3G and Beyond

Written by Adam Baddeley

MIT 2009 Volume: 13 Issue: 8 (September)

The Latest Cellular Communications
Technologies are Being Tested, Evaluated
and Packaged for Urgent Operational Needs.

In reality, however, cellular communications technologies now in their latest 3G and 4G iterations are currently being tested, evaluated and packaged for urgent operational needs in the current fight and integrated in critical programs of record both on and off the battlefield. This is ensuring that both on and off the battlefield, the Department of Defense and other federal agencies can conduct every aspect of their work using militarily secure links that also embrace the enhanced bandwidth’s connectivity that originates in the civilian world.>

John T. Armantrout, chief technology officer for the Joint Program Executive Office Joint Tactical Radio System (JPEO JTRS), addressed the issues involved in bringing this technology to the battlefield. “It is not more challenging, just different,” he commented. “Certainly the legacy waveforms have a lot of history and folks have experience with them, so it is easy to find a subject matter expert in DoD. Additionally, they are significantly less complex than the modern waveforms—and, obviously, significantly less capable. The networking and cellular waveforms are new to DoD, and there is little development experience with them in the department. But we are finding folks from industry to assist us in the JPEO, and our primes are quickly gaining similar experience.

“Keep in mind that the military operational environment is vastly different than a commercial cellular environment,” Armantrout continued. “JTRS networking waveforms provide a ‘meshed network’ architecture—no fixed infrastructure required. Each radio has equal capability and can connect with another like-kind radio directly over the air. The radio determines coverage by transmit power and antenna gain configuration. The radio also determines the connectivity population autonomously. JTRS is capable of relay and routing messages and provides for ad hoc connectivity between two or more radios.”

MULTIPLE TECHNOLOGIES

There are multiple 3G cellular technologies. In meeting some of the DoD’s key communications objectives, General Dynamics C4 Systems is focusing on two of them—CDMA and WiMAX. Their capabilities are being incorporated as part of three key programs: the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), a UHF SATCOM network; JTRS Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit (HMS); and the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T).

MUOS uses a wideband CDMA architecture, much like a traditional cellular implementation in that there is an infrastructure associated with it, albeit one that is partially satellite-based. Joe Miller, director of JTRS programs at General Dynamics, explained the underlying challenges for HMS terminals in supporting its 3G waveform.

“From a terminal implementation perspective, you need more processing elements to host these networks and the applications associated with them. In addition, as these waveforms are adopted for military applications, unique modifications are required in the 3G technologies,” Miller said. “A very good example is the fact that they have to co-exist with terrestrial communications around the world, so it is very important to get spectral authorization to use MUOS. You can’t interface with existing terrestrial communications so the waveform is being modified for spectral adaptation so that it doesn’t jam existing commercial networks.”

The first MUOS terminal will be the two-channel JTRS HMS manpack. The manpack is a two channel design with a 30 MHz–2.5 GHz 20W output requirement for both channels. Two separable power amplifiers (PA) are mounted on each side of the radio. Either channel extends down to 2 MHz with the addition of a high frequency PA. To run MUOS on the manpack requires a replacement MUOS PA that provides the additional circuitry required to host the MUOS waveform.

This approach has inherent flexibility, Miller said. “You can put it on either side, or put it on both sides and field-replace the unit. In addition, because you have all of the modem and security hardware and software inside the main manpack, you can run the other waveforms using the MUOS PA in bypass mode, at the modem’s normal 5W output.”

Right now MUOS is not a requirement on every JTRS HMS set, but only the manpack and handhelds. “I would expect that any set that they want to have SATCOM capability, they will eventually want MUOS on it. In reality, though, what they are initially looking for is a manpack terminal and a handheld terminal for MUOS. I don’t believe there is any current thought for any of the embeddable HMS form factors that go on sensors, to be MUOS compatible as they go through local nets. Once MUOS capability is reduced down to a handheld capability, it would be no problem to add it to the embedded variant that goes with the Ground Soldier Ensemble,” Miller commented.

A broad concept of 3G incorporates WiMAX, an OFDMA-based wireless technology now being adapted for use by General Dynamics on JTRS HMS and WIN-T. Miler said, “There is growing interest for WiMAX on HMS. Standard commercial implementations of WiMAX do not incorporate true ad hoc capabilities, but our adaptation of WiMAX does incorporate that ad hoc functionality.

