Director Operational Test and Evaluation Nett Warrior Initial Operational Test and Evaluation IOT E Report May 2015 This report on the Nett Warrior system fulfills the provisions of Title 10 United States Code Section 2399 It assesses the adequacy of testing and the operational effectiveness operational suitability and survivability of the Nett Warrior j J a Director Leader with Nett Warrior Moving through Wooded Terrain Executive Summary This report provides my operational assessment of the Nett Warrior System It is based on the results of the Nett Wan-ior Initial Operational Test and Evaluation IOT E the Army Test and Evaluation Command ATEC conducted at White Sands Missile Range New Mexico and Fort Bliss Texas in May 2014 and at Fort Polk Louisiana in November 2014 System Description Nett WaITior is a Soldier-worn mission command system that supports the mission of the dismounted combat leader The Nett Warrior graphically displays the location of an individual leader other leaders friendly vehicles and enemy activity on a digital geo-referenced map image It is connected through a secure radio to the Soldier Radio Waveform SRW network and enables communicate among different echelons using voice data and Position Location Information PLI messages Test Adequacy The Nett Warrior IOT E was adequate ATEC conducted testing in two phases with both a mounted unit and dismounted unit Both phases were conducted in accordance with a Director Operational Test and Evaluation DOT E -approved test plan and produced sufficient data to conduct a valid assessment Operational Effectiveness Nett Warrior is operationally effective in mounted formations at platoon and troop level In dismounted infantry units Nett Warrior is effective at the platoon level Nett Warrior demonstrated the capability to provide platoon and company situational awareness and communications to each equipped leader The system enhances land navigation message reporting and command and control The combat leaders were able to employ Nett Warrior to plan missions maintain situational awareness and communicate The Nett Warrior is not effective at the company level due to Manpack radio's periodic inability to execute route retransmission or digitally connect adjacent units The Manpack radio had a 44 percent message completion rate of PLI that prevented the Company Commander from having full situational awareness of his company during operations The Nett Warrior networks internal to the platoon exchanged PLI and digital messages Platoon situational awareness was effective and reliable Voice communications with the Nett Warrior system is effective Operational Suitability The Nett Warrior system is operationally suitable and reliable The user specified a threshold reliability requirement for Nett Warrior of 148 hours Mean Time Between Essential Function Failure MTBEFF in order to achieve an 85-percent probability of operating for 24 hours without incurring an EFF Nett Warrior demonstrated a reliability of 226 hours MTBEFF or an 90 percent probability of operating for 24 hours without incurring an EFF The radio pouch and connector cup provides adequate guard to the leader wearing the Nett Warrior for times when the radio temperature exceeds 120 degrees Fahrenheit Recharging batteries to support Nett Warrior is an increased logistical burden The process to operate four to five generators and associated battery chargers to charge all batteries to equip a light infantry company takes 3 to 4 Soldiers 12 to 15 hours a day Charging this increased number of batteries takes Soldiers away from their primary jobs The infantry unit was not able to charge the batteries required to operate the Nett Warrior system and Manpack radios without augmentation of a 3-kilowatt generator from lhe battalion headquarters Operator training was sufficient for leaders to operate the Nett Warrior throughout the test Testing identified issues with Manpower Personnel and Integration MANPRINT with the system The Rifleman Radio demonstrated suitability issues previously observed in separate prior testing The Nett Warrior program manager made changes to the Nett Warrior system to mitigate Rifleman Radio suitability issues The Rifleman Radio is government furnished equipment and was assessed in testing both as a separate piece of equipment and as a part of the Nett Warrior system While not meeting requirements Rifleman Radio demonstrated improve l reliability compared to previous test results Survivability The Nett Warrior End User Display EUD is survivable against cyber-attacks The AN PRC-l 54A Rifleman Radio is not survivable against cyber-attacks The Nett Warrior is not survivable in an electronic warfare environment Recommendations The Army should consider the following recommendations Nett Warrior is one element of a larger network of systems that must function together if the data and information collected by Nett Warrior are to be distributed and used effectively o Reduce the number of rapid recoverable events and decrease the number of times Nett Warrior falls out of the network o Make the C-4 cable connections more durable o Address performance and reliability issues when operating in the rain or in humid conditions o Improve the capability to utilize the collaborative planner al the platoon and company level o Re-assess the troubleshooting quick reference guide versus a system reboot to fix problems o Educate leaders on the limitations of an Army tactical network They should be taught not to expect the system to work in an operational deployed environment the same way a smartphone would work with a network of fixed cell towers o Continue to investigate and correct problems with unintended Mayday messages populating the networks 11 o Improve SRW network reliability to include Manpack radio route retransmission capability between platoon and company networks and increasing message completion rate for the Variable Message Format between echelons o Investigate adding a display screen to the Rifleman Radio to provide operators with feedback o Continue to find solutions to decrease the Rifleman Radio battery temperature to the Military Standard MIL-STD -1472G o Fully integrate Nett Warrior into combat units - Develop doctrine employment concepts and tactics techniques and procedures - Address employment of the additional Manpack radio - Teach leaders how the SRW network operates and how to maximize the network to support operations - Incorporate lessons learned from previous testing and training e g light and noise discipline o Develop an overall power management system that can support a light infantry company for 72 hours o Develop a data collection device that Soldiers can wear to collect data on the Manpack radio and better determine radio performance on the network smartphone h Director 111 This page intentionally left blank iv Contents System Overview 1 Test Adequacy 7 Operational Effectiveness 13 Operational Suitability 29 Survivability 39 Rec o mmendations 41 This page intentionally left blank Section One System Overview System Description Nett Warrior is a Soldier-worn miss ion command system that supports the mission of the dismounted combat leader The Nett Warrior graphically displays the location of an individual leader other leaders friendly vehicles and enemy activity on a digital geo-referenced map image It is connected through a secure radio to the Soldier Radio Wavefonn SRW network and enables leader communication among different echelons using voice data and Position Location Information PU messages The Army envisions that Nett Warrior will provide situational awareness and enhanced situational understanding to support faster and more accurate decisions in combat It is designed to facilitate command control and sharing of battlefield information to integrate each leader into the digitized battlefield The Army intends to use Nett Warrior to provide PU to dismounted infantry and cavalry leaders down to the team leader level The central capability of the Nett Warrior system is the ability to display the locations of sma1l unit leaders on a map display This information can then be shared with other leaders in the network who have a Nett Warrior The Nett Warrior base configuration consists of three components an End User Device EUD that processes and displays tactical information and enables user interface with the capability a network radio that transmits and receives tactical information and a cable that connects the EUD and the radio The Nett Warrior program is using an incremental developmental approach in which it plans on testing purchasing and fielding a given configuration EUDs and software for a set period before moving to the next edition so that it can take advantage of frequent commercial technology improvements Figure 1-1 depicts the Nett Warrior base configuration showing the radio cables EUD and a conformal battery that provides extra power The conformal battery worn within the leader's tactical vest provides up to 20 hours of extra power for the EUD and radio For missions of shorter duration the conformal battery is not necessary and does not need be carried The Soldier-worn Nett Warrior system with batteries weighs 6 8 pounds Conformal Battery Figure AN PRC-154A l l Nett Warrior System The Nett Warrior system that was tested in both phases of the Initial Operational Test IOT consisted of o Samsung Note 2 EUD with Otterbox fYR case and Wamco filter o AN PRC- l 54A Rifleman Radio with IB25 firmware o C Series cable connecting the EUD to the Rifleman Radio o Soldier Worn Integrated Power System conformal battery and Modular UniversaJ Battery Charger MUBC o Nett Warrior 2 0 5 operating software with associated formats and Joint Battle Command - Platform JBC-P Joint Capability Release JCR compatibility as a network enabler o Global Positioning System GPS Repe ate r The EUD is a commercial smartphone modified for military purposes The version of the EUD used in the IOT E was developed by Samsung and is referred to as the Note 2 the specific vendor device may change or be updated every 18 to 24 months as the commercial market produces devices that are more capable The Army uses a Wamco filter on the EUD to reduce light during nighttime use The EUD provides GPS location data A chest mount is provided for the leader to mount the EUD on leader body an nor The chest mount used in the IOT E consisted of a soft canvas case TYR case that attached the EUD to the leader's chest and a hardened outer case Otterbox case to protect the EUD Figure 1-2 illustrates the chest mount configuration Otter Box EUDCase Conformal Battery behind body armor side plate Figure 1-2 Nett Warrior Chest Mount The primary communications device for Nett Warrior is the Rifleman Radio Secret and below It is government-furnished equipment to the Nett Warrior program The Rifleman Radio program is undergoing a source selection for a new radio that will be integrated into the Nett Warrior program and tested during Rifleman Radio's IOT E in Fiscal Year FY 16 The 2 radio provides voice and digital capabilities for communications and GPS location data The GPS capability is disabled when connected to the EUD There are several options for wearing the radio and placement on