Today’s consumers enjoy both a typical feel and look and interoperability between their computers, tablets and smartphones.
Through recent advances within the Common Operating Environment, generally known as the COE, the military is definitely on its approach to providing these same capabilities to Soldiers.
Whether accessing information on secure handheld devices, vehicle mounted systems or command post screens, Soldiers are starting to see a “plug and play” experience the same as what has become the norm in daily home and office environments.
While technical, security and procedural challenges remain before the military can fully mirror the simplicity of the economic communications environment, the adoption of the COE is already supporting improved connectivity at the battlefield and faster development of recent technologies, officials said.
“I am very happy with the progress we have now made moving to a COE,” said Lt. Gen. Robert S. Ferrell, the dep. of the Army’s chief information Officer/G-6. “Being ready to plug and play, increase interoperability and work seamlessly, in keeping with common standards, really will improve the manner the military conducts operations while in garrison and deployed. i glance forward to maintaining this momentum as we build out the rest computing environments.”
Established in 2010, the COE is an approved set of computing technologies and standards designed to minimize stovepipes and support the rapid development and delivery of secure applications that interoperate across several computing environments, or CEs.
The three CEs that support the tactical realm — the Command Post, or CP CE, Mounted, is known as MCE, and Mobile/Handheld CE — have collaborated to bring greater commonality and ease to the maps, messaging and applications that Soldiers use across all of those environments.
“Just like a user becomes accustomed to multiple personal devices running an Apple, Google or Windows operating system, a Soldier will be capable of automatically recognize and seamlessly access tactical applications regardless of where he’s or what device he’s using,” said Brig. Gen. Daniel P. Hughes, program executive officer for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical. “The COE initiative is allowing the military to take away stand-alone systems, which simplifies operations at the battlefield and decreases training and field support requirements as we move to a smaller, more agile force.”
Each computing environment addresses one of the limitations commanders and staff currently face to reach overall situational awareness. For the command post, the CP CE is mitigating the commander’s requirement to “mentally fuse” the digital information displayed on multiple screens for the warfighting functions of fires, logistics, intelligence, airspace management and maneuver. The CP CE consolidates these separate capabilities using web-based applications (apps) and displays them on a typical, geospatial digital map hosted on a single workstation.
“The applications ride on a standard set of software and services,” said Col. Jonas Vogelhut, project manager for Mission Command (PM MC). “Like a smartphone’s operating system, it is the genuine power within CP CE.”
Using any government-authorized laptop connected to the fitting classified network, commanders and staff can log into the net-based framework and access the app specific to their mission. By layering applications on a standard map, the CP CE will meet commanders’ needs for collaborative planning and decentralized execution across all warfighting functions, enhancing their ability to make rapid adjustments consistent with the combat situation.
Beyond the command post, vehicles at the move provide the vital link between dismounted Soldiers and their headquarters. The military recognized the significance of communications on the platform level and thus designated the MCE because the standard inside tactical vehicles. The Joint Battle Command-Platform, or JBC-P, system, which supplies mounted mission command, friendly force tracking, and situational awareness capabilities, has become the primary version of the MCE.
“If you compare the mobile, handheld computing environment to an iPhone and compare the stationary command post computing environment to a desktop computer, MCE — with JBC-P being the core capability – is the iPad,” said Lt. Col. Michael Olmstead, product manager for JBC-P. “You may not necessarily need an analogous app for the hand-held which you need for the command post, but like the commercial model, they might be compatible and interoperable.”
As with the CP CE, MCE developers will provide new apps that ride on top of common software, thus alleviating the requirement for a separate program with its own operating system and services. MCE also leverages the hot Mounted Family of Computers, a single computing hardware solution for vehicles, to lessen the dimensions, weight and tool demands that may otherwise include adding new technologies.
The MCE also is piloting a framework that might enable greater compatibility between new Android-based capabilities certified by the military and the JBC-P baseline, which might streamline product development of emerging technology.
That could further increase commonality with Nett Warrior, the Army’s handheld mission command system and the inspiration for the Mobile/Handheld CE. Nett Warrior is predicated on an Android-based commercial smartphone that have been adapted for military security standards.
As with the CP CE and MCE, the Nett Warrior program office has published a software development kit that enables other Army organizations to develop applications which are interoperable with COE standards. A lot of these apps replace previous stand-alone systems.
Recently developed apps expected to start fielding on Nett Warrior devices next year include mobile handheld fires, machine foreign language translation, tactical combat casualty care and counterintelligence/human intelligence reporting. A future version of the software development kit would be released to industry partners so vendors can develop apps that work throughout the secure Nett Warrior framework.
“If you do it right with Android, if somebody makes an app, it would just run,” said Jason Regnier, the deputy product manager for Nett Warrior. “We essentially stay alongside of what industry is doing with a military version of it. We use a totally low-cost platform — that we buy for a similar price that our teenagers buy their phones — to create a safe platform that Soldiers are already aware of. It becomes really easy to coach.”
The overarching goal of the COE is to extend interoperability between CEs, and the CP CE and MCE are currently supporting horizontal integration between the Command Post of the long run, called CPOF, and Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System, or AFATDS, within the command post and JBC-P within the vehicles. CPOF is the main common operating picture system utilized in Tactical Operations Centers, and AFATDS is the is the Army’s comprehensive fires planning system that acts because the central hub for the commander’s fire support tactical decision making.
“Right now we will use JBC-P to initiate a choice for fires to AFATDS, the AFATDS operator can commence the decision for fires chain process, and the fires graphic will display on CPOF to produce situational awareness for the commander within the TOC,” said Jeremy Pilkington, chief engineer for PM MC’s technical management division.
To support seamless operations around the MCE and Mobile/Handheld CE, the JBC-P and Nett Warrior programs have collaborated extensively to implement common messaging formats and mapping standards. Because the systems are used to pass critical combat information like demands Medevac, reports of sniper fire or friendly and enemy locations, the messages and mapping engines needed to be compatible on the dismounted and mounted level, Regnier said.
“All of combat is map based. You need to know where you’re, where you’re going, where the enemy relies, and you’ve got to peer the identical picture,” he said. “That was a key portion of implementing the average Operating Environment.”
(Editor’s note) program executive officer for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical staff writers Claire Heininger and Nancy Jones-Bonbrest contributed to this report.
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