FAIRFAX (WiMAX Day). The United States government is amongst the most voracious consumers of high technology. As such, it is not surprising that WiMAX holds a significant strategic interest for the US Department of Defense (DoD), where a WiMAX-based infrastructure is seen as complementary to the DoD’s master plan.

That plan calls for a fully-networked armed forces, regardless of the field of operation, that can maintain wireless connectivity. The ideal networked military provides instant linkage amongst personnel in air, on land, and at sea. In DoD parlance, the goal is “to keep the warfighter in communication – anytime, anywhere, with anyone.”

From the Bayou to Bazra, the DoD has been exploring its WiMAX options for many years, and now with Nortel Government Solutions is investigating how WiMAX can meet the stringent requirements of the US government.

An example of one such initiative, WiMAX Day has learned, is at the US Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego. A lab at the San Diego center is designing a secure multi-spectrum wireless network for fixed and mobile voice and data communications.

This exercise was launched to satisfy requirements of the DoD Directive 8100.2 which “Establishes the policy for the use of commercial wireless devices, services, and technologies in the DoD Global Information Grid,” says the current draft of the Directive.

In addition, the Directive 8100.2 seeks to promote “joint interoperability using open standards throughout the Department of Defense for commercial wireless services, devices, and technological implementations.”

The technologies integrated into the San Diego lab include WiFi, GSM, and WiMAX (802.16d). The IEEE 802.16e mobility standard is being considered for addition later this year.

According to Richard Gorman, Mobility Architect at Nortel Government Solutions, “Network-centric operations have become the cornerstone of the Department of Defense’s drive to increase the effectiveness of our military.”

They are not alone
Numerous governments around the world are also exploring the potential of WiMAX for military operations. One of the most advanced is the French Army.

Last year the French Ministry of Defense contracted with the French WiMAX network operator TDF, and EADS Defence & Security Systems, to build a WiMAX network using commercial frequencies that would cover some 30 logistic zones, each simultaneously spanning roughly 15km x 15km. This was the first large-scale use of WiMAX by a sovereign military.

In a press statement made by EADS subsidiary Defence and Communications Systems, its CEO Hervé Guillou said the network “would enable the French Army to boost its strategic response capabilities through the development of its battlefield communications networks.”

Similarly, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has a similar objective, and WiMAX is likely to play a key role in its realisation. According to the NATO C3 Technical Architecture, “WiMAX appears to be well suited for military use in both tactical and sustaining base applications.”

In the arena of military tactics, WiMAX can be used to establish “links between temporary camps and command centres…. quick connections between camps and vehicles,” and with mobile WiMAX 802.16e “will allow constant communication with vehicles moving up to 60 miles per hour on the battlefield.”

This is similar to a system that was developed for the Command Operations Center (COC) of the US Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) where WiMAX was integrated into mobile command units, combined with tactical radio and satellite systems.

Setting the standard
How soon and how extensively WiMAX can become a DoD mainstay will depend on future developments of the WiMAX standard. Gorman told WiMAX Day that DoD specialists have a long-term perspective on the future of WiMAX. Fundamentally, “the DoD is looking for some standards to mature. Additionally, they are interested in 802.16j and 802.16m,” he said.

IEEE 802.16j is the Mobile Multihop Relay specification—one of the IEEE amendment standards under development – which will enable WiMAX base stations without back-haul connections to communicate with base stations that do have them.

Similarly, 802.16m is another amendment to the IEEE standard that could accelerate data transfer speeds up to 1Gbps and at the same time maintain backwards compatibility with existing WiMAX standards.