(13.) AIT&ITV: Automatic Identification Technology and In-Transit Visibility, US Transportation Command [USTRANSCOM], undated, http://www.transcom.mil/ait; Erwin, "Satellite Shortages"; Jeffrey Hill, "
Blue Force Tracking System Upgrade Seen as Crucial," Via Satellite-Integrating SatelliteToday.com, 11 November 2008, http://www.satellitetoday.com/publications /eletters/military/2008/11/11/blue-force-tracking-system-upgrade-seen-as-crucial; Rick Lober, "Why the Military Needs Commercial Satellite Technology," Defense One, http://www .defenseone.com/technology/2013/09/why-military-needs-commercial-satellite-technology /70836/; and "
Blue Force Tracking 2," ViaSat.com, https://www.viasat.com/government -communications/blue-force-tracking.
This vehicle provided
blue force tracking reachback in French Phonex II experiment.
Blue Force Tracking (BFT) technology, which enables commanders to see the exact location of friendly forces miles away from the action in the command center, is at the forefront of battlefield operations.
For a while, FBCB2 utilized MTS systems to track ally movement, but as that became more of an obstacle to logistics personnel performing their own duties, FBCB2 developed their own similar system, the much lauded
Blue Force Tracking (BFT).
The PM FBCB2 successfully integrated the L-band satellite technology used by MTS into the FBCB2 suite of equipment to establish the Army's
Blue Force Tracking program.
"The importance of this award is magnified by a study released earlier by the Pentagon Office of Force Transformation that detailed how
Blue Force Tracking enhanced operational effectiveness for both American and British forces," said Otto Guenther, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Tactical Systems Division.
What do we do, for instance, to create for each one of those their own IP address in the sky to be able to do communications relay,
Blue Force tracking, and other sorts of things that you could take advantage of that very large airplane that just goes up there and orbits and its job is to refuel.
If, as this article argues, they are not, Iraqi Freedom reinforces the move to redefine strategic attack and suggests future investments in more capabilities such as an enhanced joint surveillance and target attack radar system (JSTARS), Global Hawk, and
Blue Force Tracking to improve airpower's ability to find and strike fielded forces.
Research and development personnel at Fort Monmouth created the sophisticated equipment such as Firefinder, which is radar that pinpoints enemy artillery and mortar locations; Short Stop, an electronic jammer that causes enemy artillery to predetonate harmlessly; night-vision equipment; all radio-intercept and missile-warning receivers; and
Blue Force Tracking, a GPS-based system that identifies the location of friendly forces and vehicles, provides navigation capabilities, and reduces the danger of fratricide.
These contract modifications are part of the five-year BFT-1 sustainment support contract for the US Army's Project Manager Mission Command
Blue Force Tracking ("BFT-1") program.
Delegates of the focus day will explore how technologies such as mobile deployable communications,
blue force tracking, command and control networks, and innovative immersive technologies and displays are assisting the warfighter.