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Army Awards Information Collection Management Application

Tuesday, September 24th, 2024

The Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) recently awarded ECS Federal a delivery order valued at $1.2M for initial acquisition, tailoring, integration and testing of the Information Collection Management Application (ICM). This is the first delivery order on the IDIQ which has a ceiling of up to $23M to support all development, integration, testing, training, license procurement and maintenance across the next five years.

The Information Collection Management App, a critical component of the Army’s modernization initiatives, is designed to digitize collection management workflows and provide a tactical, expeditionary toolset that addresses Commander’s information needs. With streamlined workflows, the app significantly reduces the burden of soldier operations, ensuring that our forces are equipped with the best possible intelligence capabilities to face the challenges of tomorrow’s complex battlefield environments.

“The awarding of the Information Collection Management App marks a significant milestone in our mission to develop and field modernized intelligence systems,” said Col. Chris Anderson, Project Manager for PM Intelligence Systems & Analytics. “This app is a testament to the exceptional work of our dedicated professionals who are committed to integrating best value solutions for the battlefield of tomorrow.”

PM IS&A is responsible for multiple Army Intelligence Foundation’s modernization initiatives and develops and fields modernized intelligence systems through an exceptional workforce of dedicated professionals, integrating best value solutions for the battlefield of tomorrow.

Posted in Army, CEMA, Contracts, ISR, Press Release | No Comments »

MI History: Army Security Agency Establishes DARRS Detachments

Sunday, August 4th, 2024

I love military history and in particular SOF and SI history, having served in both communities. I especially appreciate the MI stuff since so little has been published. The US Army’s Military Intelligence Soldier Heritage Learning Center recently shared this post:

Photo: Personnel of the 1st ASTD, one of the ARVN units supported by the DARRS detachments

On 31 July 1970, the Army Security Agency (ASA) established Division Advisors Radio Research Support (DARRS) Detachments in South Vietnam. The DARRS detachments were an effort to further the overall “Vietnamization” of the war as well as provide direct support to the American advisors with Army of Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) divisions.

In early 1969, President Richard Nixon’s administration began a program to end American involvement in Vietnam, which involved expanding, equipping, and training South Vietnamese military forces so they could take an increased combat role while reducing the number of American forces. As part of this broader program, the ARVN began to organize their SIGINT effort. To support their divisions, they organized ARVN Special Technical Detachments (ASTDs) consisting of four officers and fifty-six enlisted personnel. Modeled on the ASA’s highly successful direct support units attached to American divisions and separate brigades, the ASTDs provided SIGINT support to combat divisions and passed information up the South Vietnamese cryptologic chain of command. On 1 July 1969, two ARVN divisions received the first ASTDs.

Under the terms of the Vietnamese Improvement and Modernization Program, ASA’s 509th Radio Research (RR) Group, under Col. William W. Higgins, would assist the ASTDs by providing mission equipment and logistical support and by instructing the South Vietnamese on how to perform their own maintenance. All the while, ASA leaders continued to take every opportunity to press the ARVN to focus upon voice intercept and even offered on-the-job training by temporarily assigning Vietnamese to the 509th RR Group’s own low-level voice intercept teams.

Over the next year, Higgins and his group informally supported the ARVN’s nascent SIGINT efforts. Under Project SCREWDRIVER, 509th RR soldiers regularly visited South Vietnamese elements to pass on maintenance tips and to ensure they were receiving necessary supplies. These visits also proved an excellent means to monitor overall operational progress.

At the same time, intelligence support for American advisors became more critical. Consequently, the 509th RR Group field-tested the concept of a team dedicated to specifically support the senior American advisor for the 1st ARVN Division. This test proved so successful that the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) approved the concept for all of the ASTDs. On 31 July 1970, MACV and ASA established the DARRS detachments.

The DARRS detachments’ primary function was to pass SIGINT information to senior American personnel advising the South Vietnamese divisions and to provide a sanitized version for the ARVN commanders. In addition, DARRS personnel provided the ASTDs with constant support and advice. Their impact was immediately evident and began to assure that the ARVN detachments were operationally functional.

As one advisor noted, “For a long time we had a shortage of hard intelligence…The 9th DARRS has given us the ability to make estimates and allow the commander to make decisions.”

?Michael E. Bigelow

Posted in CEMA, Guest Post, History, Information Warfare, IO, ISR | Comments Off on MI History: Army Security Agency Establishes DARRS Detachments

ARDRONIS Locate Compact Fully SAPIENT Compliant

Monday, November 6th, 2023

Rohde & Schwarz successfully prove ARDRONIS Locate Compact fully compliant with new SAPIENT standard protocol for use in counter UAS missions, as part of NATO Technical Interoperability Exercise.

