
U.S. and U.K.; MNE 3.0 builds upon past successes.

Once the experiment's final analysis takes place developers from both the US
and UK military will meet to discuss future plans that include expanding this
experiment by working to transmit mission data in a live, battlefield
environment and the incorporation of additional US and UK Army Battle Command
Systems and sensor assets. "Continued contingency operations will occur with
the Army operating in a joint battle space, so instead of trying to develop a
network and then make it interoperable with sister services and multinational
partners we will continue to build that capability in from the beginning so we
ultimately have a more serviceable network once it's deployed," added Crosby.

SOURCE U.S. ARMY PM FCS

Paul D. Mehney, +1-586-770-3438, or Sam Tricomo, +1-586-549-0214, both of FCS
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