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Calling a help desk when the computer refuses to boot up or when e-mail is blocked can be a frustrating experience. But with the help of industry, U.S. Air Force communications personnel in the Asia-Pacific region have taken steps to alleviate some of the aggravation. By employing commercial best practices and standardizing processes, the directorate in charge of ensuring that warfighters can connect is now more efficiently and effectively employing its resources. As a result, it expects to reduce the time needed to resolve technical issues by 20 percent.

U.S. warfighters soon may power their battlefield electronics with a lightweight water-based fuel cell system. Consisting of thin metal alloy plates soaking in salt water, the technology allows soldiers to replace heavy disposable batteries with lightweight rechargeable ones. Because the devices have no moving parts and are made of readily available materials, they may provide troops with a simple and robust reserve or primary power supply.

An advanced microelectronics technology may allow future communications equipment to receive and process multiple high frequency waveforms easily. Relying on superconducting processors in a sealed refrigerated container, the system translates analog radio signals directly to digital information, preventing the data and efficiency losses found in semiconductor-based applications. Unconstrained by performance-limiting issues such as thermal interference, the frigid superconducting chips permit prototype devices to receive, sample and transmit gigahertz-range signals across much of the military's spectrum.

Transformation will be essential to NATO's new missions in the post-Cold-War global war on terror, according to the alliance's leadership. And, as in the United States, government and industry will need to partner to achieve the individual goals that must be reached for that transformation to succeed.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) information technology environment is rapidly evolving and maturing, all to the benefit of the warfighter. Most of these changes are directly related to contributions from both the services and the joint command, control, communications and computers community. Today, we are applying technologies in a way that allows us to enjoy the advantages of the network-centric operational environment concept envisioned for tomorrow. This dynamic pace of change among applications, supporting infrastructure and mode of communication presents us with both opportunities and challenges.

Changes are taking place in the world of intelligence. The creation of the new position of director of national intelligence, or DNI, illustrates how the U.S. government views

After years of building the military's information superhighway, the U.S. Defense Department now is turning its attention to the information and services that travel on it and simultaneously is searching for ways to ensure a secure trip. To this end, the new head of the agency in charge of providing the department with the technical capabilities it requires will create a strategic vision that ensures that technology programs spiral in the right direction and lead to capabilities for use at the tactical edge. Lt. Gen. Charles E. Croom Jr., USAF, the new director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, says this vision must define roles and responsibilities clearly and that developing it will require collaboration among the agency, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the services and industry.

People talking on cell phones while behind the wheel may be an annoyance during rush hour traffic, but the ability to communicate on the go is one that commanders in a combat zone crave. So members of the U.S. Army V Corps were intrigued when they discovered that the command that focuses on joint warfighter needs was developing a system that would allow not only mobile voice but also data and imagery communications. As a result of that curiosity and the work of many dedicated experts, troops rotating into current operations can conduct command and control as effectively and efficiently while on the road as they can in headquarters.

Despite a tight procurement budget, Sweden is maximizing the benefits of battlefield awareness by embracing network-centric warfare concepts. As the country applies these concepts across its armed forces, it also is actively training its officer corps to make rapid decisions in an information-rich environment.

The United Kingdom's tactical and operational commands soon will be linked by a mobile, high-capacity communications network. Designed around an Internet protocol architecture, the system replaces aging asynchronous transfer mode equipment with a scalable application that can be configured rapidly to meet the needs of an expeditionary force. It also interoperates with other digital communications technologies now entering service with the British military and provides a secure messaging channel to coalition allies.