US Army Evaluates Radios for Indo-Pacific and Europe

[ad_1]

WASHINGTON The U.S. Army is evaluating its future distribution of radios and related equipment that provide lifelines to remote soldiers in both the Indo-Pacific and Europe.

The juggle, teased months ago by then-Army Chief Information Officer Raj Iyer, takes into account several factors, including price, impending security deadlines and upgrades needed to prepare for future conflicts, potentially against technologically savvy enemies, including China and Russia.

Col. Shermoan Daiyaan, project manager for tactical radios at the Armys Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Tactical Communications, or PEO C3T, said April 26 that the service is reviewing network requirements to enable a division commander to fight in large-scale combat operations, among other factors.

Do we need to have a radio in every vehicle? I don’t know. Do we need to have one radio per team? Or is it a squad radio? Daiyaan said at the 22nd annual C4ISRNET conference. We are looking at that and we are looking at these things carefully.

RELATED

The Army is moving away from a reliance on brigades and smaller units for the US War on Terror and towards division, a formation of some 15,000 soldiers and firepower capable of combat and sustainably maintain. Network modernization is also one of the Army’s top six priorities; others include improved air and missile defense and long-range sniper fire.

PEO C3T targets the division with its so-called Capability Set 25, sets of enhanced equipment, known as the Integrated Tactical Network, intended to make communications more intuitive, isolated and theater-adaptable. Kit trials are underway in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.

The Army late last year, following a conference with industry in Nashville, Tenn., issued a request for information on low-cost, easy-to-use radios, said Daiyaan. Such an approach could help reduce long-term loads.

It’s a way of trying to reduce the cost of the radio wallet, in that sense can you get a really cheap or really affordable radio where you can also have so many radios but they do a little less, Daiyaan said.

Colin Demarest is a reporter at C4ISRNET, where he covers military networking, cyber and IT. Colin previously covered the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration, including Cold War cleanup and nuclear weapons development for a South Carolina daily. Colin is also an award-winning photographer.

[ad_2]