“Commercial WiMAX implementations rely on network access points for connection into a network,” he continued. “The military doesn’t have the benefit of these network access points because of a lack of fixed infrastructure. The difficult piece for the military is making it fully ad hoc so that every node on the network can support any other node and route information through it, as well as adding in the security features that are not supported but required for military applications.”p> In WIN-T, General Dynamics has implemented a modified WiMAX that is used as a mobile local area network purely for secure local area connectivity.

EMPIRE CHALLENGE

One of the key technological inflexion points has been the creation of cellular and 3G wireless environments that can be scaled down as well as up, making them suitable to military deployment and disaster recovery, explained Michael Coyne, chief technology officer of Ericsson Federal. “We have cellular systems based on standard hardware and software that is packaged into a small, self-contained ‘system in a box’ called QuicLINK. This system is scaled to be deployable and work in communities where the system itself is mobile, making 3G and 4G cellular systems viable in this space.”

This concept was tested in DoD’s recent Empire Challenge event, a month-long exercise designed to take new technology, insert it in realworld tactical environments and test its ability to work with existing architectures to meet immediate operational needs.

“Our primary focus with QuicLINK was on delivering broadband wireless to the soldier in the field, enabling multimedia capabilities with strong focus on distribution of voice and video information from sensor platforms. We also showed some IMS-based software that gave situational awareness capabilities and multimedia communications,” Coyne said, citing the example of a 360-degree immersive video C2 system, where Ericsson was asked with very short notice to allow the vendor to connect their system to QuicLINK, permitting a successful test.

“What is unique about Ericsson’s IMS solution, used in combination with QuicLINK and using fixed broadband access, is that we are using a standardized IMS SIP core,” he noted. “That is interesting because in the past, people would tend to build custom-made IPbased systems, so if you buy from one vendor you get everything you need in a proprietary system. This does not support a multi-vendor environment or transparent sharing of information across agencies in a peered, policy managed way. The implementation Ericsson showed at Empire Challenge is a prime example of this approach, using standard IMS interfaces and various third-party software with more than eight different vendors in addition to our gear. We took best of breed.”

The outcome from Empire Challenge, Coyne explained, is that Ericsson’s technology is now being considered for deployment in systems due to be rolled out in the next six to nine months. “Empire Challenge has been a big breakthrough for us. It has moved us from PowerPoint slides to real systems in a real-world environment, working with what is already deployed in the field,” he said.

Coyne emphasized that the QuicLINK system is a complement to and enhancer of existing military capabilities. “We have to be able to say to guys with SINCGARS or JTRS, that you don’t have to throw away the things you have,” he said. “For example, in the public safety arena, we have worked with vendors of P25 deployed systems and have already enabled those products to tunnel over and go to cellular handsets that look and feel as though they were part of the P25 group. It’s a combination of an interworking gateway and an ability to tunnel a client on a handset. We can anticipate the same thing applying in this space. We will not try to replace what is already there, rather we will augment and enhance.”

One of the first 3G customers in DoD for Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), meanwhile, was the Army, which acquired a high speed downlink packet access 3G network in 2006.

“There are other DoD entities that are also evaluating our technology,” said Robert Fennelly, head of U.S. government sales at NSN. “We provide the technology, support the technology and keep them apprised of the roadmaps for where the technology is headed. We also have a cooperative research agreement with Army CERDEC. That is another effort where we present technologies and are in the process of delivering latest generation technologies for evaluation. In one example, we have upgraded the radio network and introduced IMS technology, allowing the Army to evaluate applications such as VoIP.”

The underlying strategy behind this interest lies in obtaining synergies with the commercial sector’s economies of scale. “The commercial world offers a wholly different cost point,” said Fennelly. “There are millions of subscribers out there and the technology moves very quickly. DoD is interested in riding the technology curve and getting the latest capabilities, whether it is bandwidth, applications or seamless databases.”

The next generation of technology is 4G or LTE, which is being addressed via the initiatives with the research agreement with NSN and promoted in a range of defense forums.

