[Discuss-gnuradio] FCW: Army looking to level communications

[John Gilmore]

[GNU Radio, running in a portable radio e.g. in a vehicle, would be
good for translating among many emergency frequencies and protocols in
realtime, so that emergency personnel could coordinate.  To accomplish
that goal, we'd need some more software infrastructure for building
repeaters -- and some decent transmitter hardware.  -- John]

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0303/web-comms-03-05-03.asp

  Army looking to level communications

BY Dan Caterinicchia <mailto:address@hidden>
March 5, 2003

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have prompted the Army to think 
outside its normal parameters for systems — especially those focused on 
communications — that support military and civilian first responders in 
the event of a disaster.

Maj. Gen. William Bond, deputy for systems management in the Office of 
the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and 
Technology, said the numerous lessons learned since Sept. 11 have 
resulted in an assortment of enhanced homeland security solutions 
ranging from stronger bullet-proof vests and gas masks, to improved 
chemical and biological detection systems.

But interoperable communications solutions that enable not only Defense 
Department services and agencies to share information, but also include 
state and local government officials, remain the ultimate goal, Bond said.

"The technology is there, and now we need to get the cost down," he told 
FCW following a panel today at the Homeland and Global Security Summit 
in Washington, D.C. He added that when first responders, such as local 
police and firefighters, arrive at the scene of an event, they must 
quickly decide if federal and military assistance is needed and then be 
able to communicate that decision on interoperable radios or other systems.

In addition to National Guard personnel, Northern Command likely would 
supply any DOD support to other government authorities in a homeland 
security event or natural disaster. Northcom is responsible for ensuring 
homeland defense capabilities and supporting civilian authorities when 
directed by the president or Defense secretary.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Lloyd Dodd, Northcom's chief surgeon, said the 
command will have about 600 people at its headquarters at Peterson Air 
Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colo., when it achieves full operational 
capability Oct. 1. As of last week, the headquarters' staff included 258 
people.

Northcom officials already are hard at work, Dodd said. Earlier this 
week, two baggage handlers at a Tampa, Fla., airport were taken to the 
hospital after unloading a suitcase that reeked of a strong odor, which 
left them lightheaded. The suitcase belonged to a traveler who had been 
in Southeast Asia.

Airport and local authorities performed a quick test for chemical 
agents, which came back positive for a nerve agent, and the area was 
quarantined until federal authorities arrived, Dodd said. Within one 
hour of the incident, Peter Verga, special assistant to the secretary of 
Defense for homeland security, was notified and 30 minutes later, Dodd 
said he was alerted and began planning responses to the event.

However, that planning ended up being unnecessary when more detailed 
testing revealed that there was no nerve agent present, and the odor had 
been caused by a large bottle of perfume that had ruptured during the 
flight. Dodd received a phone call one hour after his first notice — two 
and a half hours after the initial event — letting him know that the 
situation was under control.

Dodd said that because Northcom is still being assembled, he was not 
sure if any IT solutions, including secure e-mail or instant messaging, 
had been used to communicate the information up the chain of command. He 
noted, however, that he had used secure telephone lines to collaborate 
with his staff.


RELATED LINKS

"System links defense, local agencies" 
<http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2003/0113/web-jreis-01-15-03.asp> [GEB, 
Jan. 15, 2003]

"DOD offering homeland expertise" 
<http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/1209/web-dod-12-11-02.asp> 
[FCW.com, Dec. 11, 2002]

"Officials detail Army tech needs" 
<http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0909/web-tech-09-13-02.asp> 
[FCW.com, Sept. 13, 2002]