Radios for every infantryman: marine company tests experimental communications gear.

• Author: Jean, Grace V.

MARINE CORPS TRAINING AREA-BELLOWS, HAWAII--A marine rifle company recently experienced something that few of its peers have--operating in a combat scenario with a radio in the hands of every member of the unit.

Infantry units today consider themselves lucky if they have more than one radio per squad. They have grown accustomed to relaying messages verbally and they have learned to stay within communications range while on patrol--sometimes to the detriment of the mission.

Marine leaders aspire to connect these ground units to a vast communication network into which each marine will be plugged in.

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The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory recently put that concept to the test during the Rim of the Pacific naval exercise in Hawaii. It distributed a tactical communication suite to Golf Company of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. The equipment included satellite radios, handheld computers and software.

"What they have today is 1960s technology," said Vince Goulding, director of the lab's experiments division. "We're giving them 21st century technology."

All marines were given a radio called TrellisWare TW-220, a tactical handheld system that forms ad hoc, self-healing mesh networks. It is packaged into the body of the familiar AN/PRC- 148 ratio. "We're giving them a satellite-like capability without the vulnerabilities of satellite," said Goulding. The line-of-sight terrestrial network extends its range as long as one marine can electronically "see" the next marine.

Squad leaders were given an additional radio called the distributed tactical communications system. The push-to-talk radio transmits voice and pre-formatted messages over the commercial Iridium satellite network, which yields a range of more than 150 miles.

Both radios were tied into a software program called TIGR, a tactical ground reporting system developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

"It's like a blue force tracker for every individual," said Sgt. Luke Maxon, a squad leader from 1st Platoon who used the software on a small handheld computer. The TIGR tool places blue icons on a map depicting the locations of the radios. The DTCS radios transmitted position location information every time a marine pushed the button to talk. TrellisWare radios automatically sent updated position location information every minute.

The Army has fielded TIGR as a staff communication tool above the battalion level. It records data of what is happening...