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Defense Wireless Counting on Commercial Technologies

Usage is growing faster than procurement can respond.

The Defense Department is looking to the commercial sector to provide it with the battlefield wireless connectivity it will require to respond to warfighter needs in the coming years. However, many issues remain to be resolved before these systems can meet military requirements. Dr. Adam Drobot, advanced technology solutions, Telcordia, pointed out that the wireless portion of communication pipes is on an exponential curve upward. Speaking in a panel session at MILCOM 2010, he said that commercial technology is moving faster than investments on the military side. Many soldiers come to the force expert in their personal communications systems, and these soldiers cannot be weaned off of the devices they own. However, adopting commercial products is not the answer alone. There is a little too much structure in the industry, Drobot said. One good solution would be for the government to invest in standards, and then turn industry loose to develop the right devices for the force. "A little bit of chaos is manageable; uncertainty is not," he stated.