Automating the communications planning process

The digitized battlefield demands communications without boundaries, yet secure communications impose boundaries by key distribution, frequency interference, organizations, and functional areas. The solution to this dilemma requires a communications plan that works! Creating and maintaining a tactical communications plan is a complex task. The communications planner must organize the networks and net membership, distribute frequencies, IDs, callsigns, keying material, track distribution, and create communications-electronics operating instructions (CEOI). To complicate the planning procedure, the battlefield is a very dynamic environment. This requires that tactical communications, and thus, the communications plan be adaptable to ever-changing conditions. Timely, accurate, and traceable distribution is also needed. An automated tool is needed to keep up with these demands. The automated system must be fast, portable, scaleable, and easy to use. It must be modular and easy to expand (e.g., new equipment type, additional analysis and/or functionality). To build an automated tool, you must first understand the procedures and problems of the manual method. You may then use this information to create a tool to help automate the procedures and to solve the problems. ITT developed the communications management system (CMS) in response to the need for an automated communications planning tool. The CMS system consists of one or more PCs, printers, software, and associated cables.