New tactical comms system for US ground troops aims to break network silos

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Vion delivers AI, zero trust and mission software capabilities in a suitcase-sized kit to enable warfighters to collaborate with coalition forces securely in contested environments. (General Dynamics Information Technology)

General Dynamics revealed a new artificial intelligence-enabled, portable communications system on Thursday called the Vion, a Mission Partner Environment solution. Although its basic purpose is to give ground troops a suitcase-sized platform to exchange messages and files, the company said its real value is how it connects allied systems.

In an interview with Military Times, Jason Myers, vice president of defense agencies at General Dynamics Information Technology, explained that Vion can help ground troops quickly establish secure connections with a command center and coalition forces from remote environments.

Using open architecture and AI, he said Vion will connect with outside networks, adapt to or patch connections and translate written messages, voice memos, videos and more, all while maintaining zero-trust cybersecurity protections .

“We wanted to provide an all-encompassing offering, but we didn’t want to lock somebody into an offering or not be able to use where they’ve already invested,” Myers said.

He added that most organizations want a custom communications kit, and most companies aim to provide platforms that only work with proprietary equipment and software. But those things can make it challenging and expensive to update or upgrade systems.

“What we wanted to do is say, ‘Yes, we’re going to use proven technologies,’ but as new things come out, we are absolutely ripping and replacing those, and how to do that securely, in that modular architecture, is really, really different than how things are being done today,” he said.

According to the company, GDIT participated in a Joint Staff J6-led demonstration called Olympus Fires, where the Defense Information Systems Agency , or DISA, explored ways to improve the Coalition Information Environment , or CIE, which it described as “a modernized architecture built on the principles of Zero Trust and data centricity.”

At a panel discussion in June, U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Courter, DISA’s Combatant Command Integration and Plans chief, explained the goal of the event was to “broker and federate our environments together without replicating a new environment every time.”

Explaining the need for the CIE solutions, Jason Martin, DISA’s Component Acquisition Executive, referenced a friendly fire incident in March , in which Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly shot down three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets.

“We’ve spent the past 50 years building siloed networks, siloed applications and siloed environments to collaborate internally with our own data. We can no longer do that,” Martin said. “We have to converge networks. We have to plug and play. We have to talk to one another … We have to operate and maintain command and control with a single voice.”

Myers said GDIT is currently working through the acquisitions process for Vion but declined to say with whom. However, he said he thinks Vion, in terms of service, will “have a very long life in where it can add value to the mission.”

Daniel Terrill is a contributor to Military Times. He’s been reporting on military issues, the gun industry, and the outdoors for nearly two decades. Although writing is his passion, he’s been a Marine, police officer, and, perhaps the most dangerous job of his career, a substitute teacher.

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Vion 提供人工智能、零信任和任务软件功能，所有功能都集成在一个手提箱大小的工具包中，使作战人员能够在对抗环境中与联军安全协作。（通用动力信息技术公司）

通用动力公司周四发布了一款名为Vion的新型人工智能便携式通信系统，这是一款任务伙伴环境解决方案。虽然其基本用途是为地面部队提供一个手提箱大小的平台来交换信息和文件，但该公司表示，其真正的价值在于它能够连接盟军系统。

通用动力信息技术公司国防机构副总裁杰森·迈尔斯在接受《军事时报》采访时解释说，Vion 可以帮助地面部队从远程环境中快速与指挥中心和联军建立安全连接。

他表示，Vion 将利用开放式架构和人工智能，连接外部网络，适应或修补连接，并翻译书面消息、语音备忘录、视频等，同时保持零信任网络安全保护。

“我们想提供全方位的服务，但我们不想让客户被某种服务束缚，也不想让他们无法使用已经投资的资源，”迈尔斯说。

他还补充说，大多数机构都希望拥有定制的通信设备，而大多数公司也致力于提供只能与专有设备和软件兼容的平台。但这些因素会使系统更新或升级变得既困难又昂贵。

他说：“我们想表达的是，‘是的，我们将使用成熟的技术’，但随着新技术的出现，我们绝对会彻底替换掉这些技术，而如何在模块化架构中安全地做到这一点，与今天的做法截然不同。”

据该公司称，GDIT 参与了由联合参谋部 J6 牵头的名为“奥林匹斯之火”的演示，国防信息系统局 (DISA) 在演示中探索了改进联盟信息环境 (CIE) 的方法，DISA 将 CIE 描述为“基于零信任和数据中心原则构建的现代化架构”。

在 6 月份的一次小组讨论中，美国陆军中校、国防信息系统局作战司令部整合与计划主管大卫·库特解释说，此次活动的目标是“将我们的环境整合在一起，而无需每次都复制一个新环境”。

为了解释 CIE 解决方案的必要性，国防信息系统局 (DISA) 组件采购主管 Jason Martin 提到了 3 月份发生的一起友军误击事件，当时科威特防空部队误击落了三架美国 F-15E 攻击鹰战斗机。

“过去50年，我们为了内部协作处理自身数据，构建了各自独立的网络、应用和环境。我们不能再这样做了，”马丁说。“我们必须融合网络，实现即插即用，彼此沟通……我们必须用统一的声音进行指挥和控制。”

迈尔斯表示，GDIT目前正在推进Vion的收购流程，但他拒绝透露收购方。不过，他认为Vion在服务方面“将拥有非常长的使用寿命，能够为任务增添价值”。

丹尼尔·特里尔是《军事时报》的撰稿人。近二十年来，他一直报道军事问题、枪支行业和户外运动。虽然写作是他的挚爱，但他曾是一名海军陆战队员、一名警察，还做过一份或许是他职业生涯中最危险的工作——代课老师。