Army on cusp of rolling out comms network to frontline units

The Army plans to start fielding its robust battlefield communications network in October to two brigade combat teams (BCTs) bound for Afghanistan while it also addresses the need to more closely align network and vehicle modernization goals, reports Defense News.

The 3rd and 4th BCTs from the 10th Mountain Division slated to deploy to Afghanistan in 2013 will receive the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) in addition to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, which already has a fielded set. 

The service also is at work on deploying “a unique mission-tailored set to Korea,” according to a June 15 memo from the Army’s System of Systems Integration Directorate obtained by the media outlet.

The June 15 memo indicates that the Army’s LandWarNet/Mission Command in early May called for a closer alignment between Army network modernization and the services’ vehicle modernization efforts in an effort to achieve "a comprehensive Army network and platform equipping and fielding strategy.” The effort would address the gap in deployment to vehicles, such as the Bradley fighting vehicle and the Abrams tank, platforms that have proved problematic in conjunction with WIN-T fielding because of space and power issues, the story said.