1. BGen George J. Allen, Director C4 & CIO of the Marine Corps 5 May 2009
MAGTF Communications
BGen George J. Allen,
Director C4 & CIO of the Marine Corps
5 May 2009

2. Selected MAGTF Implications
Expeditionary Headquarters
Enhanced intelligence systems
Persistent surveillance over an extended but densely complex operational environment
Advanced ISR sensors linked to users at all echelons
Integrated C2 & ISR capabilities down to the squad level
MAGTF communications infrastructure must be resilient and protected from cyber attack
Improved fires and maneuver capabilities
Coordinated, precise fires from ground, air, and naval surface fire support platforms
Must rapidly and precisely engage fleeting targets
Unmanned aircraft systems (UASs)
provide force-multiplying capabilities, fostering transformational advancements in battlespace command and situational awareness
Develop Aviation C2 systems - fuse C2, sensor, weapons data, and information to provide a true COP
In the increasingly complex and asymmetrical operating environments of the future, our Corps will continue to demonstrate the importance of integrating combat capabilities across the air, land, and maritime domains, and the information environment. Our integrated, combined-arms doctrine will prove as relevant in future contingencies as it has throughout our history. Marine aviation will continue to provide six functions to the MAGTF – assault support, antiair warfare, offensive air support, electronic warfare, control of aircraft and missiles, and aerial reconnaissance. These functions will not change, but they will evolve as technology advances and the battlefield or enemy changes.
Marine aviation is in the midst of a significant modernization effort that will replace every major aircraft type in our inventory with next-generation capabilities. Tilt-rotor and short take off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL) capabilities bring revolutionary enhancements to the battlefield. The greater range, speed, and agility that tilt-rotor technology brings are driving new concepts of operation to the MAGTF. Enhanced STOVL capabilities will enable flexible distributed shipboard and expeditionary airfield basing, rapid response to crises, high sortie generation rates, a small footprint, and improved survivability. In every case, our modernization efforts focus on making the future joint force more effective across the range of military operations. Specifically, our STOVL assets will improve the agility and utility of the ACE and its contribution to the joint fight.
We will pursue developments with unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) to widen the force-multiplying capabilities that these enhanced, multispectral systems bring to the fight. Newly emergent concepts for UAS employment will continue to enhance and extend the lethal and nonlethal capability of the MAGTF and joint force commander to new levels, fostering transformational advancements in battlespace command and situational awareness.
Central to enabling the enhanced capabilities of our aviation platforms will be an aviation C2 family of systems that will fuse C2, sensor, weapons data, and information to provide a true common operational picture. This fused information will be distributed throughout the battlespace — from multifunctional C2 centers, to the cockpit, down to our distributed ground maneuver forces at the squad level — allowing for a level of awareness and decisionmaking never before achieved and facilitating MAGTF and joint force integration, coordination, and employment. In the future, the ACE will be secure, network-enabled, and digitally interoperable to ensure it is responsive, persistent, lethal, and adaptive.
The Marine Corps’ aviation modernization is designed to improve the warfighting effectiveness, strategic agility, and striking power of the MAGTF and the joint force commander.
from MCV&S 2025 2

3. Principle Force Implications
Fully enable decentralized MAGTF operations
Organize and train for disaggregated MAGTF ops
C2 & ISR to the lowest tactical level
Discriminate and responsive fires
Enhance tactical mobility all domains
Protected ground maneuver
Significantly lighten the combat load
Increase effectiveness in the Information Environment
Information Operations – 7th warfighting function
Roles functions and responsibilities – institutional support
Cultural terrain
from MCV&S 2025 3

4. Networking the Future MAGTF
Network focused on decision
Integrates essential technologies into a single system focused on the ground warfighter
Migrate to a fully net-enabled, distributed and democratized environment where capabilities and information are available to any node at any time
Support machine-to-machine communication
Each node collaborates as customer, provider, or both
Scalable and upgradeable
Open architecture, IP based, and using standard protocols
Taken from AVN/APW brief

