Land Forces Southwest Featured

Significant changes lie ahead for U.S. Army forces as communicators move into the next era of battlespace communications. Smartphone technology is opening the door for individual networking devices for which signaleers already are laying the groundwork. And, the promise of cloud computing would enable large amounts of data to be moved among the battlefield without mobile databases.

U.S. Marines are tasked with battling enemies in any environment or domain and increasingly that location is cyberspace. Information assurance officials around the Corps are striving to ensure the reliability and trustworthiness of the service’s systems, and though they are aware of the potential for attack from the outside, misuse from the inside is a more prevalent concern.

The U.S. Army's plan to revolutionize its approach to integrating advancements into the network is on track, according to senior leaders. These Network Integration Evaluations designed to facilitate this assimilation already have yielded results, offering a glimpse into the technology of the future and how soldiers will use it.

Personnel from the U.S. Army’s 780th Military Intelligence Brigade--the service's first-ever cyber brigade--already are assisting in securing the U.S. Defense Department's networks against cyber attacks, although the brigade will not be fully operational until fiscal year 2015.

U.S. Army communications is more likely to be software-driven in the future as radios increasingly resemble specialized computers. Apps will be driving advances, and computer-like acquisition policies for radios will help speed cutting-edge technology to the field.