thedrifter
06-18-07, 08:09 AM
Staying in command
Marine Corps debuts combat ops center
By Joe Pappalardo - jpappalardo@militarytimes.com
Posted : June 25, 2007
Penetrating the “fog of war” is an ongoing challenge for Marine Corps units embroiled in urban combat, but the Corps is fielding a new command-and-control system with just this goal in mind.
In July, deployed Marines will begin receiving Combat Operation Centers — mobile command-and-control posts for ground forces at the battalion and regimental levels.
This initiative is designed to replace the improvised command posts used by some Marine units during Operation Iraqi Freedom with modern communications and fully wired computer workstations. A handful of earlier versions have been operating in Iraq for more than three years.
The COCs have become one cornerstone of a larger effort to build a future command-and-control system accessible by air, ground and logistics units, and flexible enough for use by high-ranking officers and company commanders alike.
These combat operation centers, made by General Dynamics, were formerly dubbed Unit Operation Centers. The name change indicates the new ambitions that grew from a plan to simply put “computers in tents,” said Kevin Holt, program manager of the COC effort for Marine Corps Systems Command. “This program has evolved beyond what we ever thought it would be.”
The new centers feature generators, nonsecure and encrypted Internet router connections, voice-over IP connections, network servers, laptop computers loaded with mission-critical software and an array of large screens to display incoming information.
All of this is used to keep staff on the same page (or computer screen) while planning and conducting missions. The staff has access to a variety of digital imagery that they can share and save for future use.
More than 220 COCs will be delivered to active and reserve units by 2009 under the current plan. Four per month are expected to be delivered starting in July, but that number will increase to seven per month once General Dynamics reaches full-rate production.
That’s not bad for a program that, as of the end of 2003, had been cut from the Marine Corps budget. “At one time, this program was zeroed out,” Holt said. “What changed was putting these systems into theater.”
Despite the imminent shut-off of funds at that time, the system’s command team fielded eight centers with Marines in Iraq, split evenly between aviation and ground elements. The reaction was positive. By the end of 2005, the Marine Corps placed an “urgent operational need” request for more COC equipment, and the program regained its full funding.
“It turned on a dime because the users believed in its capabilities,” Holt said.
The Corps estimates that the presence of a COC shaves 25 minutes from operational planning. The reason why, Holt said, is the elimination of a wall between staff functions. “They’re all looking at the same information and they can corroborate it themselves.”
In a crisis that requires many staffers working in concert, such as dispatching helicopters to extract a wounded Marine, a half-hour can mean a lot. Production versions are expected to include improvements based on lessons learned in Iraq.
Now, there are 18 COCs operating in Iraq. A retrofit upgrade is also being designed for those already fielded, but Marine leaders have elected to keep the existing system and thus avoid disrupting ongoing operations.
A COC for every mission
COCs are modular and can be scaled for various commands, from battalions to Marine expeditionary forces. For different missions, components are swapped.
The information age has brought its advantages somewhat slowly to the Marine Corps. For example, the Army’s “Command Post of the Future” allows commanders from battalion level and higher to immediately feed text and graphics to fellow commanders and operations officers at all levels. The systems have been in Iraq since 2004.
“There is certainly a sense that we have not been able to fully exploit the latest technology to enhance Marine Air Ground Task Force command and control,” said Lt. Col. Rich Hilberer, operations officer of the C2 Integration Division at Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va. “The intent of the broader strategy is to do a better job of bringing more sophisticated command-and-control capabilities to the entire task force.”
His division is pursuing a command-and-control strategy that forms a “common, modular and scalable system” that applies to all levels of command. But to get this level of cooperation, Marines fighting on the ground need to get a digitized, sophisticated system to match those of aviation elements.
“Aviation command and control has been viewed by some as ahead of others in the Marine Corps,” said Hilberer. “Not only in developing command-and-control systems, but also tailoring doctrine, organization and training to facilitate command and control.”
Marine aviation command and control is receiving an upgrade. The Common Aviation Command and Control System, built by Raytheon, will bring together support, defense and airspace management operations into a single mobile control center.
The program condenses applications of six separate aviation command-and-control systems into one. Last year, Raytheon delivered the first finished system for testing at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The new COCs share some of the core technology from this program. Holt said using common architecture could help in planning and executing joint operations, the hallmark of modern warfare.
