TechNet Asia-Pacific: The Army Needs New Information Technologies

While other commanders speak of esoteric needs, the head of the U.S. Army, Pacific cites both technological and cultural expertise as the key to mission success. Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, USA, commander, U.S. Army, Pacific, is calling for specific new technologies to help his force meet its dynamic mission requirements. The biggest technological problem facing the Army is interoperability with coalition allies and partners. Current CENTRIXS systems provide bilateral linkage, but they cannot connect a complete coalition. The Army needs the multilateral Objective CENTRIXS in place before a crisis emerges, he stated. High on Gen. Mixon's technology wish list: an always-on network that can expand seamlessly; cost-effective wireless; a smart network that can mitigate workstation or information assurance problems automatically; and cross domain solutions with multilevel security. Gen. Mixon joined the other commanders in describing network security as a key force vulnerability. And, he acknowledged the need for non-technological expertise in the force. "We must be technologically advanced and culturally astute to be combat ready," he declared.