Regional Hub Boosts Digital Firepower
Written by LeAnne MacAllister
NEW TACTICAL ENTRY POINT IN GERMANY ENABLES CONSTANT NETWORK ACCESS FOR DEPLOYED UNITS.
Nestled in the tranquil German hills of Rheinland-Pfalz, amidst valleys of halftimbered homes and grazing cattle, one of the U.S. military’s global satellite gateway facilities provides digital firepower for more than 40,000 warfighters. This December, its firepower got a major boost.
5th Signal Command’s Landstuhl Media Gateway Facility recently introduced one of the Army’s first two Regional Hub Nodes (RHN). The high-tech tactical entry point, which enables constant access to information and network grid for deployed units, represents a significant milestone in the Army Chief Information Officer/G6’s Network Service Center transformation. The RHN facility is under the operational control of 2nd Signal Brigade, 43rd Signal Battalion.
In accordance with the new centralization strategy, 5th Sig’s 2nd Signal Brigade completed the establishment of four area processing centers (APC) this past March. The 7th Signal Brigade has transformed two tactical battalions into expeditionary signal battalions (ESB) equipped with Joint Network Node (JNN) systems over the past year.
The APCs in Europe replaced 21 Network Service Centers, consolidating network management and administration functions through the use of a newly constructed fiber-optic backbone in theater. The Installation Information Infrastructure Modernization Plan upgraded the theater infrastructure to ensure that information was capable of traversing networks to reach centralized systems without affecting security and speed capabilities.
The migration of users and consolidation of network services into APCs provides increased storage space, network security, reliability and efficiency of services. It also allows for information sharing, collaboration in a protected environment and disaster recovery.
JNN is a remote, satellite-based communications system developed as a replacement for major elements of the legacy Mobile Subscriber Equipment system. According to Army doctrine, it acts as the “brain” of a forward-based unit and serves as a field access point for users to connect to phone and network lines.
Utilizing new commercial technology, the fielding of JNN and the establishment of ESBs have been accomplished in accordance with the Army’s push for a lighter, more modular force. Their new capabilities allow commanders to pack a greater punch and provide signal units with the ability to serve more units with fewer people and less equipment.
The initial operational capability of 5th Sig’s RHN offers tactical units the ability to pull basic network services stored at APCs through the use of JNN technology, seamlessly connecting them to their information sanctuary within the enterprise. “Because of this facility, U.S. Army, Europe’s warfighters can access the network from any foxhole or desktop anywhere in the world,” explained Brigadier General Susan Lawrence, commanding general, 5th Signal Command.
CAPABILITIES FROM HOME
Services offered via the RHN include NIPRNet, SIPRNet, Defense Switch Network, Defense Red Switch Network, and video-teleconferencing and other collaboration tools. U.S. servicemembers now are able to pull these capabilities from their home theater rather than taking servers with them or establishing new, temporary networks for use during deployments.
“Commercialization is the freeing up of tactical military equipment to make way for off-the-shelf commercial equipment at a specific location, thereby creating a campus-like environment where everyone on a given location has common, equal access and connectivity,” explained Colonel Randall Bland, 7th Signal Brigade commander.
Planning for the RHN began in October 2006. 5th Sig’s G3 team worked with USAREUR and Army Network Enterprise Technology Command to establish resources, plans and policies. “We began by laying the program into phases and ensuring that our tactics, techniques and procedures were established prior to launching the initial operating capability,” explained Butch Carlo, RHN project leader, 5th Signal Command G3.
Once the acquisition process, conducted in coordination with the Program Manager-Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems, was complete, network engineers, construction engineers and program managers from USAREUR G6, 5th Signal Command and 2nd Signal Brigade collaborated on the master schedule to ensure construction of the facility was in compliance with CIO/G6 intent and installation dates.
“We continue to modify the TTPs as we go,” said Lieutenant Colonel Dana Tankins, G3, 5th Signal Command, who compared the 16-month documentation process to writing a manual for a new car while the car was being built. “We constantly check our processes to make sure that we’ve got it right, and we’re not done yet. We’re still learning and developing operating procedures to fully utilize the capabilities of this technology.”
In addition to hosting the RHN, the Landstuhl Media Gateway Facility is home to the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Teleport facility. 5th Signal Command and DISA provide services to warfighters in all branches of the armed forces who work in a joint capacity through this facility. “The Army is leading the military in fielding joint technologies, and we’re leading the Army here in Europe. This Regional Hub Node is the model for future sites in the continental United States and the Pacific,” said Lawrence.
Landstuhl RHN expects to have full operational capabilities by February 2008, and will ultimately provide network service center support to all JNN-enabled organizations, including U.S. Central Command and U.S. African Command. ♦
_______________________________
LeAnne MacAllister is with the 5th Signal Command Public Affairs Office.
