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Strategic Vision for the U.S. Army Signal Corps

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Scott Wagner

The document discusses the future of the US Army Signal Corps. It notes that between WWI and WWII, the Signal Corps modernized the Army through emerging technologies. Looking to the future, the document identifies that improving information systems and providing mobile platforms will be critical. It states that the Signal Corps must consolidate disparate systems, establish relationships with civilian companies, and define its role with the new Cyber branch in order to support the Army's vision for 2025.

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FUTURE OF THE SIGNAL CORPS SCCC CLASS 011-15 CPT SCOTT WAGNER NOVEMBER 25, 2015
1 Between World War I and World War II, the Signal Corps spearheaded the effort to modernize the US Army at a time when many senior level strategists were primarily concerned with maintaining infantry Soldiers and a peacetime army. They realized that emerging technologies had changed the battlefield in WWI and would continue to do so in future conflicts. In response, the Signal Corps liaised with researchers at Ft. Monmouth to study, analyze and repurpose civilian technologies and equipment for military use. This forward- thinking mindset allowed the US to field superior technology and equipment during WWII which provided a decisive edge in the war.1 This same mentality needs to permeate the leadership within the Signal Corps as we support Army Vision 2025. Of the seven lines of effort outlined in Army Vision 2025, two stand out as the most critical to the future of the Signal Corps: improving information to decision systems and processes and providing mobile, protected platforms to the warfighter. In order to support these concepts, three important subsidiary issues must be addressed. First, the regiment needs to collapse the bloated array of disparate, stove-piped systems and databases that were an outgrowth of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Second, the regiment needs to establish a coherent, balanced relationship with civilian companies that support the Signal Corps. Lastly, there needs to be a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities with the new Cyber branch in order to maintain a positive, mutually beneficial relationship. The proliferation of warfighter support systems and the multiple levels of data centers that support them from the tactical to strategic level need to be consolidated. This is one of the primary initiatives of the Army CIO G6, LTG Ferrell. The Army is laying out an aggressive and ambitious path toward the network of 2025 Ferrell stated.2 That path includes eliminating
2 installation and regional data centers and moving services to the Defense Information Systems Agencys data centers. The Army has eliminated about 52 percent of its network and is projecting billions of dollars in savings in enterprise services, capacity and security going forward.3 Additionally, the Army has begun replacing TLA (Top Level Architecture) stacks. In September 2014 the Army began replacing its 700 TLA stacks with 23 JRS (Joint Regional Security) stacks, a vastly reduced footprint that now passes Army and Air Force data over the same network.4 This move is being complimented with a boost in bandwidth capacity across multiple Army and Joint installations. As Gen. Ferrell noted, Soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq had virtually unlimited bandwidth capacity in theater. But returning to the United States was like going back to the 1960s era, with relatively low capacity and capabilities, he said. It was like trying to put an iPod in a 1970 Cadillac. The capability and connection is just not there.5 Collectively, these measures are a positive step for the Signal Corps at the strategic level in reducing information to decision time. At the tactical level, the Signal Corps needs to prioritize two issues: collapsing the gap between the tactical and institutional networks and shrinking the amount of systems that fill up brigade and battalion level tactical operations centers.6 When it comes to the first point, as a former Battalion S-6, I can speak to the gap between these two environments when it comes to automations troubleshooting, network capability, etcetera and the frustrations they produced. To the second point, the array of battle command systems across various staff sections within the tactical environment has produced walls, both figuratively and literally, between the Signal Corps and ownership of the entire network. Minimizing these walls and reducing the number of battle command systems will
