Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Joyner | Col. James Stultz, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)...... read more read more
Driven by the latest networked communications technologies, the U.S. Army’s only air assault division transformed its “Strike” Brigade Combat Team into a more lethal, strategically mobile and multidomain-capable combat-ready force.
As the first unit to execute the Chief of Staff of the Army’s experimental modernization concept, called “transformation in contact,” the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), known as 2-101, is now operating with significantly modernized network and command and control capabilities designed to counter evolving threats — all within just eight months of the effort’s initiation.
Transformation in contact is part of a larger Army initiative designed to evaluate emergent technologies, combat force structures and tactics across multiple focus areas by inserting emerging technologies into operational exercises, collecting data and providing iterative enhancements at the speed of need.
Supported by the Army’s network and C2 portfolio, the 2-101 implemented transformation in contact during three exercises this year, employing the Army’s new C2 Fix concepts and technologies, which were established to deliver simple, intuitive, mobile and lower signature solutions to close-combat forces to “fight tonight.”
“As we plan for an increasingly complex and dynamic battlefield, we’re looking at ways to transform the Army’s tactical communications architecture to enable units to be more mobile, diverse, and dispersed than ever before,” said Mark Kitz, Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications, and Network, or PEO C3N.
JUMPSTARTING TRANSFORMATION AND C2 FIX
Beginning with a preliminary Joint Rotation Training Center rotation in January, the division’s combat aviation brigade experimented with a prototype aerial tier extension capability throughout the exercise’s large-scale, long-range air assault operations — shortened as L2A2 — which stretched from Fort Campbell, Kentucky to Fort Johnson, Louisiana.
Employing a L2A2 into a rotation is not typical. It requires complex coordination between air and ground forces — incorporating quick-turn refueling missions en route to the objective under simulated enemy attack and electronic spectrum interference — all under the cover of darkness to further simulate a real-life vertical envelopment of an opposing force.
“Our main objective in January was to determine if we could create and maintain the seamless transmission of data between the ground force and the supporting aerial platforms throughout a challenging 500-nautical mile large scale air assault, all while communicating over the Sensitive But Unclassified-Encrypted (SBU-E) enclave,” said Maj. Brad Anderson, assistant product manager for Helicopter and Multi-Mission Radios, assigned to PEO C3N.
OPERATON LETHAL EAGLE
Armed with lessons learned from this event, the Army increased capabilities for the unit’s next exercise, it’s annual Operation Lethal Eagle (OLE) held in April by integrating the first integrated tactical network aerial toolkit to use in the unit’s second L2A2. The new kit, then comprised of a Leader radio in the crew compartment with limited platform integration, served as the communications node connecting a tactical assault kit-enabled tablet to dismounted Soldiers, where they shared chat and position location information over SBU-E.
The initial small-scale fielding of this system-of-system served as an operationally relevant proof of concept. The Army leveraged data-driven analysis, end-user feedback and commanders’ input to determine aircraft system density increases, enhancements to aircraft integration and incorporation of a more powerful radio solution to enable the seamless command and C2 in the air and ground task force during the assault, Anderson said.
The Army also introduced the Infantry Squad Vehicle for the brigade’s close combat formations; at each hop the ISVs were connected by a quick-erect tent. The unit, now designated as the Army’s first mobile brigade combat team, was able to conduct initial key C2 functions, such as current ops, future ops, intel and fires within minutes, and full operational command in less than an hour, said Lt. Col. Walter Gray, battalion commander for the division’s 2nd BCT, 502nd Infantry Regiment.
“This configuration allows us to get into the fight immediately and maintain lower EW [electronic warfare] signature,” he said.
Conducting operations using the Mounted Mission Command-Software — the replacement to the Joint Battle Command-Platform system — enabled the brigade to move faster, fight longer, and communicate effortlessly across echelons, Gray said.
“Our dismounted Soldiers operating over a Leader radio and [Nett Warrior] end user device created the mesh network that allowed the MMC-S in the command post to federate data and push it out to battalion headquarters, which can be completely over the horizon,” he said. “This gave everyone a common operating picture [combined with the TRIK box] to give us better situational awareness than I've ever had before.”
In addition, the division’s fire support personnel conducted fires missions using the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System, or AFATDS, over SBU-E for the first time. Although the data transmissions were clear, fire support personnel requested additional assurances data could not be degraded using SBU-E versus secret transmissions.
