Fellow MANET folk:

I believe the following article reports the first battlefield
use of military ad hoc networks, which took place in the
past day or two. The article concentrates on the computer
screen but the communications is actually
carried by mobile, ad hoc networks.

-- Chip



Battlefield Internet Helps Forces in Iraq
Thu Apr 17, 2:16 AM ET

By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer

NORTH OF BAGHDAD, Iraq - A computer system that tracks friendly and enemy 
forces and pinpoints hazards like minefields on video game-like touch 
screens got its first use in battle. Commanders are hoping it can cut down 
on friendly fire deaths.

The Army's 4th Infantry Division is guided by a sophisticated computer 
network that tracked the division's 1st Brigade during a skirmish Wednesday 
for the Taji air base north of Baghdad.

The computer network is known as Force 21 Battle Command Brigade and Below, 
and works as a battlefield Internet that keeps track of fast-moving combat 
vehicles.

The system's global positioning satellite navigation system also warns 
whenever a vehicle strays from its planned path.

Proponents say such systems could prevent tragedies like the March 23 
ambush deaths of nine soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Company after 
their convoy took a wrong turn in southern Iraq (news - web sites).

The network "provides a level of situational awareness that is second to 
none," said 1st Brigade commander Col. Don Campbell.

Campbell and his staff used the battlefield networking system Wednesday to 
direct his troops — represented by blue icons — toward the positions of 
"red" Iraqi paramilitaries identified by spotters in helicopters.

Soldiers of 1st Brigade took control of the Taji base, killing four 
combatants and taking at least two dozen prisoners. There were no American 
casualties.

Using the system to pinpoint exact vehicle positions also can prevent 
friendly fire deaths.

On the system's networked screens, blue icons denote friendly forces and 
are constantly updated. Red icons show the enemy, which are added as 
they're spotted. The 4th Infantry also has unmanned aircraft that can 
handle surveillance tasks.

Hazards like minefields, areas where poison gas has been reported or other 
pitfalls can be added so units can steer clear.

By touching a screen icon, anyone from a commander in the rear to a tank 
crewman can get specific data about a vehicle — what it is, how fast it is 
moving and in which direction. If a vehicle is captured, the system has a 
self-destruct mechanism that can be triggered remotely.

Another touch allows soldiers to send text messages between vehicles or 
back to the command post, cutting down on radio chatter.

Maj. Mike Silverman, operations officer for the 1st Brigade, said that 
saves time to use voice communications for more detailed reports.

For Chief Warrant Officer II John Hanks, a maintenance technician for the 
4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery, the text messaging means troops can 
send quick assessments of problems without miscommunication through radio 
garble.

"The faster the vehicles can get to me saying, `We need a part,' the faster 
I can come up with it and get them back into the fight," Hanks said.

Developed by Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman, the computers were first 
fielded in 1995, said Mike Iacobacci, a Northrop technician traveling with 
the 1st Brigade.

The FBCB2 system transmits by bouncing data from vehicle to vehicle until 
it hits the brigade or division command centers. This "mesh network" lets 
the 4th Infantry update its positions faster than the rest of the Army, 
which must cope with the five-minute delay inherent in its satellite 
communications systems.

Younger soldiers, many of them raised on video games, quickly learn how to 
use the system, Iacobacci said.

"Some of these kids grew up on Nintendo (news - web sites) and Play 
Stations, so once they get on it's easy," he said.

The 4th is considered the Army's most lethal heavy division, boasting the 
latest tanks, troop carriers and Apache attack helicopters. But it missed 
out on nearly all the fighting in Iraq after Turkey refused to let the 
United States use that country as a staging ground.

Wednesday's skirmish was the first combat the division has seen since the 
Vietnam War. 

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