NT in the Field

Really in the field!

Windows NT isn't only for desk-jockeys incorporate America. It runs just as well on the battlefield as in your home oroffice.

California Microwave, a government defense contractor, works with the USmilitary to provide field systems and networks for rapid deployment in militaryexercises (and in real combat). The NT systems of choice are portables fromFieldWorks. California Microwave upgrades both hardware and software and turnsthese portables into the Communi-
cations Gateway System-100 Lite (CGS-100Lite), a portable version of the larger CGS-100. The CGS-100 Lite supportsworldwide power and communications standards.

Each military organization or unit has a unique messaging protocol andstandards, so these organizations have trouble talking with each other whilemaintaining security. Up to now, the military has used innumerable paper formsand typewriters (and recently, computers) to maintain such security, but thissolution didn't solve the problem of field deployment.

The CGS-100 Lite bridges the gap between the military's old AutomatedDigital Network (AUTODIN) and emerging communications standards that are similarto commercial email. The CGS-100 Lite system mimics the old-fashioned,time-consuming military paper trail by accepting data in any format andconverting it to any other format, regardless of the communications protocolsused. This capability reduces the number of personnel needed for units andorganizations to communicate with each other. And personnel reduction isimportant in this age of government downsizing.

California Microwave created custom software for communication betweenunits--field personnel can receive information to help accomplish theirmissions, no matter what the source format is or where it is coming from. Withthe CGS-100 Lite, users type in free text, tell the system what format to use,and the CGS-100 Lite generates the forms. So, from anywhere in the Department ofDefense, this system can get you into the government network and enableinformation flow. (The system doesn't handle the radio transmissions, but itdoes handle the protocols, such as the USMPF transmission format.)

With these systems in the field, troops can set up networks to coordinatetheir missions, track troop movement, and exchange information--troops arealways in touch. The US Navy uses this system to monitor fleet broadcasts (aworldwide encrypted messaging infrastructure ensures that Navy ships andpersonnel are never out of command and control contact). The CGS-100 Litemonitors these broadcasts until it recognizes an address. Then the systemretrieves and stores the message and alerts the user about the message. NavySeals also use these systems for coordinating activity in the field. Themachines are specially modified to withstand severe environmental hazards, sothe Seals can mount them on personnel carriers (such as Hummers) or carry thecomputers directly into a combat zone.

What does this technology have to do with Windows NT? The US Government ismoving to the Defense Messaging Service (DMS), an encrypted network thatemulates commercial email with X.400 and X.500 functionality, but without thesecurity holes that you see on the Internet. With DMS, anyone can talk to anyonefrom anywhere, if they can prove that they are who they say they are. People canreceive any information or message, and security is built in to keep people fromgetting data they shouldn't have access to. Windows NT's built-in networking andC2-level security mean that California Microwave had to write less code and doless testing to build a military-approved secure messaging system. And, when NTreceives B-level security approval, it will be the ideal platform for the DMS.(The National Security Agency has let out contracts to help Microsoft achievethis.) In addition, Microsoft was on the contract team at Loral Corporation (adefense contractor) to develop the DMS standard and is now working on a DMSversion of Exchange.

Pack your gear--you're going in!