C4I upgrades mean decisive situational awareness for U.S. commanders in Republic of Korea

Situational awareness--it can be the difference between victory and defeat for warfighters.

By knowing the enemy's strength, location, capabilities, and likely courses of action; conditions of the terrain and weather; the quantity, readiness, and availability of friendly forces and systems; the time available for planning, preparing, and executing the mission; and how civilian considerations can factor into the area of operations--smaller forces can exploit this information to defeat significantly larger forces.

Perhaps nowhere is situational awareness more important to U.S. forces than in the Republic of Korea, where the two-and-a-half-mile-wide strip of land known as the Demilitarized Zone is the only thing separating about one million North Korean troops from the Republic of Korea. Keep in mind that, although the last shots were fired more than 50 years ago, the Korean War has not yet officially ended--there is no formal peace treaty, merely an armistice, a temporary suspension of hostilities.

Monitoring situational awareness in the Republic of Korea today with the goal of deterring hostilities is the Combined Forces Command, a bi-national defense team made up of forces of the Republic of Korea in tandem with U.S. Forces Korea. Providing the situational awareness monitoring tools at joint and U.S. Army command posts in the Republic of Korea is the Command Center Upgrades/Special Projects Office of the Project Manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems of Fort Monmouth, N.J., part of the Army's Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems.

Through their Theater Systems Integration Office-Pacific field office in Seoul, CCU/SPO recently completed a series of upgrades to command centers and command posts in the Republic of Korea, increasing the effectiveness of the command, control, communications, computers and intelligence tools available to U.S. commanders. At each location, CCU/SPO provided engineering, acquisition and implementation of strategic voice, data and video systems, including renovations to outmoded facilities, upgrades to combatant commander unique systems such as emergency action reporting systems, crisis action systems, and battle staff displays.

Upgrades for EUSA at Command Post OSCAR

For the Eighth United States Army at Command Post OSCAR, in March 2004, CCU/SPO provided C4I tools in a "bridge area" for the EUSA Commander, separate from the main operations area, allowing the commander to conduct conferences and video teleconferences without disruption to daily operations. They completed the project in time to support RSOI (reception, staging, onward movement and integration--tasks units must complete as part of deployment).

In March 2005, CCU/SPO followed-on the Command Post OSCAR bridge upgrade project by completing an upgrade to the EUSA operations center at Command Post OSCAR. According to Kin Chan, CCU/SPO's assistant project manager, TSIO-P, the EAOC upgrade included converting all local area network architectures to a gigabit backbone with fast Ethernet to the desktop; increasing the number of communications outlets available within the compound to one for every 50 square feet; replacing outside cable plant to support the LAN infrastructure and maximize voice/data throughput; upgrading the Command Information Display System to maximize its ability to display the CFC Common Operating Picture in the EAOC and other buildings at Command Post OSCAR; modernizing the existing VTC system to voice-activated video cameras; and designing and installing a telephonic alert system throughout the compound, to allow broadcasting of pre-recorded alert messages via the telephone system upon entering a code number from the EAOC.

"We basically stripped and completely rebuilt the EAOC," said Chan. "We replaced the old floor and tier system with a dual-level raised metal floor, and changed the room orientation by 90 degrees so personnel could better view the displays, which form a knowledge wall."

The solution was modular, used commercial-off-the shelf products and open systems architecture and allows surge expansion during exercises and real-world events," said InSeon Lim of the CCU/SPO TSIO-P field office in Seoul, who serves as CCU/SPO's eyes-and-ears on the ground for projects in the Republic of Korea. "That way, it will allow for future technology insertion with relative ease."

Upgrades for 21D at Camp Red Cloud

The 2nd Infantry Division, the major U.S. ground combat unit in the Republic of Korea, is headquartered at Camp Red Cloud, Uijongbu, and has the primary mission to deter war on the Korean peninsula by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with firstechelon Republic of Korea units immediately south of the DMZ. CCU/SPO is upgrading C4I capabilities at the 2ID Command Post at Camp Red Cloud, including upgrading the 2ID computer network, providing audio, and video capabilities in the Plans and Exercise room and command offices, and providing network extension to the Air Support Operations Center, Division Tactical Operations Center and Division Topographic Team rooms.