the Soldier's body but the prefen-ed placement is the antenna mounted higher than the shoulder Many Soldiers chose to wear the radio over their left shoulder rear as shown below in Figure 1-3 This configuration was prevalent during Phase f In Phase II other Soldiers wo re the systems on their front which degrades radio performance as discussed later in the report Figure 1-3 Nett Warrior Radio Worn on Rear and Front Software components of Nett WaJTior provide system functionality and run tactical applications and battle-command software The software provides the capability to manipulate information on the EUD and send free text and selected pre-fo1matted digital messages The Nett Warrior 2 0 5 digital message formats tested in the JOT were o KOS l Position Report - the PU that provides the GPS location of the Nett Warrior user Nett Warrior generates and transmits PU to all Nett Warrior systems on the network o KOl 01 0 free text - a text message with no specified format other than the length limits o K04 01 0 Observation Report - a standard report using the Size Activity Location Unic Uniform Time and Equipment format o K07 1 Medical Evacuation Request - standard medical request format o K03 06 0 Mayday - emergency message o K05 l 7 3 Overlays - a Joint Photographic Experts Group JPEG photo of the screen that would be sent to other leaders but could not be manipulated or translated onto the map interface The overlays capability requires further development o K04 02 Route Planning o K05 02 2 Nuclear Biological Chemical NBC l report o K05 14 Situation Report 3 o KOS 19 Entity Data - called survivability messages provide supplemental situational awareness information on specified items These messages are created automatically by other messages For example the K04 0l Observation Repoi1 will generate a K05 19 message populating an icon on the map Messages in the KOS 19 category include - K05 19 8 Chemlight - K05 19 8 Aircraft Anti-aircraft - K05 19 8 Artillery - K05 l 9 8 Dismounted Personnel - K05 l 9 8 Spot Report - K05 l9 9 Other-Entity Combat Status The Chemlight K05 l 9 8 is a special message that serves a role similar to a physical chemical light that is used to mark the location and status of buildings e g cleared dangerous The Nett Warrior digital chemical light is a colored icon green blue yellow or red placed at a specific geographic location It is generated when a leader presses his EUD and it becomes visible on other leaders' EUD screens It is a Hyper Text Markup Language HTML message that does not uepend upon JBC-P JCR for transmission among units as do the other messages listed which are in Variable Message Format VMF Nett Warrior support equipment includes an array of generators and charging devices to recharge the batteries that power the radios and EUDs Figure 1-4 shows the Nett Warrior 1kilowatt portable generator and the Modular Universal Battery charger MUBC The MUBC is one of several charging sources available for the battery in the Rifleman Radio or conformal battery Nett Warrior includes a Dell E 6430 Mission Planning Computer for loading maps and conducting planning functions Select mission planning tasks can he performed on the EUD Modular Univers I Battery Charger MUBC Nett Warrior l KW Generator Figure 1-4 Nett Warrior Generator and MUBC Operational Concept of Employment Nett Warrior is designed to connect small infantry leaders to the tactical internet The system is to he employed with a variety of Army infantry formations including Stryker 4 mechanized infantry and light infantry units The Army envisions units equipped with Nett Warrior will observe transmit and subscribe to the situational awareness network services that reside on numerous manned and unmanned platforms The current concept of operation calls for the Nett Warrior systems to be issued to small unit leaders including the company command element commander first sergeant executive officer etc platoon leaders squad leaders and team leaders The Nett Warrior updates and broadcasts PLI every 30 seconds or every time the radio moves at least lO meters This location is displayed on the leader's EUD and on the EUDs of other leaders within radio range Other systems on the network capable of displaying PLI e g Blue Force Tracker display the Nett Wanfor PLI During missions knowledge of the location of troops should assist with synchronizing maneuver calling for artillery fires and reducing fratricide Supporting Communications Network Nett WaITior is one element of a larger network of systems that must function together if the data and information coliected by Nett Warrior are to be distributed and used Various units within the Army will be equipped with different tactical networks and Nett Warrior' s overall effectiveness is tied to the performance of these networks Through the Rifleman Radio the Nett Warrior interfaces with other SRW radios to a Network Services Gateway to JBC-P or JCR software in mounted units Within light infantry units Nett Warrior interfaces through the Manpack radio to enable network connectivity to the Army's larger network of communication systems In the IOT two different network configurations were tested In Phase I a network lesigned for a mechanized infantry company using JBC-P was tested In Phase II with the light infantry unit connectivity to outside elements was via the Manpack radio Details of the configurations of these specific networks are described in Section Two of this report 5 This page intentionally left blank Section Two Test Adequacy The Nett Warrior Initial Operational Test and Evaluation IOT E was adequate The Army Test and Evaluation Command ATEC conducted testing in two phases with a mounted unit followed by a dismounted unit phase Mounted unit Phase I was conducted at Network Integration Evaluation NIE 14 2 from May 6 - 17 2014 at Fort Bliss Texas in open desert te1rain Dismounted unit Phase II was conducted from November 4- 15 2014 at Fort Polk Louisiana in dense pine forest terrain Both phases were conducted in accordance with a Director Operational Test and Evaluation DOT E -approved test plans and produced adequate data to conduct a valid assessment Test Concept A similar concept for testing was utilized for each phase of the IOT The primary test unit in Phase I was a Cavalry CA V troop consisting of two platoons mounted in Mfoe-Resistant Ambush Protected MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle M-ATV MaxxPro vehicles In Phase I the unit conducted offensive and reconnaissance force-on-force missions in three terrain types desert open flat restricted rolling hills and urban against an opposing force OPFOR In Phase II a light infantry company conducted offensive and defensive force-on-force missions in dense forested terrain typically assigned to dismounted forces Representative terrain for each phase is shown beJow Phase I Terrain Ft Bliss Figure 2-1 Terrain in Phase I and Phase II In Phase I the Soldiers were CA V scouts assigned to C Troop 1st Squadron I st Cavalry Regiment C l-1 CAV from 2nd Brigade 1st Armor Division from Fort Bliss Texas In Phase II the test unit was a light infantry company A Company 2nd Battalion 301h Infantry Regiment A 2-30 IN I01h Mountain Division In both phases the OPFOR was the proper size and had weapon systems appropriate for the threat level During each phase the units conducted three 72-hour scenarios The test team used unit operations orders and fragmentary orders to control the operational scenarios and scope of the exercise They conducted a mixture of offensive and defensive operations under operationally realistic conditions Planning operations and small-unit tactical operations were exercised to generate the required data 7 In Phase I the Army conducted Cooperative Vulnerability Analyses cybersecurity assessments and an adversarial protect detect react and restore assessment A Continuity of Operations assessment was conducted in Phase II For C 1-1 CAY used in Phase I 12 leaders in each platoon were equipped with Nett Warrior as were leaders in the troop headquarters Each MRAP vehicle was equipped to receive Nett Warrior data and transfer it to the Joint Battle Command - Platform JBC-P network Figure 2-2 shows leaders in the platoon formations for the C 11-1 CAY equipped with Nett Warrior systems - ' ' tlfl i _ C l 1 VTut PlaWQl l ii' ' U1 i ' ttt t 29o N'N u si p it I SQ di ien 10 lnsuum nrod wj N C BN S3 CAV CBRN COR co Assistant Gunner Battalion Operations Officer cavalry Chemic al 810log1Cal Radiolog tal Nuclear Battalion Commander Company commander t - -i1 Ut WV111iiJ OVR Onver ER SGT FSNCO FSO Emergen medical Sergeant GNR HO Med NCO OPS u J -t It ttt tt Scout Mllltary Occupatlonal Specialty Fir tSergeant Android Data Collector - tt t _ _ - ooO'o- t 1f'O 'U ildi 1 198 1SG ADC AG 2 i' tt OQ y tl 36l 1 l 4rt1p rv li h Fire Support NCO Fire Support Officer Gunner Headquaners Medit Non-CommfssionedOfficer Operations PL PSG RTO Platoon Leader Platoon Sergeant Radio Telephone Operator SCT SEC LOR Scout Section l eader SL SME XO Squad Leader Sub1ectMatterbpert xecutive Officer Figure 2-2 Employment of Nett Warrior within C 1-1 CA V Unit in Phase I For the light infantry unit used in Phase II 13 leaders in each platoon were equipped with Nett Warrior as were leaders in the company headquarters Figure 2-3 shows the leaders in each of the platoons equipped with Nett Warriors This unit had no vehicles during movements though a single company vehicle remained in the rear with the company logistics element 8 --t- Nett Warrior Equipped Soldier t - WE - Nett Warrior Equipped t s ordier non- Nett Wo rrtor EquJpp d Infantry Test Players 118 3 Platoons 118 1 Company HQs 47 x NW equipped Soldiers 100 lnslrumenled wl ADC Pl PSG M k RTO 118 lSG 60-MM AOC Amb co Infantryman Mllital ' OccupatiOMI Specialty F1'St Sergeant 60 millimeter mortar Android Cata Collector Ambulance Company Commander FSNCO FSO HQ NW Pl PSG Fire Suppol't NCO Fire Suppol't Officer Headquarters Nett Warrior Platoon Leader TL WPN PlatoonSergeant XO RTO SL SM Radio TelephoneOperator squad leader Subject Matter E pert Team Leader Weapons Executive Officer Figure 2-3 Employment of Nett Warrior Systems within the Light Infantry Unit in Phase II Supporting Network The Nett WatTior systems under test were one element of a larger network of communications systems In Phase I at the NIE 14 2 at Fort Bliss Texas Nett Wan-ior was tested in an MRAP-equipped CAV troop The MRAPs were equipped with JBC-P to support the data connection between platoon troop headquarters and higher elements In Phase Il at Fort Polk Louisiana Nett Warrior was tested in a dismounted light infantry rifle company The platoons and company headquarters used Manpack radios for the data connection between the echelons Planned communication pathways between echelons are described below for each unit Phase I CA V Troop Architecture Figure 2-4 depicts the company radio networks for C 1-1 CA V The troop used both Soldier Radio Waveform SRW networks and JBC-P satellite connectivity to communicate Two of eight Manpack radios in each platoon were dismounted radios used to extend the range between dismounted scouts and their vehicles The radios were not used in route retransmission mode