“We presented at the Army Science Board, looking at future technologies,” Fennelly said. “They are very familiar with the LTE technology, and we anticipate that they will make an investment in that in the near future. The flat architecture that 4G brings enables a simpler network with greater bandwidth data speeds. Also, a more compact architecture raises the chance of a tactical deployment of the technology which would have been difficult with commercial grade equipment in the past.” General Dynamics C4 Systems Sectéra product line comprises a family of secure voice and data products. Sectéra begins with the secure wireless GSM phone for 2G cellular networks. The new 3G wireless product is the Sectéra Edge smartphone, which provides the same secure voice capability of its predecessors. In addition to basic point-to-point data services, however, it also adds the capabilities of a modern smartphone, including push e-mail, Web browsing, MS Office and additional applications. The Sectéra wireless GSM phone was based on a standard commercial Motorola cell phone to a commercial standard, while the Sectéra Edge is ruggedized to MILSTD-810F.

“The target market for the product is segmented. It is used particularly by Pentagon seniors and others in federal agencies and DoD for their day-to-day communications. The products are also used in a tactical environment and run on the native network. It is also used in applications where a unit will drop in a portable cell site and just use it for local communications,” said Tom Liggett, business area manager for end-user and voice products at General Dynamics C4 Systems.

When a secure call or a data session is required, the devices automatically negotiate the highest appropriate security level, Liggett explained. “One device might be keyed for Suite B only to protect sensitive but unclassified information, while I might have a device keyed with Suite A for classified information and also with Suite B, so we could go secure using Suite B. That is all done by virtue of the security protocols used. There are two standard security protocols, and we implement them both. One is called SCIP [Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol] for secure voice communications.

“For data communications, we use the HAIPE [High Assurance IP Encryption] protocol. When you exchange classified e-mails, there is specific data-at-rest encryption technology in the device that uses NSA-certified technology. The Edge encrypts the classified data on the device, so that anybody who didn’t have the appropriate access for that level of classification couldn’t access the data, either from the far end or by picking up the device and attempting to hack into it.”

The advent of 4G, Liggett believes, represents further opportunities in terms of higher data rates so a lot of mission-critical requirements can now be met. “The other key technology going forward is the migration to VoIP. It has been a long time coming and it is still coming, but once 3G networks universally adopt VoIP, we will be able to take advantage of that technology, and the Edge will be able to offer some additional users efforts to use some of the secure voice services.

“Currently, the secure voice capability runs over circuit switched data service technology, a legacy technology in the cellular world that is gradually being replaced. As that happens, we will migrate to VoIP, and that will provide additional features like a single phone number for different devices, potentially a higher voice quality and other capabilities like that,” Liggett added.

SECURITY IS PRIMARY

For DoD or federal government business, security always comes first, said RIM’s Scott Totzke, vice president for BlackBerry security. “DoD is comparable to a large enterprise customer that has centralized governance of their geographically dispersed personnel around the world, but there are some baseline criteria for wireless security that are required to even enter into the discussion with that customer base.”

Totzke cited Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 and DoD 8100—policy documents governing the use of wireless devices—as well as the National Institute of Science and Technology’s Federal Information Processing Standards 140, which independently validates the design and implementation of an encryption module that is part of a product. “RIM has been a longstanding participant in that program,” he said. “At one point we were the first and only mobile solution and a lot of our competitors have followed suit.”

To support its strength in encryption, RIM acquired Certicom in 2006. Previously the National Security Agency obtained a government-ide license for the firm’s Elliptic Curve Cryptography technology used in the NSA Suite B standard for secure government communications, which is now part of RIM’s portfolio of products.

RIM’s approach to DoD business has been to focus on enhancing the security of COTS products. “BlackBerry has been [Type 1] Suite B compliant for about seven years now, so we don’t build Type 1 [Suite A] products. Our forte is secure but unclassified, and 80 percent to 90 percent of day-to-day communications within DoD falls into that realm. For Type 1 [Suite A], you are into purpose-built hardware with customized requirements that only allow you to sell the product to a subset of the U.S. federal government. That is where you end up with $3,000-plus phones, and that is not a COTS product.”

RIM works closely with the DoD on the Wireless and Secure Technical Implementation Guide (STIG), which establishes requirements for properly configuring and managing the security features that are inherent in the BlackBerry platform.

“We routinely meet with representatives of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to talk about what their needs are from a mobile device standpoint so that we can accommodate that in our technology roadmap. We have also worked with DISA to open up the STIG to create guidance on how to safely allow third-party applications to be safely installed on DoD networks,” Totzke said.

“Some of our large enterprise customers are also starting to look at this model, so DoD is certainly a thought leader in this space,” he noted, adding that issues for the future include using BlackBerry smartphones on 3G and, in the future, 4G networks, as a communications modem for attached devices.

