Next stage of Network Enabled Army programme to begin
Next stage of Network Enabled Army programme to begin
Defence Minister Ron Mark has today announced Tranche Two of the Network Enabled Army programme has been approved and will commence this year.
“The Network Enabled Army project is transforming our Army,” says Ron Mark. “It gives our men and women in uniform the tools they need to function in today’s dynamic and fast moving environment. We no longer will have an analogue Army operating in a digital world.
“The programme equips the Army with a wide range of hardware and software; this includes radios and satellite terminals, through to command posts and power generators. It will provide the modern secure digital services the Army needs to get the job done, in remote locations and austere environments.
“This will allow better command and control on operations, maximising our resources in order to achieve more.
“It obviously has applications on a battlefield, but it also will provide a fantastic resource on Humanitarian and Disaster Relief operations, enhancing better decision making so commanders can best allocate resources and get real time information on the support that’s required on the ground,” says Ron Mark.
Tranche One of the programme commenced in 2015 and is being successfully implemented. Tranche Two expands the capabilities to more units and personnel, and enhances capabilities through new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
“Network Enabled Army has been tested, integrated, and been subject to robust experimentation. We have deployed Network Enabled Army systems on exercises with our partners, and we know it is interoperable. We have already used it in support of disaster relief missions in the Pacific.
Tranche Two represents a capital investment of up to $106 million and will be rolled out over the next four years. This investment is from within NZDF baseline funding.
“Tranche Two provides more capabilities to more people, as part of a progressive development of our network capabilities, incorporating new technology as it becomes available. Network Enabled Army is the most important Army capability outlined in the Defence Capability Plan 2019.
“Cabinet’s approval of Tranche Two reinforces the Coalition Government’s continuing commitment to the men and women of the Defence Force, helping them respond on our behalf quickly, effectively and safely whatever the situation,” says Ron Mark.
ENDS
What does NEA
do?
NEA is a programme of transformational
change to digitise the NZ Army.
NEA supports
individual soldiers:
• Allows them to
communicate with each other and with commanders
•
Can receive information and orders
• Knows
where their colleagues are
• Friendly forces
know where they are (blue force tracking – vital for
safety)
• Is given relevant information about
what is around them (potential enemies, neutrals, threats,
terrain features)
NEA supports Defence
Commanders:
• Provides the overall
picture of the operational zone
• Knows where
their troops, supplies and equipment are
•
Knows where threats, neutrals, difficult terrain etc
is
• Can sort information to ensure that
individual personnel know what they need to know (not
swamped with too much information)
• Can
quickly issue orders
• Can react to a changing
situation
• Can advise and coordinate with
partners
• Can communicate with higher command
levels
• Communicates resupply requirements
i.e. food, water, ammunition etc.
These tasks are the
essence of military command, control and communication.
Before NEA, they were done using manual methods. NEA
uses electronic tools to do these things in real time so
that they can be quickly sorted and
shared.
What does NEA Tranche Two
achieve?
• Tranche Two
extends NEA across a Light Task Group of
250 personnel (including logistics, medical, engineering and
other support elements). A Light Task Group is our basic
deployable force. It combines small units and personnel
together according to the needs of the mission.
•
It expands the capability to include
intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance sensors and
systems that will help commanders and personnel see beyond
their immediate vicinity, and feed that information into a
common picture for everyone.