By Courtney E. Howard
SAN DIEGO, 11 March 2008. Retired U.S. Army Col. Timothy A. Kokinda, XVIII Airborne Corps, ACofS G6, working with Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems and Solutions, commanded the attention of the audience in the early afternoon at the Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum. With a uniquely charismatic and authoritative style, Kokinda presented his talk, "Battle Command and C4I Observations, Lessons Learned, and Recommendations, Jan. 05–Jan. 06."
Warfighters require a battle command information system that: feeds a common database, can be posted graphically on a map, is distributed via a Web portal, and available across multiple domains, says Kokinda. He recalled a tour in Iraq whereby 29 countries worked together; and yet, to do so, they needed to maintain three three different voice and data networks, including secure and non-secure."
"When commanders and warfighters can't exchange information, it's not fun," Kokinda continues. They require a secure and reliable system. Work is being done on the largest and most complex network in the history of warfighting. It encompasses: information management, data management and active directory, battle command systems, spectrum management, NETOPS, joint/coalition networks, and information assurance.
Kokinda recognizes a need to transform the acquisition process. It takes to long to get solutions fielded; anything from 18 to 36 months is criminal, he notes. He calls for help from the DoD, academia, and industry to: help shape policy and set data standards and deliver real-time network simulations and modeling tools, cognitive radio technology, smart network management tools, robust and scalable collaborative tools, and more.
"No one can spin electrons like the United States military," Kokinda says. "We are phenomenal at it…and it is not easy. We relied on industry to help out when I was wearing a uniform."
