Pentagon, first responders share communications needs.

• Author: Taylor, Tyrone C.
• Position: GOVERNMENT POLICY NOTES

The military and civilian emergency responder communities share an overlapping need for enhanced communication technologies. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 covers emergency-response personnel from federal, state and local sectors, including specialists in hazardous materials response, urban search and rescue, antiterrorism, special weapons and tactics, ordnance disposal, emergency management and others.

The civilian first-responder community has communications needs similar to those of the military services. Just like the military, emergency responders must see, understand and act in challenging environments.

In fact, a 2002 study by the National Research Council, entitled "Army Science and Technology for Homeland Security," found that proper management of a disaster site--like a military operation--requires thorough coordination of all aspects of command, control, communications and other forms of data gathering and analysis.

Thus, first responders clearly can benefit by adopting many of the communications technologies already developed by the services. Congress has recognized this fact. In the 2003 Defense Authorization Act, it ordered the assistant secretary defense for homeland defense to oversee the transfer of such technologies to Homeland Security for use ultimately by first-responders.

Given the broad scope of their assignments, first responders could gain significant advantages by employing military-style command, control communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies that would link them into a system of systems similar to the Army's.

Although military services and civilian responders can benefit by sharing communications technologies, actually doing so remains a daunting challenge. Much more work needs to be done, but the nation's small business community can make an important contribution.

Small, entrepreneurial and more nimble companies remain central to our ability to develop technologies to meet evolving requirements for voice-and-data information technologies, particularly as it relates to network centric warfare.

One example of a small business responding to defense and homeland security needs in voice communication is the Incident Commanders' Radio Interface developed by Communications-Applied Technology, of Reston, Va. ICRI is a mobile, unmanned system that interconnects public safety radios, state and federal radios, land-line/cell/satellite telephones, and military radios.

The system...