Author Description

The United States military will require very large conduits of information flow within the next six to ten years as the battle space is encroached by information producing devices. How can the Air Force best prepare itself for the next battle space? How can we leverage bandwidth, global access to fiber, satellite infrastructure, and laser technology to leverage the information battle space in our favor? What are the optimal systems to bring to the fight? The U.S. will be able to meet this challenge by using a balanced portfolio of systems including the Global Information Grid, Network Centric Warfare, and commercialization of infrastructure. This paper will address each of these areas in an effort to provide a roadmap of technology as we enter the 21st Century. Starting with Gulf War I, through present day, a historical snapshot will show the growth pattern on the battlefield, and how these technologies are impacting the approach to warfare through communications modernization in the 21st Century.