Semper Mobilis!

It was good to be back in uniform! In September 1998 I graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School with an MS in Computer Science. My research and thesis focused on incorporating commercial palmtop-sized computers and Windows CE into the Marine Corps' existing command structure. Now it was time to do some real life "incorporating." I was assigned as the Win32 System Architect and a Technical Advisor to the Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Tactical System Support Activity (MCTSSA) in Camp Pendleton, California (http://www.mctssa.usmc.mil/hq/tech-adv1/index.htm). The mission of MCTSSA is simple: build and integrate tactical command and control systems to keep Marines alive in battle. At MCTSSA, I have had a unique opportunity to continue my mobile computing evangelism throughout the Marine Corps. Of particular note was the experience I had last summer while assigned as the MCTSSA Officer-in-Charge of a strategically significant amphibious training exercise in Southern California.

KERNEL BLITZ Tests Windows CE battlefield solutions

The largest amphibious exercise in North America, KERNEL BLITZ 97 was conducted off the shores of Camp Pendleton by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) in June 1997. The exercise provided a unique opportunity for my command to support the Marine operating forces in a real-world exercise while exploring Windows CE solutions to many of the challenges associated with landing 26,000 men on a beach against an opposing force.

During KERNEL BLITZ, one of my priorities was to provide Handheld PCs for the small unit leaders (including platoon commanders and scout/sniper platoon members) for use during the operation. Since CE 2.0 was not yet shipping, we used both the Casio A-11 and the Hewlett-Packard 320LX; both Windows CE 1.0-based H/PCs readily available at the time. These inexpensive devices were used for many things, but one of the most significant uses was for communicating operation orders during tactical huddles in the field.

What's an Operation Order?

Much like a football quarterback, Marine leaders are constantly calling their subordinate leaders up for a quick huddle to discuss the plan for the next operation. The timely distribution of these "operation orders" is paramount, as they help us synchronize our actions and support each other in battle. Unfortunately, our "state-of-the-art" reproduction capability in the field is still carbon paper. These tactical huddles often turn out to be a fatiguing exercise in note taking. The company commander does all the talking while his platoon leaders desperately try to write down every word coming out of his mouth. And, of course, these tactical huddles usually happen at night, so everyone is dog-tired from the day's operations. Naturally, Murphy's Law ensures that it's both raining and the wind is blowing fiercely whenever possible.

It should surprise no one that errors often creep in during this tedious order-issuing process. After all, stenography is not a Marine's most prized battlefield skill. However, if a Marine leader writes down the wrong information, people can pay with their lives. (E.G., "The F-18 aircraft will be dropping their bombs at 0900 in vicinity of Checkpoint 8--or is that at 0800 in the vicinity of Checkpoint 9?")

H/PCs in the hands of Marine leaders change this scenario. Operation orders can now be transmitted flawlessly in a few seconds via the H/PC's infrared communication capability. Instead of being an exercise in note taking, subordinates download exact copies of the orders. Each recipient can then put all of his attention on listening to his commander as he goes over the plan. This significantly increases comprehension and decreases the likelihood of misinterpretation. For Marines, this is one of our "killer applications" for the H/PC.