Date: March 11, 2000
Author: Ronald Wolak

Subject: Reply 2 to Benedict Eu: Multimedia in Naval Intelligence Products

Reply 2 to Benedict Eu: Multimedia in Naval Intelligence Products

The United States Department of Defense (DOD) has been piloting the Global Broadcast System (GBS) since 1996. The purpose of the system is to broadcast a wide variety of data services to deployed forces (McCormick, McCormick, Hill, & Choffel, 1996). Services such as weather, mission updates, mapping, and tactical updates are broadcast by satellite with the system. The GBS was designed to leverage civil technologies to meet military requirements (Davies & Lodge, 1997). In addition, the GBS's satellite delivery of Internet services enables the military to benefit from low cost commercial satellite communication technology and application software.

Along with the development of the Global Broadcast System, the United States Army is transforming its "legacy" networks to meet the demand for the delivery of multimedia information to the warfighter of the 21st Century (Sass, 1999, October). The Army's new internetwork architecture is based upon the technology and protocols of the commercial Internet. While the Army's intention is to field a digitized force (using off-the-shelf technologies), many of these technologies will need modification to be suitable for the battlefield. Security and information warfare are two differentiating factors.

The use of broadcast multimedia technologies by the military is dependent upon (as it is on the commercial side) secure, reliable communications. In addition, the military places a strong focus on wireless communications due to the highly mobile nature of the job.

References

Davies, A., & Lodge, D. (1997). The military satellite super highway. Military Satellite Communications II, IEEE Coilloquium on, IEEE, UK, pp. 9/1-9/7.

McCormick, T., McCormick, P., Hill, W., & Choffel, M. (1996). Information management for the Global Broadcast System: Operational considerations and recommendations. Military Communications Conference, 1996, IEEE, No. 2, pp. 523-527.

Sass, P. (1999, October). Communications networks for the force XXI digitized battlefield. Mobile Networks and Applications - ACM, 4(3), 139-155.