VoIP and the Military

Current VoIP Migration Plans

The military sector is currently planning to migrate its voice communications technology from circuit- to packet-switched VoIP. This was made in a statement issued by the head of the Army’s telecommunications network, Colonel Scot Miller.

This will be included in a move to unify the Army’s communication architecture. It will also centralize its IT applications for their area processing centers. This, along with the VoIP transition are the major goals of the Army’s networking group. Col. Miller stated that these initiatives will be primary goals in the Army’s technical foreseeable future.

There are several advantages that are seen with the implementation of the newer technology. First, the VoIP technology will allow the Army to use a single converged network. This network will carry both data and voice traffic. Additionally, new services will combine other military and business applications with VoIP and messaging, Miller stated. Col. Miller is the project manager of Army Switched Systems and Defense Communications.

VoIP Evaluation Timeframe

It may still be a while before VoIP is authorized for critical command/control voice traffic. However, the decision has been made to utilize an exclusive VoIP construct. This information was presented by Col. Miller in Arlington, Va., at an American Council for Technology presentation.

VoIP evaluation is being conducted by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). This is the main agency that is responsible for the IT and networks system of the Pentagon. This evaluation is designed to assess VoIP to determine operational and availability standards. These are strict standards that must be met for the technology to be used for military command-and-control voice communications. However, it is speculated that VoIP technology may be approved for military use by sometime in 2010, according to Col. Miller.

Military VoIP Migration Processs

The Army, in the meantime, is making its preparations for migrating to VoIP technology. It has begun with a small scale pilot test of the technology. This has involved the installation of VoIP-enabled switches at several of their network’s hubs. As networked VoIP capability is introduced into the system, non-command-and control applications will be tested. In this way, VoIP can be tested while circuit-switching will still be used for command-and-control communications.

The second phase will entail the extension of Army VoIP availability. This will be achieved by gradually replacing circuit-switched communications with VoIP. Command-and-control usage will be permitted when it become technically viable, Col. Miller stated. The third stage will entail the installation of VoIP equipment throughout the Army’s communications network. This includes all of its outlying installations and network hubs. This will eliminate the reminder of the circuit-switched equipment. At that point, all users would be transitioned to VoIP.

Companies Are Ready to Introduce VoIP Technologies to the Military

One example of a company that is ready to assist the military with advance VoIP technology is Elektrobit (EB). EB has introduced two military-grade VoIP phones. On is designed for use in the field and the other is designed as a desktop phone. These phones were announced at the Eurosatory military trade show that was held in Paris. At first glance, those that attended the show expressed approval for the new equipment. Comments revolved around the technical features that compliment the rugged construction of the field equipment.

The Field Phone includes SHDSL and Ethernet capability for other field devices as well as itself. It also has an integrated speaker and allows map streaming through its SHDSL. Real-time updates and other data can be provided over broadband and voice.

The Desktop phone is designed to remain stationary in either a vehicle or a command center. It may either be placed on a desktop or wall-mounted.

These VoIP phones are also designed to be flexible when integrated with other hardware. In this way, they can either be used with Elektrobit proprietary hardware, existing network hardware or used independently.