Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Contracts Management Office (CMO), 3701 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington VA 22203-1714

A -- INDUSTRY BRIEFING: SMALL UNIT OPERATIONS SITUATION AWARENESS SYSTEM SOL SN 97-10 DUE 011697 POC Dr. Mark McHenry, DARPA/TTO, FAX (703) 841-4759. INTRODUCTION: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will present an industry briefing on the DARPA Small Unit Operations (SUO) program on January 16, 1997. All interested industrial, educational, and private research and development organizations are invited to attend this briefing, but are requested to limit attendance to two participants per organization. This industry-wide briefing will provide information concerning DARPA's goals and objectives for the SUO Program in anticipation of the imminent release of two SUO solicitation announcements. DARPA will brief the SUO concept, program plans, and information about related DARPA programs that industry should consider as technology efforts that have potential application to the SUO Situation Awareness System. BACKGROUND: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is conducting a Small Unit Operations (SUO) program that will develop, integrate and demonstrate a Situation Awareness System that provides communications, situation understanding, geolocation and automated, dynamic planning and tasking over a robust wireless communications system capable of communicating voice, data and graphic/video capabilities to the individual combatant. This SUO Situation Awareness System will provide the individual warfighter up to the battalion commander with unprecedented situation understanding when operating in restrictive environments (urban, heavily forested, mountainous). An emphasis will be placed on performance in an urban environment. The SUO Situation Awareness System (SAS) will enable dispersed tactical units to effectively perform warfighting operations in restrictive terrain and under the constraints of early entry scenarios. Essential characteristics of forces in these operations are to: rapidly deploy, quickly control large battlespace with fewer forces, enable engagement with precision remote fire, and control the operational tempo. Comprehensive situation understanding is an essential, fundamental requirement for the success of dispersed units and warfighters executing these operations. The SAS is the cornerstone of the SUO program. It is focused on providing comprehensive situation understanding, collaborative planning, real-time tasking and control, geolocation and robust communications to the warfighter. The SAS will provide tailored tactical picture generation, tactical planning and automated forecasts to provide comprehensive situation understanding that is scaleable from the individual warfighter to the battalion. It will also enable tasking and control of remote sensors and dedicated assets. Precision clocks and geolocation technologies will be incorporated to enable situation understanding and remote targeting within these restrictive environments. The system will employ innovative technologies to maintain continuous communications at adaptive power and data rates between small units operating in urban, forested and mountainous environments. INDUSTRY BRIEFING LOCATION AND AGENDA: This one day SUO briefing will be held in the Marriott Key Bridge Hotel, 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington, Virginia on January 16, 1997. The Marriott Key Bridge hotel is located approximately three blocks from the Rosslyn Metro stop on the Orange and Blue line. Registration will be held from 1130 -- 1230, with briefings from 1230 -- 1700. Feedback from participants will be encouraged through a question and answer period at the end of the session and through written responses. The briefing will be unclassified. INDUSTRY BRIEFING REGISTRATION: Pre-registration is not required, but encouraged, to speed-up the registration process. There is no registration fee for this briefing. Pre-registration can be accomplished by fax or email. FAX to: ATTN: SUO INDUSTRY BRIEFING / Dr. Mark McHenry, (703) 841-4759 with name, title, organization, address, telephone number, fax and email address. Attendees with email capability can email the registration information to Kevin.L.Bell@cpmx.saic.com. Place SUO INDUSTRY BRIEFING on the subject line of your email. (0003)

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