Product and Portfolio Integration is one of PdM UNCI’s primary missions, ensuring that Unified Network Capabilities are integrated across Project Manager (PM) Tactical Network, through common standards that ensure interoperability between systems fielded by project office. PdM UNCI product and portfolio integration focuses on technologies and capabilities that do not align with other product management office (PdM) missions, or that align with more than one PdM. These instances require overarching coordination and integration of efforts related to development, testing, training, fielding, and support.
Integration Efforts
- PM Tactical Network, with support from PdM UNCI management and integration efforts, is modernizing current expeditionary signal battalions (ESBs) through a system-of-systems approach that delivers smaller, scalable, yet more capable network equipment set to these critical units. The newly modernized formations are known as ESB–Enhanced (ESB-E) units.
- The mission of ESB-Es is to provide or augment global network connectivity to other Army units that don’t have the robust network communications equipment organically in their formations. The reduced size and system complexity of this new modular, transit-case based equipment enables ESB-Es to significantly increase their network support to other units with more nodes and less manpower, while reducing transportation requirements by over 60 percent. The ESB-E toolkit enables rapid command post setup and tear down for increased mobility and command post survivability. The modernized commercial network tool suite is also tailorable and scalable to enable the ESB-Es to support different sized units in a wide variety of mission sets incorporating military, commercial, and coalition networks.
- PdM UNCI is also leading PM Tactical Network exploration of C5ISR/Electronic Warfare Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) technologies, which offer a modular open systems approach (MOSA) to virtualized capabilities operating on common hardware with a lower size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C). This effort aligns with the CMOSS Mounted Form Factor (CMFF) initiative. PdM UNCI will support future PM Tactical Network integration efforts, in coordination with PM Interoperability, Integration and Services (I2S), which holistically manages CMOSS Capability Set modernization.
- CMOSS offers the potential for PM Tactical Network to virtualize capabilities and integrate into common hardware for lower SWAP-C and the ability to swap out capabilities based on mission requirements. Future Army tactical vehicles will be developed with a CMOSS chassis already integrated into the vehicle, so PM Tactical Network needs to be positioned to support card-based plug and play capabilities that integrate with the Unified Network.
- Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) Systems Engineering (MSE) is PM Tactical Network’s centralized effort that informs decisions on potential integration of capabilities into Army tactical satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals. MSE ensures that persistent SATCOM engineering knowledge and expertise is available to support all programs of record (PoRs) as they transition in and out of PM Tactical Network over time.
- MSE supports PM Tactical Network with the integration of emerging commercial SATCOM capabilities. These engineering efforts enable the development of software to manage the Network Centric Waveform; support satellite communication (SATCOM) modem and terminal certifications; facilitate Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) capabilities; and establish Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) / Low Probability of Detection (LPD) / Transmission Security (TRANSEC) evaluation standards.