The U.S. Army seeks to further develop its network capabilities with the planned fielding of new communications equipment across multiple brigade combat teams.The service branch said Monday it will continue integrated tactical network development after the completion of handheld and man-packable radio tests for Capability Set 21st, a package of modern network technologies.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade, operating in Vicenza, Italy, will receive the next CS21 delivery as one of four initial fielding brigades. Brig. Gen. Robert Collins, head of the Army's Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical or PEO C3T, said the Army will distribute CS21 kits to five more brigades in fiscal year 2022.
The Germany-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment will be the first of five to receive the next batch of kits.
“As we are getting ready to pivot to multi-domain operations, we realize the importance of not only having a tactical, capable force, but also having our expeditionary signal battalion enhanced and [continuing] to refresh our ESBs,” Collins said at a virtual conference of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association's Northern Virginia Chapter.
The Army will also continue to develop Capability Set 23, a prototype technology package designed to boost network convergence, resiliency and capacity. CS23's further development will build on CS21 and future Project Convergence exercises.
Maj. Gen. Pete Gallagher, director of the Army's Network Cross-Functional Team, said the service wants to become a multi-domain capable force by 2028 with the help of CS23.