to pass data between platoon and troop headquarters Route retransmission capability is when a two-channel radio receives information on one channel with a set frequency and passes that information to the other channel on a different frequency for transmission A radio in route retransmission can pass data or voice but not both between channels If data at' e being route retransmitted voice traffic can still be carried on the individual channel 9 C Troop 1-1 CAV Network Architecture CoCP oo - 8 IJBC4' SI S ' fNCiC I - SRW - -- -L __J t 1IO F 1 -E - C IS JBC4'111SG _ CDR 11 1 - _ -- t -- -- IJ -P __ o o oo - PRC-1S5j2N - _-- _ - - - - -- o 7 _ _ -w - Pfte' 1 S 8te d - - --- - tt t ot Pit SRW' I SI ' t t f f I' NG MED -L Ollt -- _ - - -- - PJIC-155 8ea J BC-1'1N5G IS J o CS L J8C 61 G - 2o Pit W S n n l 1111Jue lalDon 2 Platoon t t ' ' ' t f f t o o Vooco Com111 o o Data Comm Vld PRC-1 55 l'L MED h l DR 'n I oo Oala Comm via JBC-P so _ AN1N2 - ANIPRC-117G Type I CPOF-Command Post of the Future SRW - Soldier Rad10 Waveform JBC-P - Joint Battle Command-Platform Sec LRD - Section Leader PL - PlalOPn le3der TL - Team Leader SL - Squad Leader NSG - Networll Services Gateway TOC - Tactical Operabons Center BFT2- Blue Force Tracker Vers10n 2 NOC o Network Operations Center SME - Subject Matter E -cpert PSG - Platoon Sergeant MED- Medic S - Secret Figure 2-4 Communications Architecture for the CA V Troop Leaders at platoon level conducted voice communications on the SRW network with both the Nett Warrior's Rifleman Radio and vehicle-mounted Manpack radio There was a platoon SRW network and troop SRW network Leaders conducted voice communications between platoon and troop headquarters on the troop SRW network transmitted on the vehicle-mounted Manpack radio or as required over dismounted man-carried Manpack radios Leaders passed digital data at the platoon level over the platoon SRW network with the Nett Wa1Tior' s Rifleman Radio and vehicle-mounted Manpack radio They passed digital data between the platoon and troop echelons through the JBC-P systems The unit did not use the route retransmission capability of the Man pack radio's two channels to pass data Each of the dismounted leaders with a Rifleman Radio sent a digital message Position Location Information PLI command and control or survivability via multicast into the classified platoon SRW network Multicast is a distribution of messages one-to-many or manyto-many addressed to a group of Nett Wan'ior systems simultaneously on the SRW network The message was broadcasted to every node in the local SRW network via either the Rifleman or Manpack radio In the vehicle the Manpack Radio is connected to the JBC-P which has the Network Service Gateway NSG software loaded The NSG transferred the PLI message from IO the SRW network to the JBC-P The vehicle mounted JBC-P broadcasts the message to all JBCp nodes via satellite Within platoons where vehicles were on the same SRW network messages were sent using the JBC-P route or via multicast on the SRW network The Nett Warrior chemlight survivability message which is not a Variable Message Format VMF message cannot be sent over JBC-P and remains on the original SRW network Phase II Light Infantry R fte Company Architecture Figure 2-5 depicts the company radio networks for the A 2-30 IN The company used SRW networks to pass communications Soldiers carried the Manpack radios during operations except for two radios mounted on the commander's vehicle Within the platoons one radio was carried by the radiotelephone operator and one was cru Tied by the platoon sergeant There was a platoon SRW network and a company SRW network Platoon radiotelephone operators carried the Manpack radio with one channel on the platoon SRW network and the other channel on the company SRW ne twork The forward observer carried a Manpack radio to execute fire support tasks A Company 2-30 IN Network Architecture ' Platoon ANW2 - AN PRC I I 7G Type I NSG - Net od Services G Jte N3V CPOF - Con1mand Post of the Future TOC - Tactical Operations Center BFT2 Blue Force Tracker Ve1Sion 2 NOC - Networ Operalions Cenler SRW - Soldier Radio Wavefonn JBC P - Joont Battle Comn1and-Pla1form Sec LRD - Section Leader SME - Subject Matter Expefl PL - Platoon Leader PSG - Platoon Serge int TL- Te ' lm Leader MED-Medic SL - Squ id Le lder S Secret Figure 2-5 Communications architecture for the Light Infantry Company Leaders at platoon level conducted voice communications on the SRW network with both the Nett Warrior's Rifleman and Manpack radios Platoon leaders from their Nett Warrior's 11 Rifleman Radio communicated to their platoons on the platoon SRW network They also communicated to the company commander on the Manpack radios on the company SRW network Forward observers communicated to the company fire support officer on the company SRW network in a separate talk group Leaders passed digital data at the platoon level over the SRW network with the Nett Warrior's Rifleman Radio and the two Manpack radios within the platoon They passed digital data between the platoon and company echelons through the Manpack radio using the route retransmission capability While data can be passed between different SRW networks using the route retransmission capability voice communication cannot be passed using route retransmission at the same time During Phase II each of the leaders with a Rifleman Radio sent a digital message PLI command and control or survivability via multicast into the classified platoon' s SRW network The message was broadcasted to every Nett Warrior node in the local SRW network either via the Rifleman Radio or Manpack radio If the message had to travel outside the platoon ne twork the message was passed to the company SRW network using the Manpack radjo's route retransmission capability All Nett Warrior messages were able to be sent this way including chemlight survivability messages Data Collection Android Data Collection ADC software was loaded on the EUDs The ADC recorded the network digital communications message traffic and such data were harvested from the EUDs daily The Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System executed and recorded weapons ' engagements During the daily data harve st leaders were surveyed for impressions Every fourth day of the test the test team conducted an end-of-cycle focus group assessment and additional surveys and debriefings Reliability scoring conferences were held throughout each phase of the IOT Following completion of the final events of each phase the test team convened a force effectiveness panel called a Blue Ribbon Panel that consisted of key leaders to evaluate overall mission effectiveness of the unit and contribution of Nett Warrior to mission effectiveness Mission effectiveness is determined by how well Nett Warrior contributes to the units' mission success Mission success was assessed via a Blue Ribbon Pane methodology used by the Army In this methodology key players in miss ion execution Blue Commander OPFOR commander user representative and imbedded Subject Matter Experts who followed the unit throughout the battle convene and review each action and counter action during the battle This review after the test is suppJeme nted by Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System kill data unit surveys and real-time observations The panel then rates how well the Blue and Red Forces performed their assigned missions and assessed what Nett Warrior contributed to mission success or failure 12 Section Three Operational Effectiveness Nett Warrior is operationally effective in mounted formations at platoon and troop level In dismounted infantry units Nett Wanior is effective at the platoon level Nett Warrior demonstrated the capability to provide platoon and company situational awareness and communications to each equipped leader The system enhances land navigation message reporting and command and control The combat leaders were able to employ Nett Warrior to plan missions maintain situational awareness and communicate The Nett Warrior is not effective at the company level due to Manpack radio's periodic inability to execute route retransmission or digitally connect adjacent units The Manpack radio had a 44 percent message completion rate of Position Location Infonnation PLI that prevented the company commander from having full situational awareness of his company luring operations Voice communications with the Nett Warrior system is effective The Nett Warrior networks internal to the platoon and those among company headquarters elements exchanged digital messages allowing leaders to communicate and maintain situational awareness Platoon situational awareness was e'ffecti ve and reliable M ission Effectiveness During Phase I C l-1 CAV accomplished 14of14 assigned missions ln Phase JI A 230 IN accomplished 10 of 12 assigned missions They did not accomplish two missions due to an instance of fratricide on one mission and capturing the wrong high-value target on another Nett Warrior was not the cause of the two unsuccessful missions Nett Warrior Contribution to Mission Success Nett Warrior contributed to successful mission accomplishment The contribution provided by Nett Wan'ior varied by leader task and phase of operation Nett Warrior' s contribution to tasks was assessed based on Army Training and Evaluation Program training standards During both phases of the test platoon leaders and commanders indicated Nett Warrior provided situational awareness and communications in directing forces under their control While leaders assessed Nett Warrior as helpful for all missions most did not find Nett Warrior essential for completing most tasks Figure 3-1 below depicts the leaders' assessment of their use of Nett Warrior and its value to task completion in Phase I with the mounted CA V unit 13 Percent of responses indicating Nett Warrior's contribution in completing the mission Sample Size -------------------- 100% 23' ---liiic c - Platoon ftn00 Platoon Att dt 1-44 107 Platoon Area 1econ n Platoon ScrHn 128 273 PlatoonMTC Platoon Route Recon Platoon Zone Recon us Platoon ue Handoo ' l roop Defense 112 130 137 240 150 852 21 Troop screen Troop Arutcl Troop Recon Troop MTC Troop Battie Handover During Pilot Test NW was very useful in executing battle handover Figure 3-1 CAV Leaders' Assessment of Nett Warrior's Contribution Phase I Shown are the 14 types of missions that were conducted and leaders' assessments of Nett Warrior's relative contribution to successful completion of each type of mission Unit leaders assessed Nett Warrior as Primary or Essential on less than 40 percent of total mission subtasks over all mission-types The CAV mission sets did not force the units to dismount from their vehicles such as Troop Screens leaders relied more on Joint Battle Command - Platform JBC-P instead of Nett Warrior for situational awareness Approximately 75-80 percent of missions were mounted Leaders at platoon level found Nett Warrior provided greater assistance than leaders at troop level Leaders summarized this observation by stating Net Warrior is a tool but is only one of multiple tools I have to complete a task The Phase II infantry unit' s assessment of Nett Warrior contribution