Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson gives opening address at the LandWarNet 2008 Conference

Organizing a Network Service Center construct is critical to the future of LandWarNet, particularly if the Army is to deploy modular, expeditionary forces with connectivity from fort to foxhole. “Our goal is to enable the current fight with the ability to deploy and stay, and also focus on the next fight,” said Brig. Gen. Brian Donahue, Monday at the show.

The key catalysts for that change are three-fold: the transformation of the Army from, a division to a modular, brigade-faced force; the global war on terror; and the transition from a forward-stationed Army to a continental U.S.-based Army. “We are a CONUS-based Army; its relevance will be defined by responsiveness, and an expeditionary capability makes that possible,” Donahue said

The key to developing that responsiveness is a complete reorganization of the enterprise that takes the dozen or so disparate LandWarNet and marries them in such a way that more data is available to the warfighter quicker than it has ever been available before. For example, CONUS directors of information management presently support 19 commands and agencies at 447 locations.

“LandWarNet has 8 to 14 networks that project into the box,” said Donahue. Those who have deployed know how frustrating it is due to the lack of coordination between air defense, battle management, movement tracking and many others. “CONUS will be a hard nut to crack,” he admitted. “All activities to go to war are in CONUS so we have to fix this; Army relevance is at stake.

The settled-upon solution is the Network Service Center. There will be five around the world: one in the Pacific Command Area of Responsibility (AOR), two in the Northern Command AOR (including Southern Command), one in the European Command AOR (to include Africa Command) and one in the Central Command AOR.

“NSC is an operational construct; it is not a thing, and it will enable all phases of combat operations,” said Donahue. Support for the Network Service Center construct goes all the way to the top. “The Army leadership backed us; the difference this time is that we are operationally grounded,” said Donahue. “We can’t be a self-licking ice cream cone…this is not about us.”