3 improve inter-staff coordination, streamline the network and reduce dependency on outside contractors/field support representatives (FSRs). A common complaint amongst Signaleers is the perceived over-reliance of the Army on contractors/FSRs. Some believe we need to rid ourselves of them altogether and drive the future of the signal corps solely on our own. The fact is the Signal Corps has always had a close working relationship with industry and will continue to for the foreseeable future. LTG Ferrell himself stated that a key component of his network campaign strategy is developing, a closer partnership between the Army and industry.7 He spent a week in Silicon Valley with other service and agency information technology leaders, led by the Defense Department CIO, talking with industry partners and venture capital companies.8 In fact, this trip was so positive that LTG Ferrell convinced the Department of the Army to establish a liaison office in Silicon Valley to improve coordination and cooperation.9 With that said, he along with notable private sector companies acknowledged issues between the military and private sector. All agreed on the need for more transparency and partnerships allowing industry to work with the Defense Department and the Army to gain a better understanding of each others management structures, requirements, cycles and needs.10 I believe that the relationship needs to be rebalanced, not eliminated like some of my peers. The hard truth is that neither the Army nor the Signal Corps has the funding, research and development or training capability that the private sector possesses and, honestly, thats okay. Our primary concern should be to repurpose equipment produced by industry for military use and to leverage it against our adversaries. That formula has worked in the past and
4 will continue to work in the future, especially if a productive relationship with the new Cyber branch emerges. In order to meet the intent of Army Vision 2025, the Signal Corps needs to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with Cyber Command. LTG Ferrell recently noted that, when the Army stood up its Cyber Command, some in the Signal Corps regiment feared for its future.11 LTG Ferrell quickly dismissed those concerns and assured that the Signal Corps will continue to be the backbone of the information enterprise.12 With that said, the Signal Corps and Cyber, along with military intelligence, must work together to improve information to decision time on mobile, protected platforms by moving the right information to the right warfighter at the right time.13 This will include moving to an iPad/iPhone like environment down at the battalion and brigade TOC level.14 In order to achieve this, there needs to be a clearer delineation of roles and responsibilities across cyberspace. As the Cyber branch continues to stand up and define its own mission, the Signal Corps needs to look at redefining its own mission in relation to Cyber and, to a lesser extent, Military Intelligence. This three-way relationship is the way ahead.15 The Signal Corps will be enduring. It will not be going away.16 With that said, the emergence of Cyber, ever-changing battle command and warfighter platforms and a budget- constrained environment, the Signal community will need to redefine and cement its role in future operations. Continually improving information to decision systems and processes as well as providing mobile, protected platforms will be a collaborative effort. This will be a continual process as we try to meet the intent of Army Vision 2025 in support of the nation.
5 1 America Between the Wars:How the Signal Corps May Have Singlehandedly Changed the World,accessed November 1, 2015, http://www.armysignalocs.com/veteranssalultes/btwnwars.html. 2 George I.Seffers, Blog: Signal Corps is Here to Stay, lastmodified September 9, 2014,accessed November 5, 2015,http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=signal-corps-here-stay. 3 Ibid 4 Ibid 5 Army Modernizes With an Eye Toward Defensewide Efforts, lastmodified August 1, 2015, accessed November 3, 2015,http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=Article-army-modernizes-eye-toward-defensewide-efforts. 6 Ibid 7 Ibid 8 Ibid 9 Ibid 10 Ibid 11 Ibid 12 Ibid 13 Ibid 14 Seffers, Blog: Signal Corps is Hereto Stay, http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=signal-corps-here-stay. 15 Ibid 16 Seffers, Blog: Signal Corps is Hereto Stay, http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=signal-corps-here-stay.
6 BIBLIOGRAPHY The United States Army Signal Corps Officer Candidate School Association. America Between the Wars: How the Signal Corps May Have Singlehandedly Changed the World. Accessed November 1, 2015. http://www.armysignalocs.com/veteranssalultes/btwnwars.html. Seffers, George I. Blog: Signal Corps is Here to Stay Signal, September 9, 2014. Accessed November 5, 2015. http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=signal-corps-here-stay. Signal. Army Modernizes With an Eye Toward Defensewide Efforts. Last modified August 1, 2015. Accessed November 3, 2015. http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=Article-army- modernizes-eye-toward-defensewide-efforts.