is shown below in Figure 3-2 Responses were either primary or essential on 60 percent of total mission subtasks over all mission-types and played a minor role in most others Nett Wanior contribution was greater in Phase II with the dismounted infantry unit which did not have JBC-P as an alternate means of command and control -100' 100 1 ----r----c iieiii iiij j --- CornJ any Cordon Seaich Company Search Attad Con111 any Hasty Attack Con111 anv Raid Company Oelibet ate Attack Con111 11ny Oef 'nS ' Com1 arw MTC Com1 any Ha ty Defen e Platoon Hasty Attacl Platoon Sea1ch Attacl Platoon MTC Platoon Dellb r at e Anack _ Platoon Cordon Seard Platoon Oefen e Platoon Hasty Defense Platoon Raid o Not used O Minor a Primary o E senlial Figure 3-2 Infantry Leader's Assessment of Nett Warrior's Contribution Phase II 14 The infantry mission sets in Phase II where Soldiers navigated while dismounted lent themselves to a greater contribution than CAY mission sets where Soldiers remained with their vehicles Nett Warrior provided greater assistance at company level than at platoon level in Phase 11 with 95 percent of essential responses coming from the company level Ninety-eight percent of essential responses at company level were from the company commander Overall use of Nett Warrior was high during planning and higher during movement when Nett Wanior was used for navigation During actions on contact leaders did not use the EUD for visual situational awareness and relied on the radio During consolidation and reorganization leaders used Nett Warrior at all levels The following sections describe the contribution of Nett Warrior to mission success during each phase of combat Plalllling Tasks The use of Nett Warrior was high during the planning phase Leaders within each platoon used Nett Warrior for route planning and for designating planned locations on the map using chemlights that were visible to all leaders within the platoon on their EUDs These included observation posts flank security positions assault positions support by fire positions and casually collection points Nett Wanior allowed the company commander to plan the route and movement to the objective At the platoon level Nett Warrior was used for numbering buildings marking routes and checkpoints that served as a guide to the objective Platoon leaders used Nett Warrior as a visnal tool to brief the operations order scheme of maneuver and concept of operation to all squad and team leaders Nett Warrior was used to conduct map reconnaissance of the objective and to plan fires The collaborative planner a special feature on the EUD did not work as expected This forced the company commander to brief the platoon leaders on the plan from his EUD with them viewing the plan over his shoulder as shown below in Figure 3-3 Platoon leaders would then enter the key graphic control measures in their EUD Figure 3-3 Company Commander Briefs His Leaders 15 Commanders did not use the Mission Planning Computer MPC The troop commander planned on his JBC-P system and sent orders to his platoon leaders on JBC-P The infantry commander used his EUD for planning Movement to the Objective Nett Warrior provided a significant capability for land navigation and movement to the objective The Common Operating Picture COP feature enabled the troop commander or infantry commanders to view and track platoon locations At the platoon level the land navigation capability assisted platoon leaders in maneuvering their squa ls At the squad level Nett Warrior allowed the squad leader to track the positions of his team leaders and navigate the formation Leaders valued the enhanced navigation capability of Nett Warrior especially during night operations or periods of limited visibility The tether feature aids in movement once the route is determined and waypoints established Use of the tether feature allowed platoons to stay oriented on route waypoints to the objective in difficult terrain Soldiers tethered themselves to a location and as they moved the range and bearing to that location was always visible on their EUDs The tether feature should not relieve leaders from the responsibility of doing proper map and terrain reconnaissance as part of their route planning Command and Control during Enemy Contact During actions on enemy contact leaders did not use their EUDs for visual situational awareness at the squad and team level Soldier feedback indicates during enemy contact the speed and violence of operations afforded no opportunity to look at the EUDs Leaders explained the situation by stating we don' t text and drive They relied on the voice capability of the Nett Warrior during contact to maintain situational awareness and give orders Leaders out of immediate contact used their Nett Warrior for visual situational awareness to augment what they heard on the radio At the platoon level and below electronic chemlights were used to mark command posts suspected enemy positions and support-by-fire positions Platoon leaders marke d outer security areas by dropping virtual chemlights at the required position In urban areas leaders used chemlights to distinguish cleared buildings from uncleared buildings Nett Warrior was used to place vehicles in support-by-fire positions in C l-1 CAV Consolidation and Reorganization During consolidation and reorganization leaders used Nett Warrior at all levels The Nett Warrior COP pem1itted leaders to see gaps so they could take action to move Soldiers and vehicles to cover them Leaders used the range fan tool to build hasty direct fire plans to ensure the perimeter was covere d by fires Use of the tether function in Nett Warrior assisted Soldiers in returning to their vehicles in Phase I Squad and platoon leaders used the Nett Warrior COP to verify all squads were in correct locations 16 Situational Awareness Nett Warrior improved leader's situational awareness at all levels To support leader's situational awareness the Army has specified a system performance metric Key Performance Parameter KPP that Nett Wanior should show a leader 90 percent of the PLI icons of other leaders in his immediate area Leaders should see other leaders down two levels up one level and horizontal in adjacent unit command positions During Phase I Nett Warrior PU visibility was 91 percent and during Phase II 55 percent Nett Wanior did not meet the KPP in dismounted unils It improved the leaders' situational awareness allowing synchronized movement on the battlefield To illustrate the concept of seeing two levels down Figure 3-4 below shows PLI visibility taken from a deliberate attack in Phase II available to the 2 d Platoon Leader Along the left scale are the positions of the individuals that a platoon leader is expected to see in command levels above and those under his control Across the horizontal bar is the time from receipt of the warning order FRAGO until mission completions 10 hours later Shown on the horizontal timeline green are the periods the platoon leader could see specific leaders under his command Lines in red indicate PLI was sent but not seen by the platoon leader As shown by the gap during the 4 to 6 hours before launching the actual attack FRAGO to Start Point many leaders did not turn their systems on or may have been out of range as the leader conducted troop-leading procedures Beginning at Start Point the platoon leader begins seeing all the other leaders except for the 3n1 Platoon Leader red This was a common occurrence with the third platoon due to the Manpack radio's inability to provide a digital connection between the units o SeM-to and wen byle e-r o sent to bld not ee n by lNidef IfRAGO I -- ' ' - l i ' IO lldf'll lJl Sqclldr Ptl hll 'ldrht5 '-1't lr fT 't dflKSqcl Pn 2'14- lndflll htl ' l dr2nd$qd2NI f'lt ll OJ l4r2DOW PI WPl' Sqcl 2'1aftl l Gtv Wpri SOd 2ndllt AtGlw lvtswiSoo2NHn ' ' 01XI ' ' ' ' ' AM 1 14 Figure 3 4 PLI Sent to the 2nd Platoon Leader during a Mission on Day 7 Phase II Using a similar methodology Figure 3-5 shows the percent of PU that collectively could be seen by all leaders over the 12-day Phase I test The ovals show the percent of PLI seen within each unit The lines with arrows depict the percent of PLI seen by one unit of the other 17 adjacent unit Within units on the same SRW network the Message Completion Rate MCR was 95 percent When PLI was lransmitted between units using the JBC-P the MCR dropped to 88 percent Combined PLI MCR for Phase I was 91 percent Green shading shows the MCR met the requirement Company Headquarters 154A 88% 74 405 of 84224 83% 322 198 of 386 614 1 Platoon 2nd Platoon NSG JBC-P 15 tA 154A 88% 340 116 of 386 361 Figure 3-5 PLI Visibility Overall Phase I Ninety-five percent of cavalry leaders in Phase I agreed Nett Warrior improved their situational awareness within and outside their area of operations As described earlier within a given unit oval all leaders were on the same network In Phase I PLI sent between units arrows required the JBC-P and Network Service Gateway NSG on a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected MRAP vehicle to connect between units In Phase II where the Manpack radio provided the digital connection capability between various networks overall PLI performance was reduced from Phase I Within the platoon ovals units achieved an 87 percent MCR when operating on the same command and control network Between units when PU was transmitted over the Manpack radio the MCR was 44 percent Overall 55 percent of friendly PLI was visible during Phase II not meeting the requirement of 90 percent Company Headquarters o Pll high wilttin platoono lower between elementJ MANPACK roote reoaos issues 3' Platoon 48' 4 228K of 474K 56' 4 288K ol 511K PU sent betwMn SP and Mission Completion 2nd Platoon Figure 3-6 PU Visibility Overall Phase II 18 Elements within a platoon could see each other during most periods of mission execution PLI passed between platoons through the Manpack radio was sporadic Future versions of the Manpack radio must improve the passing of PLI in its route retransmission mode Although the PU did not always meet Army requirements the leaders said Nett Warrior improved their situational awareness The percentage of time a leader sees those in his interest group at least once during a 5-minute bin between Start Point and Mission Completion in Phase II is shown in Table 3-4 Each leader shown on the left of the table has an interest group of 8 to l 0 other leaders they are expected to see The columns refer to a given mission The numbers in the table show what percentage of the time each key leader company commander and each platoon leader saw a subordinate at least once in a 5-minute interval Table 3-4 Phase II Overall PLI Visibility Mission Number Leader RlMT R2HA R2RD R3DA R4SA RSCS R6RD R7DA R8MT R9CS R9HA RlOAD Total Co CDR 76% 66% 42% 41% 70% 58% 38% 69% 73% 75% 67% 58% 63% 1st PL 91% 85% 68% 55% 80% 82% 79% 76% 77% 68% 76% 47% 66% 2nd PL 91% x x 67% 89% 89% 86% 81% 92% 81% 92% 77% 84% 3rd PL 90% 75% 74% x 78% 73% 54% 71% 61% 70% 63% 42% 60% Note x means lcadcl's were not on the network dming that mission In general most leaders could see members of their interest group at least once during any 5-minute period Leaders were able to maintain