AFCEA Conference (Transmission Command – Cecchignola) 8 November 2022
Below is the presentation, which was presented by the engineer Cinzia Crostarosa at the event
“Communications and technological innovation towards new operational scenarios” at the Cecchignola transmission command in November 2023:
Abstract of the event:
Four years have passed since the last conference “New technologies for the evolution of
communications” held on 27 June 2018, at the SCUTI (School of Transmissions and IT of the Italian
Army). Years that were characterized not only by strong technological innovation, but also by upheavals in geopolitical scenarios, especially in Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
As the war in Ukraine has demonstrated, communications perform critical functions in the context of a military operation by keeping operational units aligned and ensuring consistency, timeliness and depth when using remotely piloted machines. they represent the fundamental capability in the context of a military operation. In this sense, the secure exchange of tactical information has always played a fundamental role in the success of missions. The secure exchange of tactical information has always played a fundamental role in the success of missions. In particular, the transfer of information between the various units involved in an operational scenario can, in fact, change the balance in the planning, execution and outcome phases of a military operation. Therefore, in a crisis situation, the availability of dedicated infrastructures (mission critical), free from commercial networks, is fundamental, both for use and for knowledge and control, capable of ensuring communications in a degraded environment, which can be guaranteed by continuous technological development in the field of communication and information systems (Communication and Information Systems, CIS). Furthermore, the use of”unmanned” units, for example drones, magnifies the strategic nature of secure communication by integrating it with direct operations in the field, increasing operational “depth”.
It therefore follows that the use of inviolable systems both in the sense of detection/distortion of information and in the protection/robustness of the infrastructure becomes a determining element in defining the balances in the field.
In this scenario, the AFCEA event aims to take stock of the evolution of new communications
technologies, with particular focus on the new waveforms, foreseen for software radios (SDR) and new data links, such as those based on: the Integrated Waveform (IW) in the UHF band, the new generation HF systems, EPM (Electronic Protection Measures) and NCW (Network Centric Warfare) type waveforms with Spread-Spectrum and/or Frequency-Hopping. During the conference, Radio over Fiber (RoF) for radio connections on board naval units and aspects related to the use of 5G, and its interoperability with other communication systems, as well as satellite communications will also be analysed.
During the event, contributions from the military, institutional, academic and industrial sectors will be
presented, to compare operational needs with the potential offered by new technologies.