In the command offices, CCU/SPO is wiring for new high capacity networks, installing common situational awareness tools, and providing the commander an ability to conduct collaborative planning from his office.

In the PLEX room, CCU/SPO is improving the computer network and is integrating video display systems and collaboration tools such as VTC cameras, video markers, and displays into the existing video and audio switching system.

"The video markers are the same type of capability you see on Monday Night Football," said Lim, "where the broadcaster can draw right on the screen to show how plays unfold. Likewise, the military commander can draw on maps or other images on the screen to direct and focus attention and emphasize key points."

CCU/SPO is also extending the network and visualization tools to selected rooms in the command center, such as the Air Support Operations Center, the Division Tactical Operations Center, the division Topographic team room and the G2 Analysis and Control Element Operations Pit, ACE Imagery Intelligence Pit, Multidiscipline Counterintelligence Room and Collection Management and Dissemination Room.

Crystal plaque and Bronze Order of Mercury

But what does it all mean for the customer, the warfighters in the Republic of Korea?

"The work by Mr. Lim, Mr. Chan and the PM DCATS team was outstanding," said COL William Ivey, EUSA Chief of Staff. "Their efforts to complete the EUSA Operations Center project on a tight timeline before RSOI allowed us to make significant strides in our ability to provide battle command to Eighth Army. The collaboration and information sharing amid the staff because of the enablers you provided--such as the knowledge wall and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones, increased our ability to see the battlefield, understand the battlefield, and act decisively."

The U.S. Forces Korea leadership was so pleased with the success of the EUSA Operations Center project and the 2ID upgrades at Camp Red Cloud--along with Lim's work on similar upgrade projects for the 7th Air Force at Osan Air Base, for the 19th Theater Support Command at Command Post 19, Daegu and for EUSA at Yongsan Compound, Seoul--that on March 7, 2005, LTG Charles Campbell, commander of EUSA, presented Lim with a crystal plaque to recognize his efforts.

"The C4I communications technologies upgrades were instrumental in increasing the USFK and EUSA Commanding Generals' situational awareness with a Common Operational Picture of the battlefield, allowing quicker decisions and responses in fighting the Global War on Terrorism," said Campbell, in presenting the crystal plaque to Lim.

In addition, the USFK leadership nominated Lim for the U.S. Army Signal Corps Regimental Association's Bronze Order of Mercury, an award for people who have demonstrated the highest standards of integrity, moral character, professional competence and selflessness, and who have contributed significantly to the promotion of the Signal Corps. MG James Hylton, Commander of the U. S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command, presented the award to Lim on May 14 at the Signal Ball in Seoul.

"All of these accomplishments," said COL Ronald Bouchard, the executive officer for the commander of CFC/USFK and former G6, communications officer, of EUSA, "have enabled commanding generals at the USFK, the EUSA, the 2ID and the 19th TSC (19th Theater Support Command) levels to exercise maximum command and control visibility over their respective commands."

"There is no organization quite like CCU/SPO," said Chan, "no other project manager that integrates multiple C4I technical disciplines such as data, voice, audio/video distribution, briefing display systems and video teleconferencing systems. To renovate or move a command center--we'll do it and bring in whatever expertise we need to get it done."

"There are PMs involved with information transport, or even switching, to move data from Point A to Point B," added Russ Wagnon of CCU/SPO's TSIO-P. "But what do you do with the data when you get it to Point A or Point B? Well, we handle both Point A and Point B. We help you drink from the fire hydrant once you've opened it. We're the integrating PM, the information processing guys in terms of infrastructure."

"If it exists, we'll integrate it," said Chan. "If it doesn't exist, we'll develop a solution."

A case in point? Currently, Chan said, CCU/SPO has designed and built a J2 Intelligence Community Defense Message System architecture using the Secure Interdomain Routing and Information System solution.

"This architecture enables removal of legacy Communications Support Processors, and will bring the CFC/USFK IC DMS architecture into compliance with the current Department of the Army architecture," said Chan.

"We appreciate CCU/SPO's involvement in assisting us in improving our situational aware ness, information sharing and collaborative analysis," said Ivey. "They are outstanding partners with Eighth Army, and I look forward to continuing to successfully meet the challenges with them as we forge ahead."

Mr. Larsen is with Program Manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems at Fort Monmouth, N.J.

COPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Army Signal Center
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group