Warfighters at the tactical edge are generally required to communicate with base facilities in order to report and retrieve new information about their locations, missions, and potential threats. With current communications technology, this critical operational content is not always immediately accessible nor distributable for warfighters who are outside of the range of communication of their bases.
Squads of Soldiers or Marines on patrol in remote forward locations often don’t have the luxury of quickly sharing current intelligence information and imagery on their mobile devices, because they can’t access a central server, says DARPA. Troops frequently have to wait until they’re back at camp to download the latest updates. In the meantime, mission opportunities may erode because the information needed at the tactical edge isn’t immediately available.
DARPA’s Content-Based Mobile Edge Networking (CBMEN) program aims to make each squad member’s mobile device function as a server, so content is generated, distributed and maintained at the tactical edge where it’s needed. As long as troops are within communication range—whether by radio, cellular, Wi-Fi or other radio frequency devices—CBMEN software automatically replicates and shares updates, causing the tactical cloud to grow and diminish as users move in and out of range of each other. Any connected collection of warfighters can store and share information in many places right at the tactical edge, making the system tolerant of communications disruptions. In essence, CBMEN creates secure frontline cloud storage services that provide content with decreased latency and increased availability.
Emily C. LeBlanc and others from Applied Informatics Group Drexel University Philadelphia, PA, considered a scenario in which a platoon of dismounted warfighters is carrying out patrolling operations in a remote region. A fireteam leader of a squad uses his connected mobile device to snap a photo of a suspicious object and identifies it as a potential explosive device outside a remote village and attempts to share this photo with members of the entire platoon and commanders and intelligence teams at command posts. DARPA’s Content-Based Mobile Edge Networking (CBMEN) program allows the members of the squad enable their mobile devices to utilize tactical mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) to exchange this content and information amongst platoon and squad members where fixed network infrastructures (e.g. satelite or mobile cellular networks) do not exist.
A key factor that enables CBMEN is the tremendous computing power available in current mobile devices. “There’s more computing power and memory in my smartphone than the supercomputer I used in college,” Gremban said. “With 64 gigabytes of storage in a single smartphone, a squad of nine troops could have more than half a terabyte (500 GB) of cloud storage. CBMEN taps into that huge capacity.”
DARPA successfully field-tested CBMEN software loaded on Android-based smartphones and Army Rifleman Radios at Fort A.P. Hill, Va., marking the completion of Phase 1 of the program.
IDST Monthly Access Membership Required
You must be a IDST Monthly Access member to access this content.