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![1105 Media [justice]](/images/ds1_pntmlogo.gif "1105 Media [justice]") |
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home > November/December, 2007 issue > article
Spirit of the times
By John Stein Monroe
This issue’s focus on tactical operations is nothing close to comprehensive. There is no way it could be.
Researchers and technology experts nationwide — in battle labs, industry and academia — are working furiously to develop technologies and concepts of operation that improve the ability of warfighters to carry out their missions successfully and return safely to base.
Not every idea will evolve, but bit by bit, battle operations will change. This month’s issue looks at three projects that capture the spirit of these times.
The Wideband Global Satellite Communications system, the subject of the first feature, is emblematic of the changing battlefield and a linchpin of future change. As writer Peter Buxbaum explains, Defense Department officials began to realize more than 10 years ago that the current satellite communications systems could not keep up with the military’s growing demand for bandwidth. As the new system comes online in the next few years, it should spur development of new applications that take advantage of the flow of data.
The idea of dropping a trail of high-tech breadcrumbs to extend wireless networks in the battlefield still needs more development, but it shows promise, writer John Moore reports. Among other concerns, researchers know they need to address basic limitations with throughput, or the technology’s use will be limited.
Finally, writer Brian Robinson explains the concept of a Joint Battlespace Infosphere, a program with tantalizing potential but an uncertain future. Theoretically, it would simplify information sharing considerably, but it would require new technology, new protocols and new governance models.
Whatever the future of JBI, it reflects the tireless effort of researchers at DOD and elsewhere to reinvent tactical operations. That drive and that innovation is the real story in this issue.
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