Digitizing the Battlefield

Abstract

In 1990-91 the United States Armed Forces engaged in what many believe to have been its first information war. The many displays of technology were but a precursor to the new force known as Force XXI. Since the early 90's the U.S. Army has been right sizing and has looked for ways to make its force more lethal and survivable. This search has lead to the concept known as "Battlefield Digitization". Battlefield Digitization is an Army modernization effort taking advantage of revolutions in electronics and information technologies to make dramatic gains in all battlefield operating systems. Digitization of the battlefield means using high-speed streams of information bit-packets, moving across electronic grids, rapidly processing these packets with high resolution graphical displays and assistance from expert systems, and utilizing automated decision support systems to solve complex problems at all levels. The central piece to the digitization plan is the Army Battle Command System (ABCS). ABCS is a system of systems which include the Maneuver Control System (MCS), All Source Analysis System (ASAS), Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), Forward Area Defense (FAD) C2I, Combat Service Support Control System (CSSCS), Global Command and Control Army (GCCS-A), Integrated System Control (ISYSCON), Integrated Meteorological System (IMETS), Digital Topographic Support System (DTSS), and Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2)/Embedded Battle Command (EBC). These systems are fed data from satellites, aerial reconnaissance, weapons systems, sensors, and ground soldiers. At the operational level the key component is the Warfighter Information Network. It is comprised of long-haul data assets and the tactical Internet. The tactical Internet is a wireless network that uses the SINCGARS and EPLRS radios combined with routers to pass information. The tactical operations center (TOC) is the central hub of this information center.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 17, 2000
Accession Number
ADA377740

Entities

People

  • Christopher R. Seacord

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Human Systems
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Application Software
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Communication Systems
  • Computers
  • Control Systems
  • Digital Communications
  • Information Systems
  • Local Area Networks
  • Military Science
  • Multiple Access
  • Network Centric Warfare
  • Network Protocols
  • Radio Equipment
  • Satellite Communications
  • Situational Awareness
  • System Software

Readers

  • Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Data Science/Digital Signal Processing.
  • Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
  • Microelectronics
  • Space