u.s. army photo by staff sgt. pedro garcia bibian, 55th ... · pedro garcia bibian, 55th signal...

Thursday, April 20, 2017 • APG News B3

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICH-ARDSON, Alaska -- In temperaturesdipping below negative 10 degrees, theArmy successfully conducted an opera-tional test of its inflatable satellite commu-nications, or SATCOM, terminal, knownas Transportable Tactical CommandCommunications, or T2C2. This systemprovides robust early entry and remoteedge of the battlefield mission commandwithin the Army’s Tactical Network.

Both the Heavy and Lite variants ofT2C2 are inflatable, providing unitswith alarger antenna, increasing capability andbandwidth efficiency in half the size ofcurrent solutions. These resilient SAT-COM terminals can withstand extremeweather conditions and even air drops.

“TheT2C2 systemcanbe rapidly set up,is smaller and more survivable thancurrent capability, and it helpsme providedistributed digital mission command in afootprint that makes sense for a decisiveaction environment,” said Maj. GlenNettrour, communications officer (S6) forthe 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne),25th Infantry Division (4/25 ID), U.S.Army Alaska. “It’s the first time thatprimary communications systems aretailored for decisive action in the frontend, versus us being forced to take legacyequipment andmake it fit a decisive actionmodel.”

In support of the Army’s initiative toreduce the time required to delivercapabilities to the Army, the ProgramExecutive Office for Command, Control,Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) di-rected an early initial operational test andevaluation (IOT&E) for the T2C2 pro-gram. Soldiers with the 4/25 ID, ArmyAlaska and the 55th Signal Company(Combat Camera) stepped up to thechallenge and supported the IOT&E of

both the Lite and Heavy variants of thiscritical Program of Record at JBER inMarch. Results from the IOT&E willsupport a full rate production decision,currently expected in late fiscal year 2017.

T2C2 has proven to be easy set-up,enter various tactical networks, operateand troubleshoot by general purposeusersfollowing just a couple of weeks oftraining. As the Army continues its effortto reduce reliance on Field ServiceRepresentative (FSR) support for in-creased efficiencies, T2C2 will be fullyoperated, supported and maintained bythe unit. The unit will also be accountableformaintenanceand spares, a sustainmentplan only made possible by T2C2’s ease ofuse.

“Some of the Soldiers operating thesystem had no signal experience beforethis test, and by that I mean none,” saidChief Warrant Officer 3 Woody Scott,Network Operations Officer in Charge for4/25 ID. “It’s unbelievable that non-signalSoldiers with only two weeks of trainingare able to put these systems on theground, acquire the satellite, put them intooperation quickly, make voice and datacalls, push products on their militaryintelligence systems and make mission.That says something incredible about howthese systems are designed in theirsimplicity and the quality of the trainingthat the Soldiers have received.”

Among its many operational uses, theArmy can employ T2C2 to supportpotential Joint Forcible Entry missions.During these early entry missions, para-troopers, such as those in the 4/25 ID,jump from their aircraft into enemyterritory, sometimes in the middle of thenight, to secure an airfield so largeraircraft can safely land and bring in theheavier equipment needed to expand thelodgment.

Situational awareness is critical butlimited to the communications and net-work equipment that can be air-droppedfrom a plane. But with the air-droppableT2C2, once an airfield is seized, Soldierscan retrieve the system on the ground andrapidly set it up to provide continuity ofmission command during the initial pha-

ses of operation.“Units have a requirement for a more

easily transportable early entry missioncommand and communications capabilitythat can better support smaller elementsat the tactical edge,” said Lt. Col. JennyTam, product manager for WarfighterInformation Network-Tactical (WIN-T)Satellite Communications (SATCOM),who manages T2C2 for the Army. “T2C2provides a significant improvement inbandwidth, set up speed andmobility overcurrent capability, arming commandersand Soldiers with the intelligence, agilityand operational flexibility they need tostay ahead of the enemy and be successfulin the fight.”

Because of its significantly higherbandwidth, Soldiers in remote locations,whether on a frozen mountain in Alaskaor deep in an austere desert in theMiddleEast, can leverage T2C2 to utilize missioncommand systems such as Command Postof the Future (CPOF), Joint Battle Com-mand-Platform (JBC-P), Advanced FieldArtillery Targeting and Direction System

(AFATADS), and Distribute CommonGround System-Army (DCGS-A). T2C2also enables communications systemssuch as whiteboard, chat, video and videoteleconference, and Voice Over InternetProtocol (VoIP) calls that require signifi-cant data throughput.

“T2C2 brings a lot of throughput and ahigher quality network that comes on-linequickly and can operate at much lowertemperatures,” CW3 Scott said. “Earlyentry packages like T2C2 Lite, and now avery high throughput T2C2 Heavy thatcan be air-dropped, making an Articmission safer for our brigade.”

Not only does T2C2 provide missioncommand during the initial phases ofoperation, but as operations mature andfollow-on forces bring in larger networkassets, commanders can extend the battlespace to its edge using the T2C2 Heavy tosupport company-size forward operatingbases. The agile high-bandwidth T2C2can directly support a unit’s ability to sendsmaller elements forward, leaving larger,less maneuverable Tactical OperationsCenters (TOCs) and network equipmentsafely in the rear or even at home station.

“The Army is evolving to becomesomething tactical enough to avoid fire inbrigade operations,” Scott said. “T2C2 canhelp develop a TOC structure that israpidly deployable and re-deployable --can be taken down quickly andmoved outof line of sight. Additionally, a smallerfootprint both from an air perspective andfrom a frequency perspective means thatwe are harder to detect.”

Special team-sized elements, such asCombat Camera and Human IntelligenceTeams, also require high-bandwidth net-work capability to send large data files likephotos, geospatial imagery and video.These smaller elements are in line to befielded with the T2C2 Lite variant tosupport their unique missions. Since itsets up so rapidly, they can be employedwherever and whenever needed. Theversatility of T2C2 increases a command-er’s operational flexibility and providesthe real-time situational awarenessneeded to make quick battlefield deci-sions.

“The guys I work with push actionableintelligence, andwith T2C2 they can pushmore intel quicker and more efficientlythan with the system we have now,” saidPfc. Austin Brogan, signal intelligenceanalyst for 4/25 ID. “With this system wecanprovide theground force commandersactionable intel in amore efficientmannerso they are not sitting around waiting forinformation. The faster intel moves, themore useful it is.”

Soldiers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska train in February 2017 for the March Warfighter Information Network-Tactical(WIN-T) Transportable Tactical Command Communications (T2C2) operational test at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. This system provides robust early entry and edge ofthe battlefield communications and mission command via the Army’s Tactical Network.

U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. PEDRO GARCIA BIBIAN, 55TH SIGNAL COMPANY (COMBAT CAMERA)

Inflatable SATCOMAirborne unit testsexpeditionary satellitecommunications in Alaska

ByMaj. Jonathan LipscombAssistant Product Manager for WIN-T SATCOM

Soldiers with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division,U.S. Army Alaska train in February 2017 for the March Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Transportable Tactical Command Communications (T2C2) operationaltest at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY STAFF SGT. PEDRO GARCIA BIBIAN, 55TH SIGNAL COMPANY (COMBAT CAMERA)

A Soldier with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska sets up a Warfighter Informa-tion Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Transportable Tactical Command Communications (T2C2) Lite satellite terminal in March 2017, during thepilot phase of the T2C2 operational test.

U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY AMY WALKER, PEO C3T PUBLIC AFFAIRS