Joint tactical radio system

The Joint Tactical Radio System is vital to the Department of Defense transformation to leader-centric operations, one of four programs so identified by Office of the Secretary of Defense. First and foremost, the JTRS program provides tactical users in all Services with a common family of interoperable tactical radio systems. The fielding of JTRS will provide a new mobile networking capability that will bring a greater and faster data throughput capability to the field. It will un-tether the commander from the Tactical Operations Center. In addition to bringing this new networking capability, it will replace the functionality of several radio sets with a single tactical radio system reducing the communications equipment footprint in our warfighting platforms. The common radio family approach will provide logistics and training efficiencies.

The JTRS Joint Program Office manages the Software Communications Architecture and common waveform software. Services lead hardware development programs to provide the radio systems needed for "clusters" of like capabilities. The two major clusters for the Army are Cluster I (vehicular and rotary wing) and Cluster 5 (man-pack, handheld and embedded form factors). Product Managers in the Army's Program Manager for Warfighter Information Network--Tactical are leading the development and procurement of Cluster I and Cluster 5 Joint Tactical Radio Sets.

Cluster 1: The JTRS Cluster 1 program is on track for the December 2004 Early Operational Assessment. The EOA will provide sufficient information to an Over-Arching Integrated Product Team for approval to purchase Long Lead materiel for Low Rate Initial Production. Initial single channel JTR Set capability will be available at the EOA beginning in January/February 2005, followed by the introduction of Enhanced Position Location Reporting System, Wideband Networking Waveform and Link-16 waveforms in February 2005. The multi-channel JTR Set capability will be available in March 2005. The EOA is tentatively scheduled to end in May 2005.

Cluster 5: In May 2003, the Defense Acquisition Executive designated the Army as the lead for Cluster 5. The Cluster 5 effort will provide United States forces with man-pack, handheld and small form fit (embedded) radio sets for a variety of mission requirements, including communications for dismounted personnel, unmanned aerial and ground vehicles, sensors and munitions. The award of the development contract was July 16, 2004, to General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics. Competing contractor, International Telephone and Telegraph, filed a protest in late July 2004 which resulted in a stop work order. Government Accounting Office adjudicated the protest and granted permission to proceed with the development on Oct. 21, 2004. The PM is currently coordinating with General Dynamics to mitigate the 84-day schedule loss due to the protest.

Cluster AMF: The Airborne Maritime Fixed JTRS acquisition program is a combined Air Force and Navy product line with Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Joint Program Office participation. The AMF JTRS radios will provide airborne, surface, subsurface and fixed station platforms with multi-band, multi-mode, software definable JTRS equipment to satisfy existing and future requirements for DoD Joint interoperability. The AMF JTRS program has a two-phase development strategy: Pre-System Development and Demonstration and SDD. Pre-SDD is focused on the system architectures and initial designs for the AMF JTRS, as well as identifying possible cost-effective hardware and software commonality across the operating domains. The purpose of this 15-month effort (executed concurrently by two contractors) is to define system and interface requirements and to proceed with initial development of the AMF JTR Set through Preliminary Design Review. The preliminary design of each selected contractor will enable the use of commercial-based products and standards to the maximum extent possible and foster high component commonality, while maintaining maximum flexibility and focusing on minimizing initial capability cost. SDD will be a full and open competition, with options for LRIP. It will include the post-PDR development of a modular AMF JTRS design and associated form factors. The AMF JTRS communications system shall support growth, technology refresh, and technology improvement with minimum effect on its installed equipment, software and platform interfaces.

Enhanced Position Location Reporting System:

The Enhanced Position Location Reporting System fielding preparation continues. Retrofit of existing EPLRS-equipped units such as the 4th Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry, the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, and SBCT-2, will be completed during the next two calendar years. The retrofit of the 4th ID began in August 2004. The training sessions for the 124th Signal Battalion were completed at Fort Gordon in September 2004. Initial training sessions in support of SBCT-4 were also completed at Fort Gordon in September 2004. EPLRS is one of the key data communications backbones supporting the Army's tactical Internet and ADA sensors, as well as weapons systems.

Definition

SNOCAP--was an operation begun in the late 1980s and early 1990s by the U.S. Army and the Justice Department (specifically the Drug Enforcement Administration) to stop the flow of illicit drugs from South America to CONUS, the worst one being cocaine, which is sometimes referred to as "snow." Thus the play on words was to put a cap on the flow of "snow" to the U.S.A.

ACRONYM QUICKSCAN

ADA--Air Defense Artillery

AMF--Airborne Maritime Fixed

C4--command, control, communications and computers

EOA--Early Operational Assessment

EPLRS--Enhanced Position Location Reporting System

DoD--Department of Defense

GAO--General Accounting Office

HQ--headquarters

ID--Infantry Division

ITT--International Telephone and Telegraph

LRIP--Low Rate Initial Production

JTRS--Joint Tactical Radio System

JRT--Joint Tactical Radio

ODCST--Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff

OIPT--Over-Arching Integrated Product Team

PDR--Preliminary Design Review

PM--Product Manager

PM-WINT--Program Manager for Warfighter Information Network--Tactical

Pre-SDD--Pre-System Development and Demonstration

SBCT-1--1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team

SSC--Soldier Support Center

SDD--Systems Development and Demonstration

TDY--temporary duty station

TRADOC--Training and Doctrine Command

U.S.--United States

WNW--Wideband Networking Waveform

Mr. Wilson became a Department of the Army Civilian, October 1980, after serving three years in the Marine Corps and seven years as a high school teacher, coach and administrator. His assignments have included the Soldier Support Center, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., team leader of training developers. From 1983 to 1985 he was assigned to the Office of the Project Manager, Saudi Arabian National Guard Modernization Program, Saudi Arabia. He returned to Fort Harrison in 1985 as the SSC Test Design Coordinator for more than 1000+ exams. In 1987 he was promoted to run the HQ TRADOC Training Technology Field Activity at the SSC.

Wilson co-authored a evaluation and standardization training module for Directorates of Evaluation and Standardization which was exported throughout the Army. In 1989 Headquarters TRADOC also sent him on temporary duty to the east coast as the only civilian to work on the SNOCAP Project, a program whereby this handpicked TRADOC team designed/ developed training for Drug Enforcement Agency operatives assigned to South America to interdict the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.

In 1990 Wilson moved to Fort Monroe working with Special Projects Branch, Futures Training Division, Training Development & Analysis Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Training. There he worked as a manager/coordinator of research projects including major Army Video Tele-training experiments. From September 1994 through July 1995 He was detailed to the Combat Training Centers Directorate, ODCST, as an operations team leader and division chief. He reported to Fort Gordon, July 31, 1995, as the Transmission Systems Department Director for the 15th Signal Brigade. In March 2000, Wilson was assigned as the deputy TRADOC System Manager for Tactical Radios.

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