Army Continues Build Up of Integrated Tactical Network.

• Author: Roaten, Meredith

FORT MYER, Virginia--Bullets whizzing through the air. Missiles launching through the skies. But what the Army thinks will make all the difference in warfare against technologically advanced adversaries is an invisible network that links every soldier, commander and weapon in the field.

After the Army finished its critical design review for its second stage of network capabilities in April, the service is looking toward two major operational demonstrations of its tactical network this year that will collect additional data needed for fielding it more widely.

The network is a "cornerstone" not just to the Army's operations, but also to the domain operations across the joint force, said Brig. Gen. Robert Collins, program executive officer for command, control, communications-tactical, or PEO 3CT.

The joint all-domain command and control concept--the Pentagon-wide effort to connect sensors to shooters more quickly also known as JADC2--is supported by ongoing technology developments, he told reporters at a recent Army technology exhibition at Fort Myer, Virginia.

"In previous wars, the difference between a good decision and a bad decision may be minutes," he said. "In the future battlespace, that decision... may be seconds or milliseconds."

The Army network modernization strategy calls for constantly improving in iterations. The first capability set, '21, focused on developing technologies for infantry units. The second, '23, builds on the first by adding bandwidth to the Army's networks and increasing resiliency. The Army is using Stryker brigades as a focus.

The final iteration that will build on the previous two, Capability Set '25, will field technology "with a focus on automation and protection." The Army developed this iterative setup to give officials more flexibility for procurement of new technologies, Collins said.

The previous version of the network--the warfighter information network tactical future combat system--was not flexible and adaptable enough to keep pace with threats, he said. "So we kind of took a step back and we said, 'What are some different ways that we can acquire this across some iterative capability sets?'"

The Army expects to have completely overhauled its networks by 2028 with new hardware and software that will revolutionize the way soldiers send and receive information, according to the service.

In the beginning of the year, Capability Set '21 was about halfway fielded. It climbed to 70 percent by the end of...