5. 2014 GCE Potential mobile enhancements: NCW Modem PoP (2014)
EHF
NCW Modem
Ku/Ka
STEP/Teleport
PoP (2014)
C/X/Ku/Ka
2-8 Mbps
FDMA
4 Mbps
TDMA
L-Band
BFT
PoP-C Command Vehicle
Networking Radio LOS Upgrades
NCW/JIPM
Network Capable Radio (NCR)
Integrated Airborne Tier
DIV / RGMT
TSC-154A
SMART-T
(w/AEHF)
TSC-156B
Phoenix
JTRS-GMR
Cell/PCS
UAS
USC-65(V)2
LMST+
PoP
UHF SATCOM
(MUOS)
JTRS-HMS
SWAN-D+
v3 (Ku/Ka)
NCR
TRC-170(V)5
LEO-SAT
TSQ-226(V)1
TS LITE
MRC-148/
VRC-104
PRC-150
PRC-117F
VRC-103
PoP
MRC-142C
(GRC-245)
BFT
(L-Band)
PoP-C
BN/SQN
SWAN-D+ v1 (Ku/Ka)
PoP-C
PoP
PoP
Microwave
BFT
(L-Band)
MRC-142C
(GRC-245)
PoP
Cell/PCS
JTRS-GMR
JTRS-HMS
NCR
Cell/PCS
JTRS-GMR
JTRS-HMS
NCR
MRC-148/
VRC-104
PRC-150
PRC-117F
VRC-103
BLOS
UHF SATCOM
(MUOS)
LEO-SAT

6. 2014 MAGTF WNW HNW HNW SRW SRW SRW HNW – Highband Networking Waveform
SRW – Soldier Radio Waveform
WNW – Wideband Networking Waveform
NCW
MAGTF
NCW
NCW
High Bandwidth Backbone
(Voice, Video, Data)
WNW
NCW
PoP-C
High Bandwidth Subnets
(Voice, Video, Data)
WNW
PoP-C
PoP-C
PoP-C
Airborne Relay
PoP
PoP
Airborne Relay
HNW
Airborne Relay
NCR
HNW
NCR
NCR
NCR
PoP
SRW
SRW
SRW
Low Bandwidth Subnets
(Voice, C2/SA Data)

7. Aerial Layer Connecting Marines Extending the tactical network
RF/Voice first, then networking
Mobile comms/C2
Extending the tactical network
Networked radios
Battlespace video/ISR
Enabling sensor-to-shooter communications

8. Excerpts from the Marine UAS Plan
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) enable Marines to increase the effectiveness of our air-ground team … [and] will continue to widen and add depth to our aviation support by capitalizing on current and future technologies. Future UAS will expand to provide support in other Marine Aviation functions beyond aerial reconnaissance.
Concepts
Battalion level-units will use the smaller Tier I systems as an organic reconnaissance and surveillance capability. The VMU squadrons will employ the larger and more-complex Tier II and III systems via a common Ground Control Station (GCS) to provide task-organized support to various MAGTFs. Greater capability will be resident in the Tier III system, and it will include such support as targeting, strike, intelligence collection, electronic attack, data networking, and communications relay.
Capabilities
Command and control is currently being augmented through a radio relay capability with our Shadow UAS. The development and addition of systems such as CORPORAL will increase access to command data networks.
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) enable Marines to increase the effectiveness of our air-ground team by placing more unmanned aviation platforms into roles traditionally allocated to manned aviation assets, expanding the reach, persistence and utility of Marine aviation in support of the MAGTF. They will continue to widen and add depth to our aviation support by capitalizing on current and future technologies. Future UAS will expand to provide support in other Marine Aviation functions beyond aerial reconnaissance.
Concepts
Marine aviation and ground commanders will rely on UAS from every tier of our Family of Systems (FoS) to preserve manned aviation assets and shape their battlespace. Battalion level-units will use the smaller Tier I systems as an organic reconnaissance and surveillance capability. The VMU squadrons will employ the larger and more-complex Tier II and III systems via a common Ground Control Station (GCS) to provide task-organized support to various MAGTFs. Greater capability will be resident in the Tier III system, and it will include such support as targeting, strike, intelligence collection, electronic attack, data networking, and communications relay.
Capabilities
Aerial reconnaissance is currently being supported by each tier through electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) full-motion video data that is fed to the warfighter via secure network or down linked via systems such as Rover III.
Command and control is currently being augmented through a radio relay capability with our Shadow UAS. The development and addition of systems such as CORPORAL will increase access to command data networks. Additionally, the Marine Corps is a key participant in the joint proof of concept effort for increasing remote sense-and-avoid capabilities. Successful evaluation of this capability will lead to greater access to airspace in the vicinity of UAS training locations across DoD.
Platforms Current initiatives for development and procurement of UAS platforms include:
-Tier I requirements continue to be met by joint programs such as RQ-11 Raven B and Wasp III.
-Tier II program of record, IOC in 2011, will replace the ISR services currently provided by Boeing/Insitu using Scan Eagle.-Tier III is currently being filled by RQ-7B Shadow 200. We are partnering with the Army on procurement of 13 Shadow systems.
-Tier III Vertical UAS (VUAS) program to provide a highly capable and expeditionary system after 2015.
from AVPLAN 2009