During natural disasters, communications tools are vital to coordinate recovery and relief efforts, but power and phone lines can be one of the first casualties during emergencies.
One potential solution when communications are lost is the Unified Command Suite (UCS), a command and control vehicle with self-contained mobile communications platforms that provide both data and voice communication to emergency responders.
When Joint Program Manager-Guardian (JPM-G) found that their fleet of UCS vehicles was at risk of not meeting Army requirements, it turned to Project Director Network Enablers (PD Net E) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., for support.
"We were able to coordinate with multiple Department of Defense agencies and develop a plan that would not only upgrade the trucks to meet current requirements, but also leave room for future expansion," said William Wiesner, deputy product director for Communications Security Cryptographic Systems at PD Net E.
Wiesner worked with other agencies to develop a cryptographic modernization plan, which included hardware upgrades, integration design and a materiel distribution strategy. Once the plan was developed, the team coordinated with Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) to acquire the new components for the UCS vehicles and then coordinated an integration exercise to ensure the suitability, simplicity and completeness.
"We wanted to let the actual users try and follow the instructions developed by JPM-G, to see if they ran into any trouble or had any questions about upgrading the vehicles," said Wiesner. "These trucks are spread out all over the country, so we aren't able to go to each vehicle and help them each execute their upgrades. We needed a straightforward plan that anyone could pick up and follow."
Once the components from TYAD arrived, it was up to Air Force Master Sgt. Peter Fink to install and test the new components and connect to the network. PD Net E and JPM-G took notes on their progress.
"Once these instructions are finalized, they will be provided to UCS users and operators across the country to update their trucks without any oversight from us, so we want to make sure they are as detailed and easy to follow as we can possibly make them," said Imran Rashid, a systems engineer with PD Net E.
By coordinating with PD Net E, JPM-G was able to upgrade a vital resource, while avoiding the cost of buying new materials. PD Net-E was able to provide JPM-G nearly $4.8 million of cryptographic equipment and other necessary parts.
"It's important to always keep these trucks up to date," Fink said. "When we take these vehicles into the field, people depend on them for communication support. We're always looking to add new capabilities and functionality whenever we can. You always want the best equipment possible when lives could be on the line."
At the conclusion of the integration exercise, the team was confident with the modernization plan for the UCS vehicle.
"The test went well," Wiesner said. "The exercise revealed the need for a couple of minor modifications to the installation instructions that will help clarify specific actions for the integrators. We intend to continue these types of exercises for future cryptographic modernization efforts to ensure we provide the users simple, yet accurate, instructions."
PD Net E's ongoing collaboration with JPM-G; the Communications-Electronics Center Research, Development and Engineering Command; and TYAD, will ensure the UCS vehicles provide vital communications support to state, local and military emergency response elements for years to come.
Social Sharing