situational awareness with the observed PLI though it did not meet requirements Eighty-eight percent of the dismounted leaders agreed Nett Warrior increased their situational awareness within and between their platoon areas of operations Digital Communication The Nett Warrior networks internal to the platoon and those among company headquarters elements exchanged digital messages allowing leaders to communicate and maintain situational awareness Nett Warrior did not exchange to standard digital messages hetween platoons and company command elements that required the Manpack radio as an outside enabler Voice communication with Nett Warrior was effective Another Army KPP is that Nett Warrior must provide digital data exchange among networked leaders within each leader's area of operations the Army did not specify a numerical requirement Command and control and survivability messages were the two message types of interest Tahle 3-5 shows the number and types of messa ges sent by various elements during Phase f with Nett Warrior Note during Phase I the unit had access to both JBC-P and Nett Warrior to send messages between leaders 19 - T a ble 3 5 Ph ase I n 1g1ota I M essages sent Msg Fmt Msg Name w1' th N ett W arrior By Co By 1st Platoon By 2 d Platoon K01 01 Free Text 23 53 106 K03 06 0 Mayday 9 12 9 K04 01 Observation Report 5 7 33 K04 02 Land Route Report K05 02 2 NBC 1 K05 14 Situation Report 2 0 17 K05 17 3 Overlay 0 0 1 KOS 19 5 Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear CBRN K05 1 9 8 Aircraft Antiaircraft K05 19 8 Artillery K05 19 8 Chemlight 36 3 343 1 231 K05 19 8 Dismounted Personnel K05 1 9 8 Spot Report K05 19 9 Other - Entity Combat Status K05 19 10 Other- Medical Evacuation MEDEVAC K07 01 MEDEVAC Request The K05 19 8 Chemlight a survivability message was the most frequent digital message type with over 4 500 such messages sent to designate buildings routes and areas of special interest The chemlight stayed within the echelon that created the chemlight on that SRW network i e l si platoon chemlight stayed in l st platoon In Phase IT the number of messages sent increased as the unit was dependent on Nett Wanior for situational awareness and command and control Shown below in Table 3-7 is the number of messages composed and sent by various leaders within different command levels The columns show the number of messages composed and sent by leaders within the echelon 20 - T a ble 3 7 Phase II Msg Fmt Msg Name n I I ta IMessages sent w1oth Nett W arrior By Co By 1st Platoon By 2 d Platoon By 3rd Platoon K01 01 Free Text 18 70 164 175 K03 06 0 Mayday 10 8 1 7 K04 01 Observation Report 5 4 5 13 K04 02 Land Route Report KOS 02 2 NBC 1 KOS 14 Situation Report KOS 17 3 Overlay 1 KOS 19 5 Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear CBRN 1 1 KOS 19 8 Aircraft Antiaircraft 2 1 K05 19 8 Artillery 4 9 22 12 KOS 19 8 Chemlight 118 97 452 336 KOS 19 8 Dismounted Personnel 4 8 KOS 19 8 Spot Report 10 3 4 6 KOS 19 9 Other - Entity Combat Status 2 6 31 3 KOS 19 10 Other- Medical Evacuation MEDEVAC 3 K07 01 MEDEVAC Request 2 1 4 1 1 1 4 2 1 Soldiers predominately used free-text messages and chemlight messages that require a touch on the EUD screen Over 90 percent of the digital messages were free text 427 or chemlights l 003 The pre-formatted messages shown are more cumbersome to use and were not adaptable to the unit's Standard Operating Procedures SOPs Command and Control Messages Each message identified above may have been sent from one leader to over 25 to 35 other leaders For purposes of computing MCRs one message se nt is counted as 25 to 35 messages possibly received When counted this way within each platoon up to 145 messages were sent internally to the platoon but only lO to 15 were sent between platoons and company headquarters as shown by the arrows Leaders used the vehicle-mounted JBC-P system to send digital messages since most operations in Phase I were conducted mounted 21 4 KOf 01 Free 'fext C 2 Message completion rates % 1 K04 0t ObaervationA pott 1 KOS U Snu bon Aeport Company Headquarters 9K01 01 ft CeTut 2 t 04 01 Observrion Rcoort 1 KOS 1 Situe tioo Report 3 K01 0t free Text 2 K04 0t ObnrniooRep rt 4K01 0f FrooTe d 2 KOi4 01 Obaet JPY rtionRepott 11 0 14 Situ1tionRepott QK01 0t frt eTtx t s K04 01 Ob$CIVAtonftel Ort t K-0 5 1713 Overfcr1 znd 100% 1of1 Platoon 98 KOt 01 fte eleit 31 K M 01 Observ flonReGBPX'rt 16 KM 14 Si' u alion Report 1o1 Platoon ----- 1 6K01 01 frnT - t Figure 3-6 Command and Control Message Traffic Phase I Overall 88 percent of all digital messages reached intended recipients Figure 3-6 shows a 90 percent MCR inside units with a single network and a 74 percent MCR between units that traveled over the JBC-P Message transfer was successful within the platoon level which involved the Nett Warrior and platoon SRW network Between platoons transfer involved the JBC-P and other radios as discussed in the network overview Figure 2-4 In both phases of test 1 482 mayday messages K03 06 0 were sent by the Nett Warrior and JBC-P system without the operator's knowledge During JBC-P testing at Network Integration Evaluation NIE 14 2 there were over 900 occurrences of spontaneous messaging These messages were sent multiple times distracting the operators As such the messages are shown in this table Tables 3-5 and 3-7 to point out that they were passed through the network but unintentionally so Despite two software patches to fix this problem Soldiers continued to experience phantom mayday messages during NIE 15 l The JBC-P report from NIE 15 1 states While phantom mayday messages continued units reported they did not send any intentional mayday messages during NIE 15 1 The problem of self-generated mayday messages must be fixed and verified in an operational event prior to fielding JBC-P Software Build 6 0 The issue with mayday messages in Nett Warrior Phase I and II testing is a Jong-standing problem The Nett Warrior and JBC-P program managers are aware of the problem Mayday messages are not used in subsequent analyses in this report Figure 3-8 below depicts command and control messaging capability demonstrated in the Phase II Overall 91 percent of intended recipients received the transmitted messages with a 94 percent MCR inside units with a single network and a 69 percent MCR between units that used the Manpack radio to connect different networks Messaging capability e g free text and formatted worked well within each platoon but less so between units similar to the behavior of PLI data discussed earlier in Phase II 22 C-2 Message completion rates o o Company Headquarters o C2 MCR high Wilhin platoon l lsgFmt Mic Name o Lower b1nwtMn o-oIlls o MANPACK routelretrans FreeTE t K04 0I Ob eNooon Reoon Gs KOo oz Land Rovt Re 1 oo lO 4SS 423 9 11 KOS 14 IHUH Sent Seen MCR KOl 01 S as IS 9 11 7 It 68% 23 of 34 33r 1 ofJ 30% 3of10 MsgFm MsgNomt KOl 01 K04 01 1 482 Mayday messages removed o Includes only messag s receivecl during mission SenGBP Ftee T t 1 Obsetvation l ellQtl 1 KOS 02 2 NBC 1 KOS 17 3 Ove lav Se n MCR 7 l IQ' t S 71'1 2 1 2 1 2od Platoon Figure 3-8 Command and Control Messages Phase II Overall 979 digital messages were passed within the units ovals among leaders on the same network and 122 messages between units arrows Performance between nodes suffered from the poor Manpack radio digital connection between units Most messages were free text though pre-formatted reports were passed These included ammo casualties equipment reports and standard observation reports Observation reports were sent between units with a 70 to 85 percent success rate Survivability Messages Survivability messages are a special form of digital message They provide information on enemy obstacles and terrain and are placed by a leader in his area of operation They could be generated by a command and control message to be viewed by a leader's unit to understand the enemy situation To support a leader's situational awareness the Army has specified a system performance metric that Nett Warrior should show a leader 90 percent of all information on enemy obstacles and terrain placed by leaders in his area of operations Nett Warrior survivability messages improved leader's situational awareness Survivability message performance in Phase I is shown in Figure 3-9 The intended recipient received 95 percent of survivability messages within platoons operating on a single network meeting the 90 percent requirement Most messages 85 percent were chemical lights to ideotify routes and buildings Performance was degraded 49 percent MCR when the JBC-P was required to connect adjacent units in Phase I Combined survivability MCR in Phase I was 71 percent 23 9 nilleiy survivability Message Completion Rates % Company Headquarters 6Artille j' f 3Artiltery 17 Oismouoed Pe oel 21 Spot Report 2SAJt lleiy SJPYanP_ '_ 14 Spot Repc rt 2 d Platoon 30% 26 of 86 63Artl11ety Man Pl attorrns iGM Vd' Mort 4-4 Spot Report NSG JBC-P 43 Ofsmoune s Personnef 68% 32of 47 1 Platoon o Man PlatformSIGod VmMort 49 Spot lleport 51 Artilleey 10 Man PlafformslGnd Veh M ort 15 Spot RePQrt 15 Dismounted Personnel n Spot Report Figure 3-9 Survivability Messages Phase I Message traffic in Phase II is shown in Figure 3-10 Overall the intended recipient received 72 percent of survivability messages with a 95 percent MCR inside units with a single network and a 63 percent MCR between units that used the Manpack radio to connect different networks Most survivability messages 89 percent were chemligbts s urvivat illty Message completion rates % Company Headquarters With 44 708 Chemllght'5 of 50 449 me55agH 57y 2534 of 4 4 12 MCR FOR CHEMLIGHTS Sender MSGs MCR Co 5838 80% 1 Pft 4597 77% 2 d Pit 19346 71 % 3ro Pit 14927 64% 80% 544 o f 1942 2od Platoon Figure 3-10 Survivability Messages Phase I OvcraH distribution of PLI command and control messages and survivability messages was effective within platoon Internally to the platoon the Rifleman Radio was used for digital and voice communication The most prevalent message distribution problem was connecting the platoons with each other Connecting platoons requires an outside enabler-either JBC-P for mounted units or the Manpack radio for dismounted forces Improvements to both JBC-P and 24 Manpack connections between echeJons are required to improve Nett Wanfor' s communications and reporting capability between units Voice Communications The Nett Warrior must provide for voice exchange among networked leaders within the leader' s area of operations though no specific numerical range requirement is prescribed Voice communication with Nett Wanfor was effective Leaders relied on voice communications during contact with the enemy to gain and maintain situational awareness Figure 3-11 depicts the leaders ' subjective assessment of voice data exchanged during Phase I in NIE 14 2 SURVEY RESPONSES Voice Communications Sample size Could you hear de-rly 88 Did Rifleman Radio improve com ms within platoon Otd fUfleman Ritdio improve 79 o Strongly Disagree o Disagree o Agree omrns wahin lfOop oStrongly Agree l 'igure 3-11 Voice Communications Assessment Phase I Soldiers indicated the communications with the Rifleman Radio were good Soldierrcported communication distance