Munich, October 2023 — Rohde & Schwarz has proven its new ARDRONIS Locate Compact system for use in counter unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) missions. Integrated through the new SAPIENT standard protocol and tested at the NATO Technical Interoperability Exercise (TIE) event at Vredepeel in the Netherlands, the solution automatically detects and identifies drones based on their broadband video radio signals.

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) organized exercise C-UAS TIE 23 that brought together civilian and military specialists, as well as over 60 industry participants. This exercise tested counter-drone technologies to make sure different systems could communicate and work together instantly.

Rohde & Schwarz is committed to supporting the standardization system of NATO and is SAPIENT compliant. The company is working to simplify the integration of its system into larger systems. The SAPIENT protocol allows data from sensors, effectors, and cyber to be converted into a common language and shared across networks supporting the CUAV mission.

Anne Stephan, Vice President Critical Infrastructure & Network, Rohde & Schwarz, said, “We are excited to launch ARDRONIS Locate Compact in November. We are committed to advancing and testing the SAPIENT interface and supporting the standardization system of NATO. Our goal is to simplify the integration of our system into larger systems.”

ARDRONIS Locate Compact from Rohde & Schwarz is designed to be cost-effective and can be used to monitor large areas that require a greater number of antennas and radio direction finders. It is suitable for fixed installations such as airports, large industrial or military facilities, as well as for semi-transportable systems that can be set up and operated by a single person for short-term area surveillance, such as protecting political VIPs during public appearances or military positions.

Posted in CEMA, EW, Press Release, Sensors | Comments Off on ARDRONIS Locate Compact Fully SAPIENT Compliant

The Ghost Robotics Vision-60 As ISR Platform

Wednesday, September 20th, 2023

A lot has been made of the weaponization of ground robots. Much of it is is due to our fascination with science fiction. No sooner is an image shared online like the one above of a robot armed with a machine gun than the comments about “Skynet” and “Terminators” kick in. But what is lost on most is why we developed robots in the first place. It wasn’t to deliver a lethal effect; there are lots of ways to make that happen. Robots were created as helpers, in order to remove humans from environments which might endanger them.

We’ve also got to accept a truth which is lost on many. The robot isn’t the capability, it’s the vehicle which delivers the capability. We desire effect and that requires various capabilities which come in the form of payloads. What makes various types of robots more desirable over others is how they deliver the payload to the right place, at the right time, to have the right effect. We use robots to reduce risk, particularly to humans.

Take for instance this image from last week’s DSEI show in London. We see a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 Quadraped – Unmanned Ground Vehicle carrying another robot, in this case an unmanned aerial system configured for an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance role. This combination may be perfect, depending on the operational environment. It may be highly lethal to humans and require close access to the target of the surveillance.

To be sure, there are definite reasons to weaponize ground robots. They can be used in overwatch for example, or to guard perimeters. But in each case, they are desirable in these roles because they take a human out of a threat environment. Recently, the US Army stated that it wants to place a Next Generation Squad Weapon XM7 rifle, firing the new 6.8mm cartridge on a Vision 60 Q-UGV. There are technical challenges which a couple of commercial companies have worked through, but it can be done. The question is, “why?” What effect do they believe it will provide? Is it the right payload for that platform?

During the Robotics track of next week’s NDIA sponsored Future Forces Capabilities event in Huntsville, Alabama, you’ll see a lot of talk of various means to weaponize robots. It makes sense considering the event evolved from annual small arms and armaments meetings. However, we need more participation from the ISR community in this event.

The air side of unmanned systems has taken the opposite path. Long dominated by collection activities, they’ve only more recently integrated kinetic weapons delivery to their repertoire.

I believe the best use of at least the smaller classes of ground robots is as platforms for various sensors, including ISR, CBRN and as comms relay nodes for these and others. Persistent access to items of intelligence value puts operators at risk. What’s more, the task is time consuming and boring. a human’s efforts are best spent elsewhere, like considering how to use the data being vacuumed by a multitude of robots fitted witg various collection payloads.

As a former SIGINTer and Intelligence officer I’ve been thinking a lot about how to use ground robots for ISR. There is a lot of synergy to be had between the air, subsurface (maritime), and ground robotics communities when it comes to payloads. We need more interest from the developers of sensors in utilizing ground robots of various classes as platforms and cross talk between the various warfighter communities.