Ellie
Marine Corps debuts combat ops center
By Joe Pappalardo - jpappalardo@militarytimes.com
Posted : June 25, 2007
Penetrating the “fog of war” is an ongoing challenge for Marine Corps units embroiled in urban combat, but the Corps is fielding a new command-and-control system with just this goal in mind.
In July, deployed Marines will begin receiving Combat Operation Centers — mobile command-and-control posts for ground forces at the battalion and regimental levels.
This initiative is designed to replace the improvised command posts used by some Marine units during Operation Iraqi Freedom with modern communications and fully wired computer workstations. A handful of earlier versions have been operating in Iraq for more than three years.
The COCs have become one cornerstone of a larger effort to build a future command-and-control system accessible by air, ground and logistics units, and flexible enough for use by high-ranking officers and company commanders alike.
These combat operation centers, made by General Dynamics, were formerly dubbed Unit Operation Centers. The name change indicates the new ambitions that grew from a plan to simply put “computers in tents,” said Kevin Holt, program manager of the COC effort for Marine Corps Systems Command. “This program has evolved beyond what we ever thought it would be.”
The new centers feature generators, nonsecure and encrypted Internet router connections, voice-over IP connections, network servers, laptop computers loaded with mission-critical software and an array of large screens to display incoming information.
All of this is used to keep staff on the same page (or computer screen) while planning and conducting missions. The staff has access to a variety of digital imagery that they can share and save for future use.
More than 220 COCs will be delivered to active and reserve units by 2009 under the current plan. Four per month are expected to be delivered starting in July, but that number will increase to seven per month once General Dynamics reaches full-rate production.
That’s not bad for a program that, as of the end of 2003, had been cut from the Marine Corps budget. “At one time, this program was zeroed out,” Holt said. “What changed was putting these systems into theater.”
Despite the imminent shut-off of funds at that time, the system’s command team fielded eight centers with Marines in Iraq, split evenly between aviation and ground elements. The reaction was positive. By the end of 2005, the Marine Corps placed an “urgent operational need” request for more COC equipment, and the program regained its full funding.
“It turned on a dime because the users believed in its capabilities,” Holt said.
The Corps estimates that the presence of a COC shaves 25 minutes from operational planning. The reason why, Holt said, is the elimination of a wall between staff functions. “They’re all looking at the same information and they can corroborate it themselves.”
In a crisis that requires many staffers working in concert, such as dispatching helicopters to extract a wounded Marine, a half-hour can mean a lot. Production versions are expected to include improvements based on lessons learned in Iraq.
Now, there are 18 COCs operating in Iraq. A retrofit upgrade is also being designed for those already fielded, but Marine leaders have elected to keep the existing system and thus avoid disrupting ongoing operations.
A COC for every mission
COCs are modular and can be scaled for various commands, from battalions to Marine expeditionary forces. For different missions, components are swapped.
The information age has brought its advantages somewhat slowly to the Marine Corps. For example, the Army’s “Command Post of the Future” allows commanders from battalion level and higher to immediately feed text and graphics to fellow commanders and operations officers at all levels. The systems have been in Iraq since 2004.
“There is certainly a sense that we have not been able to fully exploit the latest technology to enhance Marine Air Ground Task Force command and control,” said Lt. Col. Rich Hilberer, operations officer of the C2 Integration Division at Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va. “The intent of the broader strategy is to do a better job of bringing more sophisticated command-and-control capabilities to the entire task force.”
His division is pursuing a command-and-control strategy that forms a “common, modular and scalable system” that applies to all levels of command. But to get this level of cooperation, Marines fighting on the ground need to get a digitized, sophisticated system to match those of aviation elements.
“Aviation command and control has been viewed by some as ahead of others in the Marine Corps,” said Hilberer. “Not only in developing command-and-control systems, but also tailoring doctrine, organization and training to facilitate command and control.”
Marine aviation command and control is receiving an upgrade. The Common Aviation Command and Control System, built by Raytheon, will bring together support, defense and airspace management operations into a single mobile control center.
The program condenses applications of six separate aviation command-and-control systems into one. Last year, Raytheon delivered the first finished system for testing at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The new COCs share some of the core technology from this program. Holt said using common architecture could help in planning and executing joint operations, the hallmark of modern warfare.
Ellie