was 500 to 1 000 meters unobstructed but Jess than 500 mete rs when line-of-sight was blocked which is satisfactory When needed during Phase I leaders used a dismounted Manpack radio on the platoon network co extend the range of the network aiding in communications Soldiers reported the Rifleman Radio improved their communications Similar results were observed in Phase II however over shorter distances restricted by the dense terrain Voice communication was effective and satisfactory In Phase II Subject Matter Experts SMEs assigned to each unit measured voice performance at raodomintervals and ranges Voice quaJity measured at range bands are indicated below by colors Figure 3-12 10 ' 0 oi E E l 60 60 0 tO 0 30 20 7 E s z 10 0 0-500 500-1000 Range ml 1000-1500 Figure 3-12 Measured Voice Quality Phase II 25 As shown two-thirds of voice communications measured were less than 500 meters 180 meters average range Most communications 94 percent were rated as good or excellent'' over all ranges in woodlands In the dense pine forest of Fort Polk elements of the unit tended to stay within I kilometer as they progressed through the mission Platoon communications on the platoon SRW network were aided by three Manpack radios on the platoon network Within the ranges experienced Nett Warrior voice communications were excellent Voice communications with Nett Warrior is still the preferred means to transmit information at the platoon and company level The availability of a digital text means for communicating has permitted leaders to use voice less often according to 30 percent of Soldiers surveyed Radio Effectiveness Nett Warrior is one element of a larger network of systems that must function properly if the data and information collected are to be distributed and used effectively Two radios are key to a proper network and Nett Warrior performance the Rifleman Radio government furnished equipment to the Nett Warrior program and the Manpack radio a two-channel radio that connects Nett Warrior systems between unit echelons at the company and below level Perfonnance of these two radios in the network is discussed below Rifleman Radio Performa11ce The radio provided voice communications across the platoon's Area of Operations The leaders indicated the communications with the Rifleman Radio were good In Phase I and in open terrain digital messages PLI command and control messages etc were sent and received successfully at ranges up to 5 kilometers Voice data were sent and received at ranges of up to 2 kilometers with 80 percent success During Phase I platoon networks were aided by vehiclemounted Manpack radios In Phase II and in more dense pine forest terrain most digital traffic was less than l 00 meters while voice data were sent and received successfully out to I kilometer In both test environments communications were good until a feature terrain building etc blocked the line-of-sight The leaders' key concern was that the Rifleman Radio provided them with inconsistent communication and the range did not support their operations in Phase I with the mounted unit As discussed later the Nett Warrior would drop out of the network causing leaders to execute troubleshooting procedures to bring the system back into the network Other concerns with the radio were lack of a screen inaccessibility and difficulty carrying on the body with other equipment noisy audio alerts and awkward talk-selector buttons Manpack Radio Performance Test units were not able to maintain the data route retransmit function between SR W networks lO pass data between company and platoon networks The Manpack radio is needed to provide connectivity between infantry platoon and company SRW networks They were tested in the Manpack FOT E in NIE 14 2 and found to be not effective for dismounted operations 26 This assessment is the result of the SRW not providing sufficient range to support dismounted company- and platoon-level operations In Phase II of the Nett Warrior IOT leaders passed digital data between the platoon and company through the Manpack radio using the route retransmission capability Data can be passed between different SRW networks using the route retransmission capability of the radio but voice communication cannot Manpack radios were not instrumented for voice or data retransmission with dismounts in their FOT E or Nett Warrior's IOT E Soldiers carrying the radios are shown in Figure 3-13 Figure 3-13 Soldiers Carrying Manpack Radios in Phase II Earlier figures 3-6 3-8 and 3-10 illustrated problems of digital messages connecting between platoons where less than 50 percent of PU data were transferred through Manpack radios to adjacent units Lack of Manpack radio instrumentation limited DOT E's ability to establish the cause of Manpack radio's inability to pass digital messages through route retransmission in the company formation Possible issues that affected performance include o SRW waveform has poor range when interrupted by line-of-sight obstacles o Soldiers would not always initiate route retransmission function on the radio following a reboot o Soldiers sometimes installed the incorrect antenna for specified frequency band Ultra High Frequency versus Very High Frequency The Army should develop an instrumentation suite to capture Manpack radio performance or a follow-on radio to better understand the radio's dismounted shortcomings 27 This page intentionally left blank Section Four Operational Suitability The Nett Warrior system is operationally suitable and reliable The user specified a threshold reliability requirement for Nett Warrior of 148 hours Mean Time Between Essential Function Failure MTBEFF in order to achieve an 85-percent probability of operating for 24 hours without incurring an EFF Nett Warrior demonstrated a reliability of 226 hours Mean Time Between Essential Function Failure MTBEFF or a 90 percent probability of operating for 24 hours without incurring an EFF Tbe radio pouch and connector cup provides adequate guard to the leader wearing the Nett Warrior for times when the radio temperature exceeds 120 degrees F Recharging batteries to support Nett Warrior is an increased logistical burden The process to operate four to five generators and associated battery chargers to charge all batteries to equip a light infantry company takes 3 to 4 Soldiers 12 to 15 hours a day Charging this increased number of batteries takes SoJ liers away from their primary jobs The infantry unit was not able to charge the batteries required to operate the Nett Warrior system and Manpack radios without augmentation of a 3-kilowatt generator from the battalion headquarters Operator training was sufficient for leaders to operate the Nett Warrior throughout the test Testing identified issues with Manpower Personnel and Integration MANPRINT with the system The Rifleman Radio demonstrated suitability issues previously observed in separate prior testing The Nett Warrior program manager ma le changes to the Nett Warrior system to mitigate Rifleman Radio suitability issues The Rifleman Radio is government furnished equipment and was assessed in testing both as a separate piece of equipment and as a part of the Nett Warrior system While not meeting requirements Ritleman Radio demonstrated improved reliability compared to previous test results Reliability The Nett Warrior is reliable As described in Section One the Nett Warrior base configuration is the radio cables End User Device EUD and conformal battery The user specified a threshold reliability requirement for Nett Warrior of 148 hours MTBEFF in order t o achieve a 85-percent probability of operating for 24 hours without incurring an EFF Nett Warrior demonstrated a reliability of 226 hours MTBEFF or a 90 percent probability of operating for 24 hours without incurring an EFF Essential functions are the capability to successfully navigate communicate and survive and an EFF is a failure of the system that degrades an essential functional to an unacceptable level Table 4-1 sbows the reliability results from Phase I and Phase n of the Initial Operational Test JOT In both phases the system exceeded user requirements 29 Table 4-1 Nett Warrior Mean Time Between Essential Function Failure MTBEFF 80% Confidence IOT Phase Operating Hours Number of EFFs MTBEFF Phase I 4 446 11 404 268 - 633 Phase II 6 839 39 175 142 - 219 IOT Totals I and 11 11 285 50 226 184- 274 Limits Table 4-2 lists the EFFs recorded during each phase of testing at Fort Bliss and Fort Polk During Phase I at Fort Bliss the EUD or Rifleman Radio' s most prevalent failures were lost communications lost Position Location Information PLI or network recovery Leaders did not perform system troubleshooting in accordance with the troubleshooting guide Many Soldiers deferred mainte nance while on missions until a tactical pause or period of data harvest T a ble 4 -2 Ne tt W arnor Essenf ia1 Func f 100 F a1 1ures EFF s d urm2 the IOT Subsystem Phase I Ft Bliss Phase II Ft Polk Total EUD 5 18 23 EUD Battery 1 1 Rifleman Radio 4 4 Rifleman Radio Battery 5 5 C-4 Cable 10 10 C-1 Cable 1 1 Operator 3 3 Network 3 3 Total 11 39 50 In Phase II new failure modes were discovered as the systems operated in more challenging environments e g thick pine forest and rain The main reliability issue during Phase II were EFFs due to severe rain during the first four days of the test Various configurations of Nett WatTior have been tested over the past eight years but this was the first rain since the Limited User Test conducted at Fort Lewis in 2006 Following a severe rainstorm at Fort Polk on the night of November 5 6 there were 27 EFFs The rain caused failures to both the EUD and C-4 cable Moisture and water affected performance during this mission Aside from the effects of the rain other failures in Phase II were at failure rates comparahle to earlier testing concerning lost communication Jost PLI and network connectivity Other malfunctions affect leaders' perception and utilization of the systems Problems corrected within 5 to 10 minutes are RapidJy Recoverable Events RREs per the failure definition scoring criteria for the system During Phase I there were lO RREs most of which were related to no PLI or lack of connectivity to network 30 During Phase II 56 RREs were recorded most of which occurred during the rainstorm in Cycle A There were 26 instances during that phase where the system experienced a fault that required some corrective action The rain caused EUDs to shut down or execute un-commanded functions e g close map that resulted in RREs The RREs did not influence mission performance or unit effectiveness but required action by the leader to correct the RRE Maintenance and Repair Parts There was little unscheduled maintenance time accumulated on the systems during either phase of the IOT In Phase I there were 39 hours of maintenance downtime in 4 446 operating hours and in Phase II a total of 25 hours unscheduled downtime of 6 839 operating hours In Phase I most systems had less than 30 minutes of downtime and two to three systems accumulated more than 5 hours At Fort Bliss there were 11 repair parts used 6 cables 2 EUDs 2 Rifleman Radios and 1 antenna All replacement parts were received from unit supply In Phase II most