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Strategic Vision for the U.S. Army Signal Corps

  • 1. FUTURE OF THE SIGNAL CORPS SCCC CLASS 011-15 CPT SCOTT WAGNER NOVEMBER 25, 2015
  • 2. 1 Between World War I and World War II, the Signal Corps spearheaded the effort to modernize the US Army at a time when many senior level strategists were primarily concerned with maintaining infantry Soldiers and a peacetime army. They realized that emerging technologies had changed the battlefield in WWI and would continue to do so in future conflicts. In response, the Signal Corps liaised with researchers at Ft. Monmouth to study, analyze and repurpose civilian technologies and equipment for military use. This forward- thinking mindset allowed the US to field superior technology and equipment during WWII which provided a decisive edge in the war.1 This same mentality needs to permeate the leadership within the Signal Corps as we support Army Vision 2025. Of the seven lines of effort outlined in Army Vision 2025, two stand out as the most critical to the future of the Signal Corps: improving information to decision systems and processes and providing mobile, protected platforms to the warfighter. In order to support these concepts, three important subsidiary issues must be addressed. First, the regiment needs to collapse the bloated array of disparate, stove-piped systems and databases that were an outgrowth of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Second, the regiment needs to establish a coherent, balanced relationship with civilian companies that support the Signal Corps. Lastly, there needs to be a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities with the new Cyber branch in order to maintain a positive, mutually beneficial relationship. The proliferation of warfighter support systems and the multiple levels of data centers that support them from the tactical to strategic level need to be consolidated. This is one of the primary initiatives of the Army CIO G6, LTG Ferrell. The Army is laying out an aggressive and ambitious path toward the network of 2025 Ferrell stated.2 That path includes eliminating
  • 3. 2 installation and regional data centers and moving services to the Defense Information Systems Agencys data centers. The Army has eliminated about 52 percent of its network and is projecting billions of dollars in savings in enterprise services, capacity and security going forward.3 Additionally, the Army has begun replacing TLA (Top Level Architecture) stacks. In September 2014 the Army began replacing its 700 TLA stacks with 23 JRS (Joint Regional Security) stacks, a vastly reduced footprint that now passes Army and Air Force data over the same network.4 This move is being complimented with a boost in bandwidth capacity across multiple Army and Joint installations. As Gen. Ferrell noted, Soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq had virtually unlimited bandwidth capacity in theater. But returning to the United States was like going back to the 1960s era, with relatively low capacity and capabilities, he said. It was like trying to put an iPod in a 1970 Cadillac. The capability and connection is just not there.5 Collectively, these measures are a positive step for the Signal Corps at the strategic level in reducing information to decision time. At the tactical level, the Signal Corps needs to prioritize two issues: collapsing the gap between the tactical and institutional networks and shrinking the amount of systems that fill up brigade and battalion level tactical operations centers.6 When it comes to the first point, as a former Battalion S-6, I can speak to the gap between these two environments when it comes to automations troubleshooting, network capability, etcetera and the frustrations they produced. To the second point, the array of battle command systems across various staff sections within the tactical environment has produced walls, both figuratively and literally, between the Signal Corps and ownership of the entire network. Minimizing these walls and reducing the number of battle command systems will
  • 4. 3 improve inter-staff coordination, streamline the network and reduce dependency on outside contractors/field support representatives (FSRs). A common complaint amongst Signaleers is the perceived over-reliance of the Army on contractors/FSRs. Some believe we need to rid ourselves of them altogether and drive the future of the signal corps solely on our own. The fact is the Signal Corps has always had a close working relationship with industry and will continue to for the foreseeable future. LTG Ferrell himself stated that a key component of his network campaign strategy is developing, a closer partnership between the Army and industry.7 He spent a week in Silicon Valley with other service and agency information technology leaders, led by the Defense Department CIO, talking with industry partners and venture capital companies.8 In fact, this trip was so positive that LTG Ferrell convinced the Department of the Army to establish a liaison office in Silicon Valley to improve coordination and cooperation.9 With that said, he along with notable private sector companies acknowledged issues between the military and private sector. All agreed on the need for more transparency and partnerships allowing industry to work with the Defense Department and the Army to gain a better understanding of each others management structures, requirements, cycles and needs.10 I believe that the relationship needs to be rebalanced, not eliminated like some of my peers. The hard truth is that neither the Army nor the Signal Corps has the funding, research and development or training capability that the private sector possesses and, honestly, thats okay. Our primary concern should be to repurpose equipment produced by industry for military use and to leverage it against our adversaries. That formula has worked in the past and
  • 5. 4 will continue to work in the future, especially if a productive relationship with the new Cyber branch emerges. In order to meet the intent of Army Vision 2025, the Signal Corps needs to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with Cyber Command. LTG Ferrell recently noted that, when the Army stood up its Cyber Command, some in the Signal Corps regiment feared for its future.11 LTG Ferrell quickly dismissed those concerns and assured that the Signal Corps will continue to be the backbone of the information enterprise.12 With that said, the Signal Corps and Cyber, along with military intelligence, must work together to improve information to decision time on mobile, protected platforms by moving the right information to the right warfighter at the right time.13 This will include moving to an iPad/iPhone like environment down at the battalion and brigade TOC level.14 In order to achieve this, there needs to be a clearer delineation of roles and responsibilities across cyberspace. As the Cyber branch continues to stand up and define its own mission, the Signal Corps needs to look at redefining its own mission in relation to Cyber and, to a lesser extent, Military Intelligence. This three-way relationship is the way ahead.15 The Signal Corps will be enduring. It will not be going away.16 With that said, the emergence of Cyber, ever-changing battle command and warfighter platforms and a budget- constrained environment, the Signal community will need to redefine and cement its role in future operations. Continually improving information to decision systems and processes as well as providing mobile, protected platforms will be a collaborative effort. This will be a continual process as we try to meet the intent of Army Vision 2025 in support of the nation.
  • 6. 5 1 America Between the Wars:How the Signal Corps May Have Singlehandedly Changed the World,accessed November 1, 2015, http://www.armysignalocs.com/veteranssalultes/btwnwars.html. 2 George I.Seffers, Blog: Signal Corps is Here to Stay, lastmodified September 9, 2014,accessed November 5, 2015,http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=signal-corps-here-stay. 3 Ibid 4 Ibid 5 Army Modernizes With an Eye Toward Defensewide Efforts, lastmodified August 1, 2015, accessed November 3, 2015,http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=Article-army-modernizes-eye-toward-defensewide-efforts. 6 Ibid 7 Ibid 8 Ibid 9 Ibid 10 Ibid 11 Ibid 12 Ibid 13 Ibid 14 Seffers, Blog: Signal Corps is Hereto Stay, http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=signal-corps-here-stay. 15 Ibid 16 Seffers, Blog: Signal Corps is Hereto Stay, http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=signal-corps-here-stay.
  • 7. 6 BIBLIOGRAPHY The United States Army Signal Corps Officer Candidate School Association. America Between the Wars: How the Signal Corps May Have Singlehandedly Changed the World. Accessed November 1, 2015. http://www.armysignalocs.com/veteranssalultes/btwnwars.html. Seffers, George I. Blog: Signal Corps is Here to Stay Signal, September 9, 2014. Accessed November 5, 2015. http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=signal-corps-here-stay. Signal. Army Modernizes With an Eye Toward Defensewide Efforts. Last modified August 1, 2015. Accessed November 3, 2015. http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=Article-army- modernizes-eye-toward-defensewide-efforts.