Warfighter Information Network–Tactical

Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) is the evolving United States Army tactical communications network system. It is designed to provide reliable, secure, and seamless video, data, imagery, and voice services that enable decisive combat actions. An earlier concept was called the Joint Network Node Network (JNN-N).

It forms the Army’s tactical portion of the Global Information Grid (GIG) network, via the Army Battle Command System. WIN-T equipment may make use of commercial or military communications satellites, or tie into other commercial networks, especially if connecting to the GIG, but will always retain an independent radio-based tactical transmission capability. From a technology standpoint, it will replace existing connectivity equipment such as the general-purposse mobile subscriber equipment (MSE), as well as dedicated networks for intelligence and logistics.

Transportability and mobility

Eventually, all equipment in WIN-T will be mobile, defined as usable while in motion. The initial Increment 1 will include transportable components, moved among field locations by vehicles or aircraft normally available to the Army). This does not mean that individual soldier or vehicles will have to stop to communicate, but that the individual equipment will have to have some transportable infrastructure in range. According to WIN-T program manager COL William Hoppe, WIN-T Increments Two and Three will bring the initial and full on-the-move capability, where stopping is not required for communications.

Your cell phone is a mobile device, but as soon as you leave the coverage area of your cell phone tower, you drop your signal. That’s Increment One, where you have communications at the halt within a footprint. In Increment Two, we’re going to take that cell tower equivalent infrastructure and we’re going to move it along with the mobile device, so you have communications every place you have your infrastructure.

Increment Two

The type of technology required for the Increment Two capability is, in general communications engineering, called self-organizing or ad hoc networking. Increment One makes considerable use of commercial communications satellites. Increment Two, however, while using commercial capability as an adjunct, will make much more extensive use of military satellites such the Wideband Global Satellite Communications system, which had its first operational launch in October 2007.

Increment Two is also specifically oriented to the Brigade Combat Team concept in the restructuring of the United States Army.

Increment Two also makes use of a technology, used in some commercial satellite telephones, which tie into cellular telephony networks when available, but go to a satellite when no appropriate terrestrial capability is present.

Field tests were conducted in 2007, and this increment is expected to begin deploying in 2010.

Increment Three

In Increment Three, unmanned aerial vehicle communications relays will supplement the satellites. These allow operations when insufficient satellite capability is in orbit, or when ground operations are on a part of the earth that is not well covered by satellites (e.g., polar regions), or if an adversary could interfere with or destroy satellites. It also supports new-generation Future Combat Systems.

The contract was awarded in 2007, and deployments may begin in 2011.

Increment Four

Increment Four makes the air and satellite communications relays even more robust against electronic warfare. Hoppe described this as "IThat’s where we’re taking advantage of the secure anti-jam, low probability detection satellite communications off of things like the Transformation Satellite Communications system into our radio systems".