downtime occurred in Cycle A following the rainstorm During both phases leaders did not reference the Quick Reference Guide QRG for troubleshooting Instead they often resorted to rebooting the EUD and or radio despite inclusion of additional con-ective actions in the QRG e g checking cables or power cup charging status Rebooting reduced downtime per incident in half but confounded resolution of Reliability Availability and Maintainability scores as the root cause could not always be detennined Table 4-3 below lists the repair parts replaced during Phase II As shown 40 repair parts were replaced-four times as many as in Phase I The more stressing environments in Phase IT forested terrain and weather were major contributors p arts Phase T a ble 4 -3 Nett W arnor R eparr m Pa rt Name Reason Replaced Quantity Replaced Pa rt Disposition C-4 Cable Broken I Damaged 15 Turned in to Supply Conformal Battery Depleted 8 Turned in to Supply AN PRC-154A Battery Depleted 8 Turned in to Supply EUD Damaged 6 Turned in to Supply C-1 Cable Damaged 2 Turned in to Supply AN PRC-154A Pouch Damaged 1 Turned in to Supply 40 Total C-4 cables connecting the EUD and Rifleman Radio and batteries were the most frequent category of replaced parts Five of six damaged EUDs were due to severe rain on November 5 6 The other EUDs remained in use after drying out the next day Unit Prescribed Load List quantities were sufficient to accommodate component failures during Phase II All re placement parts were received from parts on hand in unit supply 31 R ifleman Radio Battery Temperatures In Phase l all 29 Nett Warrior equipped leaders reported Rifleman Radio batteries overheated during focus groups This heat shortened and rapidly depleted the battery life and led to loss of network connectivity and system shutdown Multiple instances of temperatures in excess of 120 degree F were noted for the Rifleman Radio creating a potential burn risk Military Standard MfL-STD -l472G states that equipment which- in normal operationexposes personnel to surface temperatures greater than 120 degrees F for prolonged contact or handling shall be appropriately guarded Of the l 9 measured temperatures taken in Phase I 17 were in excess of 120 degrees F the safety specification In Phase II a deliberate attempt was made to measure temperatures of the EUD and Rifleman Radio batteries Over 570 measurements each for the Rifleman Radio and EUD were taken at the end of each mission Figure 4-4 shows a histogram of these measurements During Phase II the EUD batteries' temperature averaged 73 degrees while Rifleman Radio batte1ies averaged 86 degrees There were 5 of 570 of Rifleman Radio measurements in excess of 120 degrees F the safety specificatfon The difference in the temperatures compared to Phase I can be attributed to lower ambient temperatures in Phase II 42 to 66 degrees average daily temperatures than in Phase I 75 to 85 degrees averages 180 c II 160 140 1-- E 120 ORANGE RR Temperatures 1 ---ln-- - - -PURPLE EUD Temperatures II II I II E 100 80 0 60 z 40 0 20 0 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 MEASURED BATTERY TEMPERATURES Degree F Figure 4-4 Battery Temperatures Phase II The Rifleman Radio battery in the Nett Wan'ior configuration is safe The radio pouch and connector cup provide adequate guard to the leader wearing the Nett Warrior for times when the radio temperature exceeds 120 degrees F The Rifleman Radio is government furnished equipment to the Nett Warrior system The Nett Warrior program manager should continue to look for a radio that does not have the tendency to rise above 120 degrees F and continue to ensure the guard capability of the radio pouch protects the wearer from excess heat Power Management Recharging batteries to support Nett Warrior is an increased logistical burden Nett Warrior program provides sufficient chargers to the unit However there is not enough power generation capacity to support a light infantry company to recharge the Nett Warrior and Manpack radio batteries without augmentation from higher headquarters 32 The Nett Warrior system contains three batteries the EUD battery the Rifleman Radio battery and the conformal battery Figure 4-2 below depicts the interconnectivity of these three batteries The Rifleman Radio is the primary consumer of electrical power for Nett Warrior The Nett Warrior EUD uses the Samsung rechargeable battery that is constantly being recharged by the Rifleman Radio battery which has a nominal charge of 8 hours A conformal battery worn by the leaders provides a trickle charge capability to the two other batteries The conformal battery is expected to last 18 to 24 hours In Phase I battery recharging in C l-1 Cavalry CAV used vehicle power and multiple recharging options e g vehicle 110 volts outlet Figure 4-2 also depicts the primary source of charging power the Modular Universal Battery Charger MUBC connected to the Mine Resistant Ambushed Protected MRAPs A portable I-kilowatt generator was available but was not used in Phase I since unit leaders believed vehicle power available on the MRAPs was sufficient Modular Universal Battery Charger MUBC Nett Warrior Batteries RR Bol'lery Figure 4-2 Nett Warrior Batteries and Battery Charging Assets in Phase I During Phase l there were multiple instances of inadequate battery power resources As shown in Figure 4-2 above only two of three conformal battery charging ports were available if the leaders were charging Rifleman Radio's batteries The program manager issued battery chargers to the unit in accordance with the basis-of-issue plan but the unit chose to use two of four chargers in the p latoon vehicles due to 110-volt outlet availability The mounted units need to develop Standard Operating Procedures SOPs to maximize the use of all of the issued chargers and to improve battery-charging efficiency Leaders noted dissatisfaction with the Rifleman Radio battery's operating time in focus group discussions as it was not consistent 2 to 6 hours versus 4 to 8 observed earlier in developmental testing This required leaders to carry two batteries primary and spare to meet mission requirements This did not affect mission effectiveness as mission requirement kept the unit close to vehicles Post-test analysis showed that by design the Rifleman Radio battery stops accepting a charge at 118 degrees F However the conformable battery is stiU pushing a charge to the radio The battery was depleting without gaining a charge decreasing its expected mission life To correct this issue the program manager adjusted the temperature at which the conformal battery stops charging the Rifleman Radio battery to 140 degrees 33 In Phase II the dismounted test unit was issued four I-kilowatt generators as part of Nett Warrior basis-of-issue plan Three to four Soldiers staffed the company recharging station that was located in the rear with the company supply vehicles about 5 kilometers from the unit The average time to charge a Rifleman Raclio battery was 3 6 hours while a conformal battery took 4 5 hours The Soldiers took 12 to 15 hours to charge the batteries required to meet the company' s requirement for next mission They obtained an additional 3-kilowatt generator from battalion when the 1-kilowatt generators were found not capable of charging the Nett Warrior system batteries and the Manpack radio batteries due to reliahility issues and increased loa l of the Manpack radio batteries The light infantry unit estimates it would need seven to eight generators if I-kilowatt generators were sole source of power To keep up with the demand the 3-kilowatt generator was operating at maximum power which is not recommended for extended periods To mitigate power gene ration issues the unit scavenged power from buildings and vehicles as mission aJlowed The process to operate 4 to 5 generators and charge all batteries to equip a light infantry company is an additional logistical burden to the unit The charging of batteries is an additional duty to Soldiers assigned to the field trains who have their own duties supply armorer communication to support the company When the battalion is deployed those field train Soldiers take on increased duties which have now been further increased with the need to charge batteries to support the Nett Warrior Even though the charging batteries can be left unattended for extended periods they still need to be monitored and changed which takes time and distracts the Soldiers from other assigned duties Figure 4-3 depicts the charging layout at the company logistics site with four I-kilowatt generators left-most portion of left figure and the one 3-kilowatt generator upper center of left photo plus multiple MUBCs in use charging Rifleman Radio conformal and Manpack radio batteries The right figure illustrates the distribution concept where the charged batteries were returned to the unit for re-distribution to the leaders This occurred once per day Nett Warrior Battery Charging layout Charged Batteries Ready for Distribution Figure 4-3 Phase II Battery Charging Assets 34 The Army needs to examine the overall power management system that supports a light infantry company for 72 hours and develop an SOP for the battery charging capabilities for dismounted units and mounted units Training New equipment training NET provided to leaders was effe ctive for operation and maintenance of Nett Warrior The training developed over the past eight years focused on individual training in the classroom The trainers thought it was easy to teach new users while those previously trained required an abbreviated refresher course Soldiers gave the NET high marks but stated they would prefer more hands-on practical exercises and less classroom time Over one-half 26 of the leaders who participated in Phase II had no prior Nett Warrior experience Others had one to two years of experience while all had considerable experience with smartphones The NET was effective for training on system operations and maintenance of systems though maintenance procedures were not always followed i e reboots Soldiers were provided a pocket-sized abbreviated user's quick reference guide QRG on maintenance procedures but they frequently skipped steps and simply re-booted the EUD and radio to correct any problems The Army should reassess the procedures in the QRG versus rebooting as the standard procedure for taking co1Tection action to system faults Another related training issue is a lack of understanding of how the network and network radios work Leaders are not aware of the means to maximize the effectiveness of Nett Warrior and the Soldier Radio Waveform SRW network such as placing one Soldier outside of a building to maintain connectivity to those inside during clearing of urban sites A lack of understanding with the Manpack radio in Phase II led to some route retransmission issues particularly between platoons when Soldiers did not understand the proper placement of the Manpack radios in the formation Future leader training should include how the network works how voice and data travel across the network and how all network radios work They should be taught not to expect the system to work in an operational deployed environment the same way a smartphone would