Army to launch enroute comms for soldiers

By

Michael Hardy

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, wait to perform personnel airdrops during a the Joint Operations Access Exercise, (JOAX), June 25, 2011, Fort Bragg, N.C. JOAX is a two-week exercise to prepare Air Force and Army to respond to worldwide crisis and contingences. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Asha Harris)(RELEASED)

Tthe Army plans to offer connectivity to airborne troops for the first time, beginning in May, according to a report in Defense News.

The new capability comes in part from the Army’s increasing use of commercial satellite terminals and other commercial technologies in expeditionary command posts.

Related: Enroute Mission Command Capability takes flight

“You had maybe one perhaps two people able to do email on the jet, and now what they’re going to get is the full mission command suite of applications,” said Lt. Col. Joel Babbitt, product manager for Warfighter Information Network Increment 1 (WIN-T Inc. 1).

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“Just like people get uncomfortable when their phone dies for a day, and they feel blinded, it’s the same thing with our soldiers nowadays. Constant connectivity is the key to situational awareness, their ability to flexibly and dynamically change the plan,” Babbitt said.

Video: Airborne mobility for en route mission command