After OLE, with four months until the unit’s second, full-scale JRTC, the collaborative team — comprised of PEO C3N, PEO Soldier and PEO Aviation — collected all data and Soldier feedback from the exercise to inform the integration of the latest technologies into the unit’s land and air operations.
“Since our first contact implementing C2 Fix with the unit, we have been given institutional support to iterate,” said Col. Shermoan Daiyaan, project manager for Mission Command, assigned to PEO C3N. “Our network engineers and technicians, along with the supporting PEO’s, worked in tandem with the unit’s signal and aviation staff, where we incorporated two-week sprints to deliver capability at a faster pace while informing Army senior leader decisions.”
CULMINATING JRTC
In mid-August, the 2-101 conducted its culminating JRTC, which featured a L2A2 consisting of 80 aircraft, flying 500 miles from Fort Campbell to Fort Johnson.
With the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) units now armed with the latest aerial tier and C2 technologies, the team tackled Army leaders’ three overarching JRTC objectives to measure the transformative enhancements to the unit’s ability to fight.
The first objective called for significantly more aircraft to be integrated with the ITN air-to-ground capability, while also providing commanders with enhanced and extended communications.
The teams met this challenge by integrating 31 aircraft with current ITN capabilities, where just six months ago the CAB did not have any air-to-ground interoperable radios. In addition, the teams added Mobile User Objective Systems Manpack, or MUOS, satellite communications radios to seven aircraft for beyond line-of-sight voice and data capability, Anderson said.
“Replacing the leader radio with MUOS was a game-changer for long-range air assaults,” Anderson said. “The unit not only increased range, but with the radio integrated into the aircraft’s power source, battery life was not an issue.”
Part of the C2 Fix initiative calls for moving network complexity up to division, making brigade and below echelons more mobile, and subsequently less of a target. In support of these concepts, the Army’s second JRTC objective was to integrate common operating picture tools that ensure interoperability from the dismounted team leader on the ground up to the division.
In response, the Army integrated the unit’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles with the latest version of the Mounted Family of Commuter Systems running the MMC-S. The upgraded system featured a removable tablet to provide team leaders the flexibility of a COP across echelons while either on-the-move or at-the-quick-halt when the mission required them to step out of their vehicles.
“The team created a TAK data package that provides multi-point graphics to seamlessly flow from the division TOC down to tablets, all using SBU-E,” said Dan Ghio, product manager for Mounted Mission Command, PEO C3N.
The final JRTC objective addressed the requirement for fire support personnel to conduct missions using AFATDS over SBU-E, while also addressing the concerns of data degradation.
“We developed an Automated Data Processing Gateway, allowing AFATDS-to-AFATDS communication across a cross-domain solution without degradation of data, allowing fires to go from Secret to SBU-E and vice versa safely and accurately,” said Lt. Col. Tim Godwin, product manager for Fire Support Command and Control, assigned to PEO C3N.
CONCLUSION
By implementing the Army’s C2 Fix through Transformation in Contact, the 2-101 and the division’s CAB are ready to deploy with multiple air-to-ground and mission command redesigns that enhance the lethality, mobility and survivability for their missions, ensuring these premier units will be even more ready to support large scale combat operations against any adversary.
The Army recently fielded some of these enhancements to the 25th Infantry Division for its Joint Pacific Multi-National Readiness rotation in Hawaii, which is where many of the early C2 Fix capabilities were initially fielded for experimentation. Almost immediately after fielding, Soldiers began conducting C2 with minimal instruction, while continuing to collaborate with the teams to further enhance and refine networked C2 capabilities.
“To prepare Soldiers to fight tonight and into an uncertain tomorrow, we’re addressing what’s right for technology innovation and what’s right for Army innovation by operationalizing a culture at echelon,” Kitz said. “Our warfighters’ missions, and their lives, depend on us.”
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The U.S. Army Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, and Network (PEO C3N) develops, acquires, fields and supports the Army's Unified Network (Tactical and Enterprise) to ensure force readiness in both current missions and potential future large scale combat operations. This critical Army modernization priority delivers resilient terrestrial and satellite communications capabilities to ensure commanders and Soldiers remain connected and informed at all times, even in the most austere and hostile environments. PEO C3N is delivering an integrated Unified Network to regions around the globe, enabling high-speed, high-capacity voice, data and video communications to an Army user base that includes joint, coalition and other mission partners.
| Date Taken: | 11.19.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.07.2025 12:46 |
| Story ID: | 488763 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 79 |
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This work, How 2024 became the year of the transformation for the 101st Airborne Division, by Kathryn Bailey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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