Starting from the deputy company commander of the Soldier Assault Team

"That's it," Zhang Anbang was very satisfied with his boss's reaction. How to put it, some people have already seen this, and the upper echelons have also realized the trend of informatization and system confrontation.

The Navy got an early start, developing multiple shipboard data links in the early stages, while the Air Force also has an automated air situation system.

The only exception is the Army, which lacks a unified tactical message standard, including target messages, coordinate codes, units, time bases, and verification methods. There are no mandatory universal templates for military equipment.

The US military has Link16 as a unified messaging standard for the entire military, while we only have scattered recommended standards, which are not mandatory requirements for project initiation.

During the equipment project approval and type approval acceptance phases, only fire control performance, range, accuracy, and reliability are reviewed.

Compatibility with other units' equipment is not mandatory.

The research institute will only focus on whether the indicators of its own equipment meet the standards. If they do, the project can be accepted. As for taking the initiative to achieve cross-platform compatibility, that will only increase the workload and extend the cycle, and there will be no assessment or reward.

Who would do something like this if it weren't a hard target? In general, the top management sees the direction, but the middle management and research system lack mandatory constraints, standards, budgets, and performance evaluation mechanisms.

Since the Gulf War, the entire military has recognized the value of data links. The Central Military Commission, headquarters, and military academies have long been reviewing the US military's system-of-systems operations and data link collaboration.

The construction of command automation was initiated as early as 2001, with priority given to integrating strategic and operational-level command post systems.

However, the focus is on the wired command network between the fixed command posts of the army group and division.

The focus should be on resolving the command and communication issues between superiors and subordinates. As for the horizontal communication issues between tactical equipment such as individual vehicles, artillery pieces, drones, and anti-tank weapons, those issues can be put on hold for now.

It's not that the higher-ups can't see the value of information sharing between tactical equipment. After the Gulf War, the entire army was studying system warfare, so how could they not see the problem? The key issue is that it's stuck in the implementation phase.

The Army prioritizes building an automated command network between command posts, but lacks a set of mandatory, universal data standards for tactical equipment.

Each piece of equipment was initiated separately, and the assessment only looked at a single performance. In order to complete the task, the various research institutes could only follow the previous private protocols, and the interfaces, messages, and coordinate definitions were all defined in their own way.

To get things done, extra coordination is needed, which basically means money, or money that isn't within the original budget.

To put it bluntly, it was caused by poverty. Starting from the millennium, the strategic level determined to reduce the size of the army and prioritize the allocation of increased military spending to the navy.

In other words, the existing resources can only ensure the basic operation of the army, and the newly added equipment procurement and scientific research funding are clearly tilted towards the navy and air force.

Horizontal data exchange between weapon platforms is a future long-term project, meaning we'll work on it when we have the funds. First, we need to solve the problem of getting things from scratch, and then we can work on improving them from scratch.

The reason Zhang Anbang provoked Cui Laohei like this was because he knew Cui's strength. He had set up the framework himself, and then Laohei led the team to execute it, with his wife providing security.

It is entirely possible to carve out a little space within the existing system to make up for the deficiencies in standards. Although it may not be able to make up for a large area, it can still help to address some of the shortcomings in the combined arms battalion.

"Alright," Cui Shuai sighed heavily, "Third brother, you've convinced me. I'm finishing up the project I'm working on these past few days, and the code I have now is just a little thing I put together in my spare time."

Since you've decided to do this, you must have already thought out the general framework. So, like before, you lead the discussion of the structure, and I'll bring the team to fill in the details.

"Haha," Zhang Anbang laughed loudly, "That's more like it. Only in turbulent times can true heroes emerge. A great man born between heaven and earth should wield a three-foot sword and achieve unparalleled feats."

What we're doing may not be considered a monumental achievement, but it's definitely a major undertaking.

But I don't believe you don't have your own thoughts. More than a month has passed since I last mentioned this to you.

If you don't come up with something, then you're not yourself.

Cui Shuai's rough voice came through the microphone, "Hehe, it has to be you, Third Brother, who understands me so well. You've really gotten me all fired up."

"I've actually come up with something for you, and I'm just seeing what you think."

Zhang Anbang smiled and said, "Of course I have my own ideas. Tell me yours first, and I'll see if you've made any progress."

Cui Shuai snorted coldly, "Third brother, you're underestimating me a bit. A full IP network, what do you think of my idea? Isn't it great? Isn't it cool?"

Zhang Anbang was a little helpless. He really didn't expect that Cui Shuai would come up with such a solution. He said, "Great, as great as a club."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shuai immediately objected, "How is my idea so bad? Look, each device is separate, but we'll give each device an IP address."

For example, a base station has one IP address, the base station controller (BSC) has one IP address, and the main service channel (MSC) has one IP address. This creates a fully IP-based network, which facilitates network management and maintenance.

In terms of integration of network interface and IP technology, universal seamless access, end-to-end performance assurance, security and privacy, low cost, and flexible deployment, it is far superior.

Zhang Anbang nodded. "I know, Lao Hei, I know what you mean. Now, various types of tanks, artillery, and drones are self-contained systems."

The hardware interfaces are different, and the voice communication and data communication systems are also separate.

Your idea is to first build a unified tactical IP network, and then add a VoIP voice system, right?

This way, all platforms connect to the same IP network, the protocol gateway completes message translation, and situational data, target information, and command voice flow through the same network, breaking down information silos at the source. Is that right?

"Ha ha."

Cui Shuai laughed heartily, "You really haven't let go of your skills. This is roughly what I've come up with. What do you think?"

Zhang Anbang said seriously, "Making do is in line with your usual thinking, but have you ever thought that civilian VoIP started in the late 90s, and since last year, many companies have been using it on a small scale."

But why is it that in China, our army's tactical-level VoIP is still only being tested in colleges and universities, and has not been deployed on a large scale?

Even when the US military experimented with tactical IP voice in Iraq, they still retained a large number of traditional radios as a backup communication method.

Ultimately, there are many problems, such as latency, jitter, and packet loss affecting call quality.

Traditional circuit telephones offer stable connection with virtually no delay, while IP networks strive to transmit data effectively. However, network congestion can lead to audio stuttering, interruptions, and echoes. Furthermore, battlefield channels are often congested, making command and control communications vulnerable to disruptions.