The National Guard provides the Nation with support to all Domestic Homeland contingencies. With the requirement to operate with varied Civil and Military organizations with desperate communications networks, there is a compelling need to establish a common gateway that can allow all users to have situational awareness in the area of operation. Currently there are capable software program solutions that can allow users to join a common situational awareness gateway that can be provided for a low cost to the National Guard as a whole. One such program, the Tactical Radio Application Extension (TRAx) software tool, is currently available on an Air Force Research Laboratory contract mechanism. Such a program can enhance situational awareness for individual users on the ground as well as integrating airborne assets to provide an established network gateway in the response area to all users.

There are available solutions that are Joint Interoperability Test Command (JTIC) certified that can be fielded now.


TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATION: NON-CONCUR, see NGB comments.

NGB RECOMMENDATION: No Requirement. The ARNG G6, NGB J6, ARNG RMQ and PM WIN-T are currently involved with engineering and fielding an equipment package that enhances Civil and Military organizations with desperate communications networks. The fielding is scheduled to begin in FY15.