Tactical Local Area Network

Tactical Local Area Network
Name	Tactical Local Area Network
Type	Mobile ad hoc network

Tactical Local Area Network.

Overview

A Tactical Local Area Network integrates mobile networking nodes to provide resilient communications for operations involving forces such as United States Army, United Kingdom Armed Forces, NATO, United States Marine Corps, and Australian Defence Force while interoperating with systems from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, and Thales Group. It supports mission command systems like Joint Tactical Radio System, Battle Command Server, Blue Force Tracking, Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below, Command Post of the Future and ties into sensors from General Dynamics, Harris Corporation, Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Leonardo S.p.A.. TLANs are fielded in operations influenced by doctrines such as those from Joint Chiefs of Staff, Field Manual (United States Army), UK Defence Doctrine, NATO Allied Joint Doctrine and historical campaigns like the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014), Operation Iraqi Freedom and Falklands War.

Design and Architecture

Architectures draw on layered models used by Internet Engineering Task Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and standards bodies such as IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, ISO/IEC while accommodating topologies exemplified by projects like MANET (mobile ad hoc network), Delay-tolerant networking, Software-defined networking, Vehicular ad hoc network, and concepts from Network-centric warfare. Designs reference programmatic efforts from U.S. Army Research Laboratory, DARPA Urban Challenge, Naval Research Laboratory, French Directorate-General of Armaments, and collaborative tests with European Defence Agency. Architectural elements are compared with systems such as SIPRNet, NIPRNet, AUTODIN, TACLANE, and Secure Telephone Unit 3 for secure enclaves and cross-domain solutions.

Hardware and Radio Technologies

Hardware platforms include ruggedized nodes produced by Harris Corporation, General Dynamics Land Systems, BAE Systems Land & Armaments, Thales Group, and Elbit Systems mounted on vehicles like the M1 Abrams, Stryker (vehicle), Boxer (armoured vehicle), Patria AMV, and aircraft such as Bell UH-1Y Venom, Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, MQ-9 Reaper and naval platforms like Littoral Combat Ship. Radio technologies integrate waveforms from Joint Tactical Radio System, Soldier Radio Waveform, Wideband Networking Waveform, Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System, Mobile User Objective System, and adapt modulation schemes standardized by IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, 3GPP, and research from MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University. Antenna systems reference work by Andrew Corporation, Cobham plc, HUBER+SUHNER, and satellite links via Inmarsat, Iridium Communications, Globalstar, SES S.A. and Eutelsat.

Network Protocols and Security

Protocol stacks employ routing protocols such as Optimized Link State Routing Protocol, Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector routing protocol, Border Gateway Protocol, Open Shortest Path First, and experimental protocols from DARPA. Security implementations leverage cryptographic standards from National Institute of Standards and Technology (including Advanced Encryption Standard), key management influenced by programs like Key Distribution Center concepts and devices such as TACLANE encryptors, and policy controls aligned with directives from Department of Defense (United States), Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), and NATO Standardization Office. Intrusion detection and resilience draw upon research from Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, MITRE Corporation, SANS Institute, and commercial vendors like Palo Alto Networks and Cisco Systems.

Deployment and Operation

Field deployment follows doctrines from US Army Training and Doctrine Command, UK Defence Training Centre, NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, US Marine Corps Warfighting Publication and is exercised in events such as Exercise Saber Strike, Exercise Trident Juncture, RIMPAC, Combined Endeavor and Bold Alligator. Logistics and sustainment intersect with programs like Defense Logistics Agency, Strategic Materiel Reserve, and contractor support from DynCorp International and KBR (company). Operations integrate with command nodes using systems such as AFATDS, C4ISR, Global Command and Control System, Link 16, and mission planning tools from Palantir Technologies and BAE Systems.

Applications and Use Cases

Common uses include force tracking for units in scenarios like Operation Desert Storm, surveillance fusion with sensors from AN/TPQ-53, AN/APG-68, and ISR platforms such as RQ-4 Global Hawk, tactical datalinks like Link 11, Link 16, disaster response in events like Hurricane Katrina and 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, humanitarian missions coordinated with United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross, and civil support alongside agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency, UK Civil Contingencies Secretariat, and Australian Department of Home Affairs.

Limitations and Challenges

Limitations arise from spectrum allocation governed by International Telecommunication Union, electromagnetic interference addressed by Federal Communications Commission, power constraints reflected in studies by National Renewable Energy Laboratory, cyber threats highlighted by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and interoperability issues noted in reports from Government Accountability Office, NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, RAND Corporation and Center for Strategic and International Studies. Environmental and operational challenges reference terrain studies by US Geological Survey, deployment lessons from Vietnam War and Afghanistan conflict, and sustainment concerns discussed in publications from Jane's Information Group and Aerospace America.

Category:Computer networks