SIGNAL Magazine

The Marine Corps, through the Infantry Immersion Trainer virtual reality program, is giving Marines, soldiers and sailors one of the most successful, realistic battlefield training opportunities they can possibly experience--short of actually being in Afghanistan.

Military and industry are teaming to enhance the safety, health and psychological welfare of modern-day troops. With new-age monitoring systems and technology, warfighter needs are met when they're needed, where they're needed.

With Sweden and other nations' governments seeking more interoperability and outsourcing opportunities, Swedish leaders and tech experts say their country's industry is prepared to deliver--and is ready for the competition.

As criminals turn to clandestine methods of entry into the United States, leaders in the maritime domain are working overtime to minimize threats by increasing data-sharing capabilities.

U.S. Army efforts in wireless technologies to enhance situational awareness, like the SPINE advanced technology objective, aim to shrink a tactical operations center down to the size of a warfighter's backpack-moving ops from brick and mortar to the battlefield.

This month, Capt. Joseph A. Grace Jr., USN (Ret.) likens the state of government technology to that of an 8-track tape player--"now DIACAP-certified, ruggedized, encrypted and able to be thrown out of the car window at 60 miles per hour unharmed"--in an iPod world, thanks to a bloated procurement process.

The Internet has invaded almost every facet of life. Basic browsers, social media, smartphones, document-producing software-the list goes on. And though these items may improve life, they also cause frustration headaches. Fortunately, the source of the problem can be the source of the solution. Many websites offer free help and advice about how to resolve issues from technical experts or from average users facing the same problems. Tech Support Guy At Tech Support Guy, users who sign up for a free account can submit queries about issues they have and then receive responses from other account holders. However, the site is so robust that many casual visitors might find answers to their problems by reading through material already posted by other users. The site offers a "Mark Solved" button for people to click if they received the help they needed. Discussion forums include security and malware removal, software and hardware, operating systems, Internet and networking, general technology, and community. The "Guide for New Members" helps people get started with setting up an account and using the services available. Annoyances.org This website offers help to Windows users whether they are beginners looking to learn the basics or long-time customers unsure of what to do next. Assistance is available in several categories including using Windows, customizing, networking, reducing clutter, performance and applications. The site also offers help with troubleshooting, overcoming simple annoyances, such as eliminating splash screen or disabling automatic Windows updates, and registry tips. Visitors interested in engaging with other people using the same version of the software can take part in the discussion forums. Anyone looking for freeware should check out the "Software" link.

Everything old is new again-desktop virtualization moves computing from current fat-client server architecture back to a model similar to times past. What is now device-oriented will become server-oriented, and the technology is ready. Do you believe the Defense Department should proceed with desktop virtualization, or do you see other, more efficient paths? Read the complete article and share your opinions here.

Two U.S. Army officers who recently returned from deployments to Iraq each have the same advice for industry members who want to help soldiers-hire troops when they separate from the military.

The U.S. Army saw the need for more ISR support in Afghanistan, asked for it and got it-from the defense secretary-in the form of the Afghan Mission Network. The services now can increase their battlefield SA capabilities, but some may question whether the turnaround time was too fast for the network to be fully effective. Has it proved its mettle, or will time tell? Share your thoughts.