Slimmed Down WIN-T Increment 2 Critical to U.S. Army’s Warfighting Capability (from National Interest)

For more than 10 years, modernization of Army C3 has been tied directly to fielding of a single capability, the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical. WIN-T provides Army field units down to the battalion level with secure high-speed, high-capacity voice, data and video communications capabilities heretofore only available to higher formations with large, fixed infrastructure. The first version of WIN-T, Increment 1, began deployment in 2004, required that the vehicle or unit make a quick halt in order to ensure connectivity, particularly for satellite-based communications. WIN-T Increment 2, which was first deployed in 2013, marked a major leap forward in C3 capabilities. Increment 2 provides networking on-the-move capability down to the company level and even individual tactical vehicles. The smart near-term move by the Army would be to acquire enough brigade sets as rapidly as possible to support a major theater level expeditionary force, say 50 units. If the Army then committed to acquiring six sets annually, it could complete the minimum desirable buy (30 additional sets) within the next Future Year Defense Program. I have written an article for The National Interest here.