Robots are coming to the battlespace. It’s up to us to determine how to best use them. Some will be armed and some will conduct ISR. Others will serve as logistics enablers and communications nodes.

We need to brainstorm ways to get the most out of our investment in ground-based unmanned systems. Soon, I’ll share a concept I’ve come up with to use Vision 60 Q-UGVs to access challenging terrain and environments to conduct Multi-Int persistent ground surveillance.

-Eric Graves

Editor

Posted in Advertiser, CEMA, ISR, Robotics | 1 Comment »

Army Announces Terrestrial Layer System – Brigade Combat Team (TLS BCT) Manpack Prototype OTA Agreement

Wednesday, September 20th, 2023

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD – After more than six months of competitive white papers and technical evaluations for the Terrestrial Layer System – Brigade Combat Team (TLS BCT) Manpack, the U.S. Army entered into an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement through the Consortium for Command, Control, and Communications in Cyberspace (C5) with Mastodon Design, LLC to support Phase 1 – Prototype Build and Demonstration. The agreement totals $1,521,490 for a 9-month Period of Performance.

The TLS BCT Manpack system will be a tailorable, modular, terrestrial capability that allows the integration of Signals Intelligence and Electromagnetic Warfare collection, processing, exploitation, reporting, and effects capabilities for SIGINT Collection Team and Electromagnetic Warfare Team elements. TLS BCT Manpack will provide the Brigade Combat Team commander a tactical advantage with agility and improved intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting in Multi-Domain Operations.

“The TLS BCT Manpack compliments the TLS BCT and TLS Echelons Above Brigade (TLS EAB) family of systems with a shared and open systems approach that creates the flexibility and efficiencies needed against a highly adaptive threat,” said Kenneth Strayer, Project Manager, Electronic Warfare and Cyber (PM EW&C). PM EW&C plans to transition the TLS BCT Manpack from prototyping to production in FY2024.

Posted in Army, CEMA, Contracts, EW, Guest Post | Comments Off on Army Announces Terrestrial Layer System – Brigade Combat Team (TLS BCT) Manpack Prototype OTA Agreement

SPX CommTech Launches Latest Transportable Tactical COMINT 953 RF Receiver

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023

• New Communications Intelligence (COMINT) Radio Frequency Receiver delivers superior threat analysis at a time of heightened electronic warfare activity.

• 953 COMINT Radio Frequency Receiver will be exhibited for the first time at DSEI 2023.

Wappenham, UK, 22 August 2023 – SPX CommTech, formed by TCI and ECS, today launches its next generation 953 Communications Intelligence (COMINT) Radio Frequency (RF) Receiver for superior identification, direction-finding, and tracking of hostile RF signals to support COMINT and Counter-UAS tactical operations. It will be exhibited for the first time at DSEI, Excel London, on stand H2-874, between 12-15 September 2023.

The new 953 COMINT RF Receiver builds on the success of its predecessor and now boasts reduced size and weight, but with greater power. This makes the device portable for dismounted operations and easily mounted on a vehicle to support mobility operations. For example, it can be carried to an elevated position in a dismounted role, such as a tactical position only accessible on foot or on top of a high-rise building, to ensure the antenna is situated at height for optimum signal detection and increased range.

The 953 COMINT RF Receiver performs continuous, unmanned, remote, and real-time signal collection up to 80MHz bandwidth across a frequency of up to 40GHz for signal monitoring, collection, and direction-finding. This bandwidth delivers a sweet spot between monitoring sufficient signal breadth and amplitude to ensure quality and accuracy in identifying threats.

The 953 COMINT RF Receiver is powered with removable hot-swappable batteries for round-the-clock use. The new compact chassis is IP-67 rated to withstand temperatures up to 50°C to deliver full operational capability in extreme hostile climatic environments. It also boasts increased removable storage of up to 2 TB for enhanced data capture.

“All around the world, heightened political, military and societal tension, and the growing use of electronic warfare, demonstrates the unparalleled importance of managing and understanding the RF spectrum today. Threat analysis and response are critical to global security, so we are excited to welcome the next generation product of our successful RF range, currently used across 20 countries,” says Graeme Forsyth, Counter-UAS Product Manager at SPX CommTech.

The 953 COMINT RF Receiver is powered by SPX CommTech’s well-renowned Blackbird software application, which detects, identifies, direction-finds and tracks signals of interest to support, find, fix and strike operations, and mitigate electronic warfare threats. It also tracks the RF emission of UAVs and their controllers or Data Links to support counter-responses. Blackbird can record the signal environment for look-back analysis without interrupting the current mission. It simplifies the collection task and can trigger automated actions and support unattended operations.

