by Sgt. Nelson Mumma Jr.
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Army News Service, Oct. 28, 1998) -- The U.S. Army Special Operations Command accepted the first joint base station equipment Oct. 22, becoming the first Army command to combine all of its field communication equipment into one easy-to-use system.
The first JBS went to the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School to train Special Forces soldiers how to install, operate and maintain it and then it will be fielded to 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). Fifteen more systems will be distributed among all SF groups in the next seven years.
"(This is) leading edge technology in the hands of the finest military people in the world today," said Brig. Gen. William J. Leszczynski Jr., USASOC deputy commanding general. Leszczynski accepted the $2.1 million JBS Variant 1 during an inaugural fielding ceremony here.
The JBS complies with Year 2000 requirements and is designed to be fully upgradable. It not only provides communications up to 2,400 miles between a Special Forces Forward Operations Base and Special Forces operational detachments, or ODAs, but also allows communication between ODA teams.
A big advantage to the system is in using electonic mail for communication. The FOB can now send and receive e-mails, ensuring the incoming messages are directed to the appropriate accounts, according to Staff Sgt. Mark McNamara, instructor with Company E, 1st Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne).
For example, an e-mail message sent by an ODA to the FOB detailing reconnaissance on a bridge will be routed to the e-mail accounts of the intelligence officer and others who need the information.
Instead of voice communications being transcribed, printed, distributed and possibly read hours after initial transmission, information is distributed within seconds via a local area network connection, according to Chief Warrant Officer Stephen E. Graybill, combat development warrant officer for the USASOC office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Requirements Integration.
Not only can decisions be made quickly, but reports can be transmitted to higher headquarters within seconds of their receipt, he said.
"This system makes the information ODAs provide more relevant because it will be received, disseminated and acted upon more quickly," Graybill said. "Everything is so time sensitive and minutes count."
The JBS is important to the Special Forces because many of their missions are conducted in areas where communication is difficult, Graybill said. The SF ODA teams are smaller and act more independently than conventional units, making reliable communication vital. Many times they report to the FOB, a battalion command and control element where information is gathered and analyzed, and where decisions are made and coordinated.
To facilitate communication, each Special Forces' team in the field is equipped with a palm-held computer about half the size of a laptop computer. This computer is similar to a desktop computer, using most of the same software soldiers use in garrison, Graybill said.
Soldiers also carry a high-frequency radio to transmit messages and an encryption device to scramble messages for security. Testing is underway to combine these devices into one unit, lightening the system's load. All three pieces can be carried in a rucksack and take less than five minutes to set up.
The main communication system at the FOB takes about 90 minutes to set up, an improvement over the previous system that took seven or eight soldiers all day to erect, Graybill said. The main JBS consists of four high-frequency, military-standard automatic link establishment nets; two tactical satellite nets; one high-frequency, military-standard low-probability-of-interception and low-probability-of-detection net; and one VHF/FM net.
The system also includes a secure fax machine and a fiber optic voice and date intercom system. This feature allows voice and data communications from the field to be accessed at remote consoles at key locations at the operational base.
The entire FOB communication system is transported by a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle with a fifth-wheel trailer. The system includes a work tent, various antennas, generators and an environmental control unit.
"A unique feature of the system is that mobile communications can be conducted via a remote communications center located beside the passenger seat in the humvee," said McNamara. "In certain situations, the humvee and trailer can also be pulled into the field and communications started before erecting the work tent or antennas."
(Editor's note: Mumma is a writer with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office at Fort Bragg, N.C.)