Possibilities - Tropic Lightning - TBBS on the Battlefield

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TROPIC LIGHTNING - TBBS ON THE BATTLEFIELD
------------------------------------------

*** From May 1991 Possibilities Newsletter ***
*** Copyright 1991 by eSoft, Inc.  All Rights Reserved ***

Tropic Lightning -- TBBS on the Battlefield
by Phil Becker

There are three parts to any military operation -- Strategy, Tactics, and 
Logistics.  Strategy and tactics get most of the attention and glory but as 
the recent war in the gulf has shown, it is logistics which allow the 
strategy and tactics to be implemented.  Desert Storm was without question 
the most massive and successful logistics operation in human history.

We will probably never know about all of the real heroes who made these 
logistics work.  On television you could see lines of trucks with supplies 
stretching as far as the eye could see.  The simple act of having enough 
food for a fast moving front was a logistics task of overwhelming magnitude, 
let alone providing ammunition, fuel, spare parts, etc. all at the right 
place at the right time.

The heart of logistics operations is communications.  Any student of 
military history will tell you that more battles have been won or lost 
because of communications than for any other single reason.  During the heat 
of battle a commander who is getting timely situation reports from the 
troops is able to plan and execute effectively.  It can mean the difference 
between winning and losing -- as well as minimizing battle casualties. 

Light infantry units are some of the most mobile fighting forces in the 
military.  They are often the first fighting units on the scene, and they 
must operate under extremely difficult and rapidly changing conditions. 
During this action they are called upon to provide accurate reports of an 
ever changing situation.

Chief Warrant Officer Rogerio Perez is the SYSOP of a unique TBBS 
installation used by the 25th Infantry (Light).  Chief Perez is with the 
signal corps (125th Signal Battalion) which has the responsibility of 
maintaining communications in the field.  When the 25th Infantry (Lt) goes 
to the battlefield TBBS goes with them!

To accomplish this a five line TBBS is set up on a Zenith Turbosport laptop 
at the mobile command post.  This system is connected to the field tactical 
radio communications links which are secure microwave radio links to the 
field units.  "Light Infantry must remain mobile.  Laptops suit our needs" 
Perez said.

Each field unit carries a laptop which contains a custom Clipper program 
that formats the situation reports (Sit Reps in military jargon) into a 
standardized form.  Each field unit then uploads its situation reports to 
the TBBS multiline system at the mobile command post via the microwave 
tactical radio field communications links.

At the command post the situation reports are taken from TBBS and fed to 
another Clipper program which compiles them into a "roll up" report.  This 
report is used by the field commander to evaluate battlefield operations, 
analyze the tactical situation, and plan operations.

The microwave links are encrypted and thus are "secure" from the enemy.  The 
connections to these links are through converters which result in a "two 
wire" connection via a standard RJ-11 telephone connector.  This makes it 
possible to directly plug in standard laptops and use normal computer 
communications in a battlefield setting.

The original idea to use TBBS in a battlefield application came from Major 
George Burnett.  Bill Elliot from ISTC (Information Systems Technology 
Center - formerly NARDAC) was contracted as the programmer and did all of 
the original setup of the system.  Chief Perez "inherited" the system and 
has made many improvements in its operation to bring it to its current level 
of performance.

The Signal Battalion of the division has people assigned to each brigade 
(group of platoons - the smallest military unit).  The TBBS is located at 
the division's field headquarters (HQ).  Field communications break into 
Command and Operations (Ops), Intelligence, and Logistics communications 
channels.  All are on the TBBS, each in its own separate section so they 
don't interfere with each other.  

Perez indicates that the TBBS can also be used as a backup to the field FAX 
machines.  "If our tactical FAX machines break down in the field,  the only 
other way to get a hard copy is by the bulletin board. It is an alternate 
means".  However according to Chief Perez "The situation report (Sit Rep) is 
really the driver behind the bulletin board.  Let's say you're a guy out 
there under attack.  You send a report saying that 'at so and so hours we 
are under attack.  It's heavy or light, our mission is to defend or our 
mission is to attack or whatever.  We are about to take that action.'  At 
the division we get that file, we compile it, and we say at this time that 
unit was being attacked.  The general gets that report as part of his 
situation report of what is going on out in the field."

Situation reports also detail the logistics operation.  "That's why it is 
classified", Chief Perez said.  "Because it tells them the type of ammo, the 
type vehicles, it tells them everything".

For these reports, TBBS is used as primary with the field FAX as a secondary 
source if there are any problems with the computers.  The reason for this is 
that there is only one line to a FAX machine while there are several lines 
to the TBBS.  "The traffic varies depending on what is going on," Perez 
indicated.  "The FAX can be busy for any reason.  Someone just sends a note 
over to the division or back and forth.  If [the situation] gets busy, all 
the FAXs are going to be busy, and there's not going to be enough FAXs".

"You have to remember that the Army's philosophy is to make it as simple as 
possible for the non-technical soldier.  By making the form that he normally 
has to fill out and revise every time and keeping a copy present for him 
digitally so he can change it at any point in time, it makes it easy for him 
so he doesn't have to redo the entire report each time."  Bill Elliot's 
programs provide this capability to the operator in the field.  Otherwise 
the field operator would use a grease pencil and board for this type of 
work, and have to recreate the full report each time.

According to Chief Perez the reason a computer bulletin board was 
investigated by the 25th infantry (Light) was the consideration of weight. 
"Large mechanized divisions can carry tons of equipment and more personnel.  
We have to be real light.  They even have vans with mini-computers in them 
which we cannot do.  Our largest is a 1/2 ton truck.  We pack most of our 
stuff in a Hum-vee".  A laptop with a multi-user TBBS allows this 
application within the weight restrictions.

When this TBBS system is not in the field, it operates as a garrison 
communications center.  During peacetime the 25th Infantry(Lt) -- known as 
Tropic Lightning -- is garrisoned in Hawaii.  "Because of the time 
difference with the mainland, TBBS solves a big problem for us." said Perez.  
"When someone is TDY (temporary duty) on the mainland they can call TBBS 24 
hours and leave a message.  This really covers a gap that was there before".

"When we are in garrison mode at our post it's open as an unclassified 
system -- we don't have anything secure and the telephone lines are regular" 
said Chief Perez.  In the field, the environment changes slightly. "We go 
secure in the field, but you see the same structure when we go to war.  I 
remove all the other files that we don't need.  We only keep certain things 
out there and that's it."

My brother was a Major in the Army Signal Corps, and my oldest son recently 
enlisted in the Army Signal Corps.  From them I know that the U.S. military 
takes pride in the fact that it provides our soldiers with the best 
equipment of any military force in the world.  I must confess that I take 
great personal pride that they feel TBBS meets this criteria.

- END -
PS0591-4
Rev. 5/91

Copyright (C) 1994 eSoft, Inc., All Rights Reserved.  Permission granted
to distribute this file in its entirety, without modification, to any
interested party.  Any other use requires the written permission of
eSoft, Inc.

IMPORTANT:  The information herein is subject to change without notice.
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