Utilising part of the 953 COMINT RF Receiver, Blackbird also uses geolocation to enable defence teams to visualise the location of the frequencies for improved intelligence-gathering and threat management. Blackbird’s intuitive point-and-click user experience suits all skill levels and is an evolution of the proven intuitive interface in previous models. This ensures minimal training requirements for existing customers while enabling new users to master the system quickly.

The new 953 COMINT RF Receiver is backwards compatible with previous COMINT versions and other technologies from SPX CommTech, for cost avoidance, uninterrupted service and seamless scalability for our users. It can also be integrated with open-source or customer-supplied mapping and other integrations.

The 953 COMINT RF Receiver is available today, and current COMINT models in service with customers will continue to be supported by SPX CommTech.

For more information, visit www.tcibr.com. Book a time to discuss your COMINT needs with us at DSEI (Excel London, 12-15 September 2023) by emailing tci_sales@spx.com.

Posted in CEMA, Information Warfare, International, Press Release, Sensors | Comments Off on SPX CommTech Launches Latest Transportable Tactical COMINT 953 RF Receiver

MDM 23 – S R Technologies Next Generation Tactical Chassis

Thursday, June 29th, 2023

S R Technologies displayed a form factor model for the Marine Corps’ upcoming Expeditionary Dismount Backpack solution for EW/SIGINT missions. It incorporates two swappable payload slots, active cooling fans, and an advanced thermal cold wall design. It’s powered by two swappable BA-5590 batteries or can be attached to vehicle or shore power.

It utilizes Sensor Open System Architecture which relies on the use of cards inserted into a chassis to configure Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems rather than building a completely new system every time it needs to be modernized.

Posted in CEMA, EW, MDM, USMC | Comments Off on MDM 23 – S R Technologies Next Generation Tactical Chassis

Rohde & Schwarz Presents Next Generation EW Solutions at SOFINS

Thursday, March 30th, 2023

As a systems partner and integrator for enhanced situational awareness and network monitoring, Rohde & Schwarz will present its latest and innovative portfolios of cutting-edge electronic warfare (EW) solutions for spectrum dominance and mission success.

Camp de Souge, France March 28, 2023 – Rohde & Schwarz supports missions with scalable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems that can be integrated in various platforms. Exchangeable sensor subsystems are available and can be used in manual or automated EW. This year’s Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar (SOFINS) will be held at the Camp de Souge military base in France’s Gironde Department from March 28 to 30, 2023 and Rohde & Schwarz will showcase their next generation EW system components.

One core system component is the new R&S UMS400 lightweight universal monitoring system. It is a core COMINT component and a good fit for any platform thanks to its brilliant radio performance and reduced size, weight and power (SWaP). The R&S UMS400 is crucial for gathering actionable intelligence, creating situational awareness and participating in larger ISR multi sensor missions. It is also used for operations focusing on force protection and small-scale emitter hunting.

The R&S PR200 portable monitoring receiver is indispensable when searching for and analyzing known and unknown radio emissions and localizing signal sources. The R&S PR200 can handle typical mobile spectrum monitoring, spectrum clearance, interference hunting and site testing tasks in both indoor and outdoor environments. The receiver is compact, battery-powered and easy-to-operate. It can help measure network performance for on-site signals in the frequency and time domain, analyze online signals in combination with PC based signal analysis software in COMINT applications or detect and locate miniature transmitters indoors with a differential spectrum.

The R&S EM200 digital compact receiver has a wide frequency range that supports spectrum monitoring and direction finding with minimal SWaP will also be on display. The R&S EM200 is an ideal I/Q source for continuous wideband data collection, effective radio reconnaissance and situational awareness. The R&S TSMA6 autonomous mobile network scanner, an integrated solution for high speed LTE-5G NR testing, will also be showcased.

Rohde & Schwarz is a key partner to the armed forces, law enforcement, government authorities as well as domestic and international security organizations. The company produces high technology solutions at company-owned sites with a deep industrial value chains and vertical integration. The sensor, antenna and software portfolios provide cutting-edge EW solutions for spectrum dominance and situational awareness. They can also monitor congested RF spectra for improved spectrum awareness, interference hunting and coverage and occupancy measurements.

Posted in CEMA, International, Press Release, Tradeshow | Comments Off on Rohde & Schwarz Presents Next Generation EW Solutions at SOFINS