Looking beyond e-mail, RIM believes it has more to offer. “Having a reliable device that provides a secure connection back to your mail server is certainly important. Now, however, DoD, like a lot of other customers, is starting to look at how they can leverage that investment in mobile technology. We for example have seen Army recruiting have an application for signing up new recruits. We also have emergency contact lists for continuity of government and continuity of operations, and this has been a fairly big initiative within DoD.”

At the core of the offering, Totzke said, is RIM’s ability to manage scarcity of bandwidth in catastrophic or certainly high stress situations, where a land line infrastructure has failed.

“I was in London when the 2005 subway bombing happened, and I was able to effectively communicate with my boss and family sending BlackBerry e-mail, but I couldn’t make a phone call,” he recalled. “It is that efficiency of network use that has allowed DoD to start looking at BlackBerry as a fallback if the mail server fails. If I can’t make a phone call, we are still able to get messages routed between BlackBerry devices. So continuity of government really comes into play.”

RAPIDLY DEPLOYABLE NETWORK

Both the use of 3G and 4G wireless communications technologies should be considered a strong addition to existing communication solutions in the battlefield, but not a replacement, according to executives of LGS Innovations, the independent U.S. government subsidiary of Alcatel-Lucent. These networks are typically deployed at higher frequencies (typically between 450MHz and 3.5GHz) and while they offer significant bandwidth advantages, they do not yet offer all of the transmission range advantages of the lower frequency legacy equipment.

“The network needs to be both expandable and flexible enough that it is able to easily support every application the warfighter needs both now and in the future,” said Dan Bigbie, vice president business development for LGS. “Leveraging our broad history of providing long-term communications solutions, we look to deliver standardsbased networks so the ability to incorporate new applications is not only possible, but also easy.”

Probably the most critical component of a 3G/4G solution is the creation of a proper network architecture that gives users the ability to form ad hoc wireless mesh networks that can adapt to the needs of various deployment scenarios on demand.

LGS is in the final phase of testing a rapidly deployable 4G solution. This innovative rapidly deployable network is a compact, self contained network in a box (less than 1 cubic foot) used for establishing secure, real time, mission critical voice, video and sensor communications.

For the last few years LGS has provided the TacBSR, a single box GSM cellular solution, to DoD customers. The TacBSR delivers the smallest form factor in the industry. It leverages VoIP for backhaul and allows multiple TacBSRs to inter-network in a simple, easy to deploy and manage, flat architecture employing commodity IP networks, providing “cellular over IP” functionality.

“Current network architectures tend to be hierarchical and centralized which limits communications when cut off from the core,” said Wayne Eagleson, LGS general manager. “The advantage of a rapidly deployable technology is that it can provide mobile, flexible and self sufficient broadband voice, video and data for deployments with company, brigades or battalions without having to rely on any existing network infrastructure. When commercially available, systems like the RDN can take advantage of commercial cellular network technology enabling the ability to build the network on the fly.”

SOCIAL NETWORKING

At the Coalition Warfare Interoperability Demonstrations this summer, meanwhile, Lockheed Martin demonstrated what company executives see as the beginning of a new future of social networking and related technologies in a military context.

Using the combination of legacy Defense Information Systems Agency network devices and commercial wireless infrastructure, the company and its partners demonstrated the ability to deliver media rich data and applications with smartphones. Applications included tactical maps, UAV tasking, integrated biometrics and an ISR Enterprise.

Combined with research and development programs, Lockheed Martin is rapidly enabling the irregular operator and warfighter with faster and more collaborative tools that provide rich robust applications to the first mile and seamless connectivity for success in garrison, on patrol or in disadvantaged positions.

“Our young warfighters and operators come from a world where they can communicate at will,” said Macy W. Summers, vice president for strategic development with Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services-Defense. “The ‘first mile’ capabilities and mobility of the teenager hanging out at the mall easily outpace those provided today to our combatants and operators in the field.

“That teenager has easy-to-use applications for provisioning, information sharing, situational awareness, course of action determination, and imagery data,” Summers said.

These fundamental shifts in computing, mobility and human interaction mean there is a great opportunity for the warfighter operating in environments that encompass traditional, irregular, disruptive and catastrophic threats. Lockheed Martin believes bold thinking and solution-creation using Web 2.0, smartphones and mobile communications is the answer.

“We’re doing it today—changing the very nature of the interface of the edge,” Summers said. “It’s beyond novelty; we’re innovating for the mission.” ♦

Back to Top