Page 10 - Ft. Irwin High Desert Warrior, Aug 3 2018

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Army Technology
High Desert Warrior August 3, 2018
www.aerotechnews.com/ntcfortirwin
CERDEC unveils more than a dozen new technologies for mission command
Army photograph
The Command Post Platform-Improved is a prototype single-vehicle solution that was built within a Humvee and designed to support mission command functionality and command post support at the brigade and corps level. The CPP(I) consolidates all essential mission command infrastructure to operate in a single vehicle. When compared to the current technology, the CPP(I) has less height, and provides more capability than two of the Army’s current command post platforms.
distribution system to power all command post resources. The CCP(I) is a prototype single-vehicle solution that was built within a Humvee and designed to support mission com- mand functionality and command post support at the brigade
and corps level, McNeilly-Anta said.
Current command post vehicles are limited, as they can’t
mount, power, and cool all the technology required to support a deployed unit, officials said.
The CPP(I) consolidates all essential mission command infrastructure to operate in a single vehicle. When compared to the current technology, the CPP(I) has less height, and provides more capability than two of the Army’s current command post platforms, McNeilly-Anta said.
Depending on the operation, the CCP(I) takes about 15 minutes to set up or tear down. Servers assigned to the vehicle can be operated in either mounted or dismounted modes and can transition between modes in less than 20 minutes.
The CPP(I) also incorporates an onboard vehicle power system that provides ample support to the command informa- tion and equipment cooling infrastructure without the need for an external power source.
“Everything in the vehicle can be powered and operated for an extended period by just running the engine,” McNeilly- Anta said.
Mission command platforms
CERDEC also focused on mission command platforms, to support initial entry operations and provide mobile and tactical command post capabilities.
Included in that effort are the Expeditionary Joint Battle Command-Platform, or X JBC-P; the Ultra-Light Command Post Node; the MRZR Command Post Node; and the Combat Action Brigade TAC Command Post.
The X JBC-P provides beyond-line-of-sight, secure, two- way transmission capabilities, said Jim Bell, an operations expert within EMC STO. This capability is vital to light
Army photograph
The Expeditionary Command Post is a 20-foot expandable rigid shelter command post node. When compared to a tent-based command post, the ExCP can be fully operational within 30 minutes of emplacement or can be packed and moved in the same amount of time.
and airborne Army forces that typically don’t have access to a portable mission command solutions during initial entry operations.
The X JBC-P Kit, Bell said, can be carried by a single Soldier and consists of a rugged tablet, a power source, and
See CERDEC, Page 11
by Devon L. Suits
aberdeen Proving grounds, Md.
The Army unveiled 15 Soldier-vetted technologies here, July 18, all meant to improve command post infrastructure and capability.
Those new technologies are now slated for transition to programs of record, representing a culmination of three years of effort by the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center to improve command post capability.
A primary goal for the Army has been to make the setup of command posts less complicated and less time-consuming for Soldiers, and to also make command posts more robust for the commanders who operate inside them, said Tyler Barton, the manager of CERDEC’s Expeditionary Mission Command Science and Technology Objective.
The new technologies include, among other things, im- provements to expeditionary command post capabilities, the tactical computing environment, and energy-informed opera- tions. Together, these new technologies will make it quicker and easier for Soldiers to both set up and tear down a command post. They will also improve command post connectivity, agility, and scalability.
Command post support vehicles
Today, Army command posts typically consist of a wide variety of tents, each of which must be individually assembled by Soldiers. Those command posts also may consist of a number of vehicles that contain command post functions. All must be cobbled together to meet the needs of the commander. In some
cases it may take days for such a command post to be com- pletely assembled. Often, these types of command posts prove too cumbersome and challenging for light forces to set up.
Part of CERDEC’s effort to improve command post infra- structure and capability involves support vehicles designed to support a distributed and reduced command post footprint, all while increasing agility and maneuverability.
Two vehicle platforms, the Light-Mobile Command Post, or L-MCP, and the Command Post Platform-Improved, or CPP(I), are part of that effort.
The L-MCP provides a self-contained, rapidly mobile com- mand post node that can be used as a small and highly capable mission command vehicle to support light Infantry, Airmobile, and Air Assault forces, said Brad McNeilly-Anta, a command post consultant with EMC STO.
The L-MCP is integrated onto a Humvee platform and can achieve voice communication and position location tracking in just 15 minutes. The setup can achieve full operating capability within 30 minutes.
“We took [the L-MCP] out to the Network Integration Evaluation back in 2015 as a battalion tactical action center,” McNeilly-Anta said. “When they needed to push the TAC forward ... this vehicle moved with a network vehicle, so when it stopped, (Soldiers) would run a network cable ... and have reach-back connectivity.”
The L-MCP also includes a retractable table, and a comple- mentary soft-walled shelter can be set up to cover the back end of the vehicle. Once set up, the L-MCP can provide a workspace for a battle staff of six. Moreover, the vehicle can be configured to meet a unit’s needs and features a built-in power
For more information go to www.irwin.army.mil