ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (February 24, 2014) -- The U.S. Army is holding a tactical network industry seminar at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. on March 13, to lay out upcoming and long term tactical network program needs.
With the successful fielding of the network to Afghanistan as part of Capability Set 13, an integrated group of tactical communications systems connecting all echelons of the Brigade Combat Team (BCT) formation, the Army is focusing on extending similar communications capabilities to additional BCTs while also making targeted investments for short-, mid- and long-term technology upgrades.
The industry seminar will lay out a "Network Modernization Roadmap" to assist industry partners in shaping future development efforts and discuss how their innovations can help fill capability gaps. These improvements, grounded in Soldier feedback, are aimed at reaching the same simplicity and capacity of commercial networks, while also enabling the Army to securely dominate the battlefield across the full spectrum of military operations.
The roadmap, created by the Army's Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) with partners such as the Communications and Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), unfolds in three interconnected phases: Network 2.0 (Fiscal Years 2014-15), Simplified Tactical Army Reliable Network (STARNet, FY2016-20), and the Network After Next (NaN, 2020 and beyond). The seminar will also discuss how the roadmap fits into the Army's semi-annual, operational network testing event known as the Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) process.
"While the Army has dramatically increased network capability with CS 13 and other recent upgrades, we need future capabilities to be more like what Soldiers use at home, so they are intuitive to operate with minimal training and field support," said Brig. Gen. Daniel P. Hughes, program executive officer for C3T. "It's imperative that we work closely with industry partners to leverage their ideas and efficiently achieve these operational goals."
The Network Modernization Roadmap covers technology focus areas that include radios, smartphones, cyber, mission command, network operations, power requirements and more. The Tactical Network Capability Roadmap and NIE Industry Day Seminar presentations will review each focus area in detail, including what the Army is seeking, how that capability may integrate into the network baseline and Programs of Record, and how the Army intends to seek the capability. The seminar will also look at research and development efforts to support the roadmap and industry partnership opportunities to advance capabilities.
An official notice was posted on Feb. 7 to the Federal Business Opportunities website with registration instructions, which must be completed no later than March 4. Due to the size of the venue, registration is open to the first 400 registrants.
Related Links:
System of Systems Engineering & Integration Directorate
Army leaders: Network, NIEs critical to future force
Evolving NIEs help shape Army's future network
Army plans baseline assessment for Network Integration Evaluation 15.1
CS 13: Not just for the guys on the ground
Federal Business Opportunities: Tactical Network Industry Seminar
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