Troops in Afghanistan Bridge Communications Gap

Steady progress in communications in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has dramatically sped up the pace of coalition combat, security, governance and development operations throughout the country. From the tactical perspective, this progress is increasing shared situational awareness and boosting collaboration among nations.

Lt. Col. John Burger, USA, chief, Strategic Programs Branch, J-6, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, explains that at the opening of operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. services used the available radios and networks to create the main hub areas in the tactical signal units. Staying in touch primarily meant using mobile subscriber equipment and other devices that rely on line of sight for communicating.

The terrain fundamentally distinguishes communications in operation Enduring Freedom from communications in operation Iraqi Freedom, Col. Burger points out. While line-of-sight communications capabilities can be used to share information for miles in the desert or over other relatively flat terrain, in Afghanistan, “they’re just not going to work,” he says.

Lt. Col. Brett Reister, USA, J-6, Combined Joint Task Force–101 (CJTF-101), Afghanistan, agrees with Col. Burger that terrain is the biggest difference—and the biggest challenge—for tactical communications in Afghanistan. But Col. Reister notes that more satellite communications and commercial off-the-shelf satellite equipment are making network services available down to the lower levels of the chain of command.

During the past seven years, other advances also have facilitated tactical communications in Afghanistan. For example, Col. Burger says the ability to conduct conversations securely using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) has been a substantial improvement. Applications that make conferencing possible, including Web-based tools that enable the use of virtual slide shows, also have enhanced communications.

Col. Reister relates that the goal during the past several years has been to provide network services as far down the chain of the command as possible. “[I]t's critical that we push the services down to the lower levels because that's the kind of fight that we’re in,” Col. Reister explains. 

The Afghan government’s emphasis on building up communications enables citizens to be able to assume the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure when it is handed over to them, Col. Burger notes.

U.S. forces had to overcome new challenges as NATO took the lead in operations. In 2006, NATO assumed the lead in operation Enduring Freedom, and the International Security Assistance Force network was set up. Consequently, the United States essentially combined two mission networks so it could facilitate information sharing across the network and could maintain the security separation that both parties felt was necessary, Col. Burger explains.

Challenges that arose in joining the networks included guards for service—such as e-mail guards and telephone guards—as U.S. forces attempted to extend certain capabilities, including the cryptographic piece.

The end result of this work has been improvement over the past seven years not only in combat operations but also in the other support missions conducted by coalition forces: security, governance and development throughout Afghanistan, Col. Reister says.

Col. Burger adds that better communications also has improved situational awareness, including blue force tracking. “Before, we would be blind to a lot of that, other than a voice explaining [what was going on]. Now, we have a little bit better picture of where folks are,” he says.

Despite how far communications in Afghanistan have come since 2001, U.S. and coalition troops there strive to improve tactical communications. One area of interest is technology that facilitates communications over rugged terrain. Another is equipment that is smaller and lighter with more capability, more capacity and more bandwidth for over-the-horizon and on-the-move communications. Developing systems and applications that are bandwidth-friendly are among Col. Reister’s top requirements.

From CENTCOM’s perspective, Col. Burger says improving information sharing requires separation technologies that enable the right amount of separation—either virtual or logical—so the command can put more networks on one infrastructure.

Standards and simplification are the final two items CENTCOM and the U.S. troops in Afghanistan seek. The quicker industry can arrive at a standard, the faster a multivendor environment that fosters competition will emerge. “[T]he quicker we can get them to come to those protocol standards within the industry, the better everybody benefits, including us,” Col. Burger says.