Bravo Company, 304th Expeditionary Signal Battalion participated in a joint signal demonstration with the Third Republic of Korea Army in Yongin City, South Korea Sept. 9.
Capt. Justin E. James, Commander of Bravo Company, met with Gen. Hyuk Soon Kwon, Commander of TROKA, to view a signal demonstration on new systems and compatibilities.
During the demonstration ROKA and Bravo Company tested signal compatibilities between the two Army units.
Among various types of demonstrations provided, 304th ESB worked with TROKA to demonstrate how Radio over Internet Protocol technology can link Korean networks to American radio networks which allow effective and efficient communications between the two Armies.
This is the second opportunity for James, a native of Dover, Delaware, to visit ROKA signal units.
"This technology is very new," said James. "We have similar technology in U.S., Tactical Operations Center Intercommunications System or TOCNET, which was developed only about 2 years ago."
Gen. Kwon showed keen interest in this demonstration and spent the most amount of time among all venues to observe how the system works.
"I am very glad that Gen. Kwon showed such great interest in use of new technology to facilitate better communication with our alliance," said Lt. Col. Seung Woo Ha, an officer in G6 TROKA. "It would be very exciting to see how much the effectiveness of our communication improves if this is further developed and implemented."
The motivation to deploy RoIP technology is driven by the need to span large geographic areas and the desire to provide more reliable and repairable links in radio systems.
RoIP is similar to Voice over Internet Protocol but augments two-way radio communications rather than telephone calls and its systems routinely combine VHF, UHF, POTS telephone, cellular telephone, SATCOM, air-to-ground, and other technologies into a single voice conversation.
In the demonstration, signal experts from both Armies worked together to show how multiple types of communication devices, including radio, used by U.S. Army can be integrated into a single network with their RoIP equipment and a laptop.
"This technology will enable ROK Army Commanders and U.S Army Commanders to attain better commanding control over forces in battles," said James. "There have always been challenges when it comes to sharing networks, but this application can be a practical solution to jointly command and mobilize the two Armies effectively during wartime."
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