work with a network of fixed cell towers During Phase U of the IOT there was a Communications Security COMSEC changeover requiring parts of the unit to change security codes on their radios COMSEC security key changeover was difficult and time consuming The test unit erased the COMSEC key and network plan from the radios of the lso Platoon and reloaded the radios to using the Secure Key Loader The total time to load one platoon was 1 hour 33 minutes with an average time of 5 minutes per radio Soldiers need to be trained on COMSEC in the NET or other training exercises in order to employ Nett Warr ior Manpower Personnel and Integration MANPRINT Despite the Nett Warrior being effective and reliable the leaders did not believe the Nett Warrior system was acceptable for combat in its current configuration due to the Rifleman Radio Only thirty-two percent of leaders in Phase I and 22 percent in Phase IT would accept the system for combat in its current configuration There are some Manpower Personnel and 35 Integration MANPRINT issues associated with the radio and leaders would rather employ a two-channel radio instead of the single channel Rifleman Radio A two-channel radio was not part of the system under test A two-channel radio is an objective requirement for future Rifleman Radio requirements The EUD is effective and easy to use The Rifleman Radio is not suitable The radio lacks a display screen for showing connectivity battery life and charging status information These issues were observed in the Rifleman Radio JOT E Radio placement on the rear of the shoulder to improve line-of-sight to other radios was inconvenient for battery replacement adjusting the volume and changing talk groups The Nett Warrior program manager made changes to the Nett Warrior system to mitigate Rifleman Radio suitability issues The Nett Warrior program manager developed an antenna extension cable to allow users to place the antenna on the back shoulder giving the operator convenient access to the radio Leaders chose from different antenna placement configurations to prevent interference with the rucksack and personal comfort The Army has recognized suitability issues with the Rifleman Radio and has started an acquisition process to replace it Placement of the Rifleman Radio with the antenna on the body high or low affected electromagnetic interference between the EUD and radio Electromagnetic interference from the Company Command Network interfered with EUD functions such as showing the close map dialogue box This was observed on leaders who had their radio antenna close to the EUD This interference was not observed when the antenna was worn on the shoulder with the hody shielding the EUD from the antenna Chest placement of the EUD is satisfactory The EUD Otterbox screen is difficult to keep dust-free Scratched screens make it difficult to see icons as shown in Figure 4-5 The screens of the actual Samsung EUD scratch less than those of the protective Otterbox The scratches degrade visibility as does screen glare during daylight To accommodate night usage the program manager provided a Wamco night filter that works when used hut many leaders preferred not to use them due to convenience and storage accessibility Screen brightness at night remains a concern but is alleviated by proper light discipline and using the EUD' s dimmer control Soldiers' perspiration created the same problems created by rain Moisture drops on the display acted as a command press and initiated select EUD functions The capacitive gloves issued by the program manager did not work as envisioned Leaders complained about the difficulty in using the EUD when wearing the gloves The leader had to remove the gloves from the hand manipulating the EUD to ensure he was entering correct information see Figure 4-5 While not tested in the current phases this would obviously be an issue in colder weather 36 Nett Warrior Scratched Screens Capacitive Gloves Figure 4-5 Nett Warrior EUD MANPRINT Issues Other aspects of Nett Warrior weight form and fit were acceptable to leaders Over 90 percent indicated that weight 6 8 poun ls including batteries was acceptable while 60 percent thought the general fit was acceptable Map quality and zoom capability were great improvements over the operational utility shortcomings identified in earlier NIE exercises The display size of the EUD was rated as optimum Over 90 percent of respondents agreed the Nett Warrior display provi les an effective zoom in out capability Rifleman Radio Reliability During the Phase II IOT the Army measured the reliability of the Rifleman Radio as a standalone item to inform their material release decision on the radio The Rifleman Radio is government furnished equipment assessed in Phase I of the IOT as part of the Nett Warrior system In Phase II the Rifleman Radio was examined as a separate piece of equipment anJ as a part of the Nett Warrior While not meeting requirements Rifleman Radio reliability has improved demonstrating a MTB EFF of 328 hours with a 248-441 hour 80 percent confidence interval This translates into a 93 percent chance of completing a 24-hour mission without a failure The Rifleman Radio has a requirement to complete a 24-hour mission 95 percent of the time without an EFF which translates into an MTBEFF of 477 hours This is an improvement from performance in previous testing in its IOT E at Network Integration Evaluation NlE 12 1 where it produced an MTBEFF of 150 to 175 hours versus a requirement of 477 hours In Phaser although many of the issues vo-iced by leaders were relateJ to the radio reliability was improved from previous testing of the radio Of the 11 EFFs scored in Phase I against the system none were identified as a failure of the radio even though there were issue s between the radio and network Of t he 10 RREs one-half were related to the radio losing connectivity to the network Connectivity was regained within 5 to 6 minutes resulting in an RRE insteaJ of an EFF per the failure definition scoring criteria Damaged antennas during ingress egress of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected MRAP vehicles were an issue Of the 11 repair parts replaced in the Phase I test two Rifleman Radios had to be replaced during 4 455 hours of operations with the Nett Warrior system 37 Further development of the Rifleman Radio is being exercised under a full and open competition A Request for Proposal was issued in January 2015 The new radio emerging from this program will require a new DOT E-approved Test and Evaluation Master Plan and IOT E 38 Section Five Survivability Cybersecurity Information Assurance and Electronic Warfare The Nett Warrior End User Display EUD is survivable against cyher-attacks The Rifleman Radio is not survivable against cyber-attacks The Nett Warrior is not survivable in an electronic warfare environment The Army Research Laboratory Survivability Lethality Analysis Directorate and Threat Systems Management Office conducted cybersecurity Information Assurance and threat computer network operations testing against Nett Wanfor during Phase I of the Initial Operational Test IOT Information Assurance testing was not repeated in Phase ff Results are documented in the attached classified annex The cybersecurity assessments examined Cooperative Vulnerability Analyses identifying high and medium risks that were briefed to the program manager An adversarial protect detect react and restore analyses were also conducted in Phase I A continuity of operations assessment was conducted in Phase II at Fort Polk During this exercise leaders demonstrated they are ab e to wipe clean and render inoperable a compromised Nett Warrior system that is in radio range Four different Nett Warrior systems from the unit were remotely zeroized The task was done individually and then on all systems simultaneously It was performed point-to-point and through Manpack radios Compromises to Unit Location Thirty percent of Soldiers agree Nett Warrior increases the likelihood of location compromise to an enemy The program manager mitigated brightness to low risk by adding a translucent screen filter Wamco to the EUD for use during nighttime operations During testing the plastic filters did not remain attached to the EUD and were misplaced or lost when not in use Leader enforcing light discipline at night further reduces this risk During both phases of test no opposing force OPFOR Soldier reported the Nett Warrior screen glare compromised the test unit Microphone noise from the Nett Warrior can compromise Soldiers at night Soldiers complained about the Rifleman Radio voice alerts as a second source of potential compromise to unit location The radio issues verbal alerts during set-up and other alerts when batteries are low and the network is ready The alerts are audible at a distance with OPFOR reporting the transmissions can be heard from 100 meters away Among the OPFOR 36 percent say they could detect Nett Warrior Soldiers via the noise from their hand microphones 39 This page intentionally left blank Section Six Recommendations Recommendations The Army should consider the following recommendations Nett Warrior is one element of a larger network of systems that must function together if the data and information collected by Nett Warrior are to be distributed and used effectively o Reduce the number of rapid recoverable events and decrease the number of times Nett Warrior falls out of the network o Make the C-4 cable connections more durable o Address performance and reliability issues when operating in the rain or in humid conditions o Improve the capability to utilize the collaborative planner at the platoon and company level o Re-assess the troubleshooting quick reference guide versus a system reboot to fix problems o Educate leaders ou the limitations of an Army tactical network They should be taught not to expect the system to work in an operational deployed environment the same way a smartphone would work with a network of fixed cell towers o Continue to investigate and correct problems with unintended Mayday messages populating the networks o Improve SRW network reliability to include Manpack radfo route retransmission capability between platoon and company networks and increasing Message Completion Rate for the Variable Message Fom1at between echelons o Investigate adding a display screen to the Rifleman Radio to provide operators with feedback o Continue to find solutions to decrease the Rifleman Radio battery temperature to the Military Standard MIL-STD -14720 o Fully integrate Nett WaiTior into combat units - Develop doctrine employment concepts and tactics techniques and procedure s - Address employment of the additional Manpack radio - Teach leaders how the SRW network operates and how to maximize the network to support operations - Incorporate lessons learned from previous testing and training e g light and noise discipline 41 o Develop an overall power management system that can support a light infantry company for 72 hours o Develop a data collection device that Soldiers can wear to collect data on the Manpack radio and better determine radio performance on the network smartphone 42 This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu