Aug 24, 2010, post by Artur Nowak
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
 Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
www.ts2.pl
|
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Considered a battlefield curiosity just a few years ago, biometrics has become recognized as a vital warfighting capability. Now, defense officials see the same technology as a key to helping the Defense Department make its business practices more efficient.
Biometrics has important battlefield applications. In this 2007 photo, Army Sgt. Timothy Box and Cpl. Ben Webber use the Biometrics Automated Tool Set system to hold information on the volunteers who sign up to become security guards in Taji, Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Steve Czyz
Biometrics – the science of using unique physical and behavioral characteristics to identify a person – has proven to be invaluable to the warfighter’s toolbox, Myra S. Gray, director of the Army’s Biometrics Identity Management Agency, told American Forces Press Service.
“Five years ago, it was something very new, and the capability wasn’t fully understood. It was kind of an add-on to the mission,” she said. “Now it’s an integral part of the mission because people have seen the value that it brings.”
Gray’s office, known as the Biometrics Task Force until it was redesignated in March, is responsible for capitalizing on biometrics technology and promoting new advances to benefit the entire Defense Department.
Fingerprints and other personally identifying features such as a person’s distinct iris, facial, palm and voice features have become particularly helpful in the intelligence and law enforcement arenas, she said.
They help combat troops tell friends from foes and identify potential terrorists before it’s too late. They also provide a foolproof way to put names and faces to insurgent activities and to identify released detainees who have returned to terrorist activity.
“You can identify an individual and associate him with certain actions,” Gray said. “You can figure out who someone associated with and what they have been involved in. You can link events such as an [improvised explosive device] at one place and a protest at another. You build a picture of what has gone on.”
Meanwhile, biometrics has become a vital tool in vetting people in the combat zone before they’re granted access “inside the wire,” or into secure or sensitive facilities. “We want to make sure that the people we permit onto our facilities are not the same people putting IEDs down,” Gray explained.
Biometrics also is widely employed beyond the combat zone to control access to military facilities worldwide. For example, every military member, family member and Defense Department civilian employee has a common access identification card that’s embedded with their fingerprints.
But other biometric technologies are in wide use throughout the military. At Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for example, the Air Force uses a device that “reads” hand prints to clear veterans receiving treatment at the Veterans Affairs clinic for access to the base hospital. At Fort Belvoir, Va., the Army uses iris scanning technology to provide keyless entry to sensitive areas. And the Navy regularly uses biometrics equipment to confirm identifies as they board foreign vessels.
Gray anticipates broader use of this capability military-wide, particularly as the technology becomes increasingly faster, higher-quality and less obtrusive.
Among the more promising technologies the Defense Department is exploring are biometric systems able to scan people “on the move” without requiring them to touch anything or even stop. Commercial airports see this as a great way to eliminate long back-up lines at security checkpoints.
But Gray also recognizes warfighting applications, particularly at border crossings and other ports of entry where there’s a mass movement of people and insurgents might try to blend in undetected.
“Those same ports of entry that legitimate business people or family members are crossing are the same places that the insurgents come across,” she said. “By having this technology, you will have the ability to ferret out those who are hiding amongst the populace without negatively impacting the population.”
Meanwhile, Gray anticipates broader use of biometrics off the battlefield, particularly as the department acts on Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ mandate to improve efficiency.
“The next big step forward in biometrics is definitely going to be in the business process arena,” she said. “It is truly a cross-cutting capability” she said can be applied in “a whole spectrum of functions, from the medical field to personnel to financial fields.”
Biometrics can go a long way in streamlining recordkeeping, improving information-sharing and cutting out fraud – not only for the Defense Department, but for the U.S. government as a whole, she said.
“We have a lot of benefits and a lot of services in which we rely on identifying someone so we can properly provide them what they need,” Gray explained.
She cited just a few ways biometrics would improve the inter-department sharing that supports those benefits and services. Biometrics could help the Defense Department share military medical records with the VA, civilian employee records with the Office of Personnel Management and employee benefit records with the Social Security Administration.
“The big question is, ‘How do we pull that thread of identity to make sure we are more efficient as the U.S. government in providing services?’” Gray said. “By integrating that across the U.S. government, we can find great efficiency.”
Underlying this effort, she emphasized, is “a complete and total focus on privacy” that ensures all personally identifying information is protected in accordance with the Privacy Act.
“This is one of the foundations as we build this system,” Gray said. “We are building these systems with a strong focus on making sure we are within the guidelines of the law and policy in protecting that information. That is paramount. We can’t compromise on that.”
Aug 18, 2010, post by Artur Nowak
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
www.ts2.pl
|
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
The US plans to build military training centers in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. First these plans were announced last year and they received a wide response because earlier it had been announced that a Russian military base would be built in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Now Pentagon is not going to confine itself with Kyrgyzstan and plans to build military facilities on the territory of five states of the region. It implies the redeployment of part of military infrastructure of the US from Afghanistan to the former Soviet Central Asia and Kazakhstan and also the construction of NATO facilities there.
According to “EurasiaNet” (an internet-portal financed by George Soros), US Central Command’s counter-narcotics fund was to allocate more than $40 million for the construction of military training centers in the cities of Osh (Kyrgyzstan) and Karatoga (Tajikistan), a canine center and helicopter hangar near the city of Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan) as well as for the strengthening of border check points in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Pentagon estimates the construction of each border check point at $5-10 million. The location of the US border check point in Uzbekistan is not disclosed out but the location of the check points in Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan is quite remarkable. The Serahs check point (Turkmenistan) is on the border with Iran and the Kyrgyz check point (where the modernization of electricity supply and water supply and sewerage system is planned) – near Batken. Both check points are of geo strategical importance – first in case of a war between the US and Iran and second – in case of destabilization of the political situation in this part of the Fergana Valley like it was in 1999-2000 during the invasion of Islamic movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
In Kazakhstan the US plans to build a new helicopter hangar near the city of Alma-Ata, a canine center and a center for inspection of transport vehicles, with the total construction costs amounting to $10 million. In Tajikistan the Americans plans to build a military training center in Karatoga (not far from the capital of Dushanbe) for Tajik servicemen. There they plan to practice combat actions in city conditions of a city and to train sharpshooters/spotters. The construction costs are estimated at $10 million. A similar center worth $ 5.5 million for practicing different kinds of combat actions in the course of border and counterterrorist operations should be built in the Kyrgyz city of Batken.
It has been known about the US plans to strengthen its military presence in Central Asia since last autumn when the Northern supply route through Russia began to function alongside with the transport route from Pakistan. It is known that Pentagon is working on the plan to deploy elite units of its special troops in Central Asia namely four battalions of the 3rd Special forces (airborne) group which has a long experience of fighting in Afghanistan.
In addition to Central Asia the US plans to deploy its forces in Southern Caucasus – in particular early warning radars in Georgia. It is expected that besides the radars Pentagon may locate a land military base and a naval base in Georgia with 25,000 servicemen.
Finally Pentagon is to build a special operations complex in Afghanistan near the Uzbek border worth $100 million. The complex with the area of 6 hectares will be located in Mazar-i-Sharif, 275 km north-west from Kabul and 56 km south from the Uzbek city of Termez. In 18 months the Americans are to build a united operational center, residential blocks, a communication hub, a center for tactical operations, storage facilities, a training center, a medical center, repair facilities a center for logistics, a canteen, recreation facilities and a doghouse. They plan to put the complex into operation in late 2012 early 2012. In longer perspective 2012-2016 the US Central Command plans to allocate another $3.8 billion on the construction of military facilities in the countries of the Middle East and Central Asia.
Even a brief look at the deployment of the US military objects shows that it almost fully repeats the geography of “the Eurasian Balkans” of Z. Brzezinski, who gave this geopolitical region a decisive role in fighting Russia on “the Grand Chessboard”. By locating its special troops, surveillance equipment and other forces in Central Asia and in the Caucasus after the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan in 2011 the US will ensure its military presence right besides Russia’s “belly” near the northern border of Iran and the western border of China. Here the Americans plan to deploy an intelligence network which will ensure control over the situation in the most important points of Eurasia.
Apr 27, 2010, post by awatrobski
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
www.ts2.pl
|
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
The shadow war between the U.S. and Iran was briefly visible this week at an extradition hearing in a Paris courtroom, where an Iranian engineer was answering U.S. charges that he’d illegally shipped U.S. technology to Iran.
French authorities detained Majid Kakavand, 37, at the request of the U.S., as he stepped off a plane last year. On Wednesday he got a big boost when a French state prosecutor unexpectedly argued that the technology he allegedly shipped through his global procurement network had no military application.
Whether France extradites Kakavand or doesn’t, as now seems more likely, this was the latest round in an escalating contest over what U.S. officials say is Tehran’s voracious appetite for technology to feed its nuclear, missile and other military programs.
While diplomats dither about imposing new U.N. sanctions on Tehran because of its suspected nuclear weapons program, the real struggle over Iran’s capabilities is taking place in courtrooms and intelligence centers, via sting operations, front companies and falsified shipping documents.
In the last year alone, U.S. law enforcement and customs officials have uncovered at least 16 cases in which Iranians or their agents allegedly tried to buy night vision equipment, military aircraft parts, vacuum pumps with nuclear uses, and a lot more.
The U.S. counterattack has gone well beyond U.S. borders, provoking controversy and complications.
Suspects have been arrested and extradited from the country of Georgia and, just three weeks ago, from Hong Kong. A former Iranian ambassador to Jordan, nabbed in a U.S. sting operation, is fighting extradition from the United Kingdom.
Iran is fighting back. In December, state media released a list of 11 Iranians it said were being improperly detained, either in the U.S. or in other countries at U.S. request.
Kakavand was on the list, as was Nasrollah Tajik, the former ambassador to Jordan. Also listed was Shahram Amiri, an Iranian nuclear scientist who disappeared in Saudi Arabia last year and was reported by ABC News to have defected to the U.S.
Manoucher Mottaki, the foreign minister, called Kakavand earlier this month to offer encouragement. The call fueled suspicions that if France releases him, Iran will free Clotilde Reiss, a young Frenchwoman who was detained after Iran’s disputed July 2009 elections.
U.S. officials say Iran has also responded by trying better to cover its tracks.
Proliferation networks “are becoming increasingly more sophisticated — laying out a smoke trail, really,” said special agent Clark Settles, the chief of counter-proliferation investigations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“They’ve added more middlemen” to hide the true destinations of shipments of U.S. technology, and have become more proficient at forging documents and falsifying export licenses, Settles said.
The U.S. effort also has gotten a lot more aggressive, said David Albright, the president of the private Institute for Science and International Security and the author of a new book on illicit nuclear trade.
“I think it’s hurting them. You can see in some cases, they get pretty desperate,” Albright said.
Iran is dependent on foreign technology to expand its uranium enrichment efforts, which U.S. and European intelligence agencies say is aimed at acquiring enough fissile material to make a nuclear weapon.
“They want to get 20,000 centrifuges” for enrichment, Albright said. “They’re constantly needing to go out and buy things. . . . You hurt them on the build-up.”
Iran is using U.S. technology for non-nuclear applications, as well to harm Americans, law enforcement officials and analysts say.
Sophisticated roadside bombs, thought to have been assembled in Iran, have been discovered in Iraq and Afghanistan containing electronics whose serial numbers trace them back to the U.S., they say.
At ISIS’ Washington offices, Albright pointed to a picture of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad touring one of Iran’s nuclear sites. Also in the photograph is a pressure transducer, which can be used to measure pressure inside a centrifuge that’s enriching uranium — almost certainly of U.S. origin.
Steven Pelak, a senior Justice Department official said recently that there was a more than 30 percent increase in criminal defendants between late 2006 and late 2007. Most cases are focused on Iran and China, said Pelak, who coordinates an inter-agency export enforcement task force. He said there are more than a dozen open investigations into illegal proliferation networks.
Despite a near-total U.S. ban on trade with Iran and significant restrictions in Europe, a lot apparently gets through.
“Cases lead to other cases. Every time we’ve taken down one of these networks, we literally found hundreds of leads,” said Settles, the ICE special agent.
The U.S. last year acquired an extensive “electronic Rolodex” as part of a plea bargain with the owner of a Dutch aviation services firm, who with his son was charged with transshipping U.S. goods to Iran. Robert Kraaipoel and his son came voluntarily to the U.S., because after charges against them were made public, no Western banks would hold their money, throttling business.
U.S. customs agents also have lured Iranian front men to third countries that have extradition treaties with the U.S., and later brought them to U.S. jails.
Pelak disputed that the U.S. government is trying to enforce its laws overseas. He said suspects are using U.S. financial institutions, buying American technology and often causing U.S. companies to file false export certificates, unwittingly he said.
Kakavand was supposed to be a case in point. Documents filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California charge that he and his associates set up a firm, Evertop Services, in Malaysia, and used it to buy at least 30 shipments of U.S.-made electronics worth more than $1 million. Once in Malaysia, they were shipped to Iran via Iran Air, the state-controlled airline.
E-mails from Evertop show the company’s customers included Iran Electronics Industry and Iran Communications Industries, entities that supply Iran’s military.
Kakavand’s attorney in Paris, Diane Francois, told McClatchy that the Iranian dealt with “no arms or dual-use (items), period.” Because he didn’t break French law, he shouldn’t be extradited, she said.
A federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing, said the real issue is that the two Iranian entities were designated for their involvement in Iran’s nuclear missile programs by the U.S. and one, IEI, by the European Union.
“These facilities don’t make toys,” he said.
The case helped prompt Malaysia, long seen as transit point for goods to Iran, to adopt an export control law in time for President Barack Obama’s nuclear security summit this week.
A ruling on Kakavand’s extradition is expected May 5.
Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/15/92289/how-us-weapons-technology-is-finding.html#ixzz0lpV8WkFL
Jul 07, 2009, post by awatrobski
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
www.ts2.pl
|
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Afghan Telecom and Roshan Informed About The Signing Of The Agreement To Utilize National Optical Fiber Backbone Ring Network In Afghanistan.
Afghan Telecom (AT) Afghanistan’s first long distance domestic private leased circuit (DPLC) and international private leased circuit (IPLC) provider through Optical Fiber Cable (OFC), informed about a contract with Roshan to sell the transmission capacity of its National OFC Backbone Ring Network. The OFC, manufactured by AT, will complement Roshan’s existing infrastructure, enabling Roshan to ensure the redundancy of its network and deliver additional capacity for its growing number of subscribers.
AT and Roshan intend to expand the areas of their partnership in the coming months as the OFC is extended throughout Afghanistan and connected to any part of the world through its international connectivity to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and AT commenced the construction of the OFC Backbone Project in April 2007.
When completed, the OFC will revolutionize telecommunications services in Afghanistan, bringing high speed and high capacity telephony, internet and video services to cover 68 cities in 17 provinces of the country.
The OFC project will not only upgrade telecommunications infrastructure in Afghanistan with provision of world class high speed voice and Internet services to rural areas, but will also generate significant direct and indirect employment in the country.
“This is an important milestone for the development of Afghanistan and the telecommunications industry. We are extremely pleased that Roshan is the first GSM operator to be entering into a commercial partnership with Afghan Telecom for fiber capacity,” said His Excellency Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communications and Information Technology.
Roshan is the first GSM operator in Afghanistan to utilize the OFC. The OFC will enable Roshan to better serve its growing subscriber base, which today includes 3.5 million subscribers across Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. AT under its social obligation will ensure that OFC capacity and bandwidth is also available to other companies and organizations operating in Afghanistan.
“We declared our interest in, and support for, the OFC project over four years ago and we are proud to be able to express our long term commitment to Afghanistan by being Afghan Telecom’s first major anchor tenant. We believe that this project can have a significant impact on the information and telecommunications sector in Afghanistan, ensuring the availability of competitively priced capacity and infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the industry. We look forward to strengthening our relationship and cooperation with AT in the years to come,” said Karim Khoja, chief executive officer, Roshan.
Jul 02, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
www.ts2.pl
|
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
The 4th Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade found another reason to celebrate its recent return from a successful year-long deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom – everyone returned home to their families.
The “Iron Eagle” brigade didn’t lose one Soldier or aircraft during its deployment to Taji, Iraq, said Col. Patrick Tierney, the brigade’s commander.
“We’re the first aviation brigade in history to return from combat with zero losses – neither casualties nor aircraft,” said Tierney, adding that the accomplishment is even more remarkable as it is often a difficult task to accomplish during peacetime operations.
“It’s difficult to put these aircraft in the air for the number of hours that the mission required of them and not have any incidents,” added Tierney. “By the time you add in all the environmental conditions we had to overcome – dust, heat, the small area of operations and the enemy forces shooting at us – this really is an amazing achievement for the entire Aviation Branch, not only 4th Infantry Division”
Tierney credited the brigade’s success to the leaders at the lowest levels, taking initiative, ensuring everyone’s job was completed to standard, and meeting safety requirements.
Tierney, Command Sgt. Maj. Archie Davis Jr., and Iron Eagle Soldiers reunited with their families, friends and community supporters in Fort Hood early June.
“As leaders, we want nothing more than to train the Soldiers under us to be able to perform their job well enough that we can accomplish this feat,” said Davis, the brigade’s senior enlisted leader. “It is truly remarkable to know that for 12 months in a combat environment every Soldier in this brigade performed to the highest standards, and we were able to bring everyone home. That says a lot for these Soldiers.”
Davis added that the workload throughout the entire deployment was nearly triple the operational tempo they’d experienced during garrison or training operations.
“At any given time we had between 65 to 75 percent of our aircraft in operation for the entire year,” said Davis. “My hats off to the maintainers as each of the 110 aircraft in our fleet went through a complete strip and rebuild at least once during the deployment, yet we were never unable to meet the demands of the mission due to maintenance delays.”
Tierney added that the brigade’s success was the result of a full team effort from the maintainers and logistics specialists to the pilots and air traffic controllers and everyone-in-between.
“My mission statement for everyone in the brigade, regardless of (military occupational specialty) was to ‘launch aircraft,’” said Tierney. “Between the 5 million gallons of fuel pumped, the thousands of hours flown and the countless hours put in by the maintainers, everything came together throughout the deployment and everyone did their part flawlessly.”
Tierney added that the CAB received unprecedented amounts of support from the entire aviation branch which helped his brigade to accomplish their missions without failure.
Though the accomplishment of bringing everyone and everything home from a combat deployment was previously an unheard of accolade for an aviation brigade, Davis said he hopes as many of the CAB Soldiers move on to new duty assignments they take with them lessons learned to help future commands achieve the same results.
“These Soldiers now have the experience and knowledge to know that it can be done,” said Davis. “My hope is that the Soldiers pass on their knowledge, so other units can learn from our success; and this can be a recurring accomplishment.
“The Soldiers are the reason we did this,” Davis continued. “It was a whole team concept and each and every one of the 4th Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade Soldiers should be proud of what we accomplished as a team.”
Jul 01, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
www.ts2.pl
|
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Soldiers from the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s geospatial intelligence section are playing a role in helping Iraqi leaders prepare to expand irrigation and farming throughout Iraq.
The Soldiers are teaching 20 Iraqi technicians on data processing procedures they will use to inventory the Iraqi farmland and irrigation infrastructure.
Sgt. 1st Class Marvin Nichols and Pfc. Amanda Po, both of Philadelphia, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, are presenting a geospatial systems workshop to Ministry of Water Resources and Ministry of Agriculture officials in the International Zone. The course, that began June 21, will continue throughout the week.
The workshop shows technicians how to compile data, gathered recently by field technicians, to measure canal layouts and amounts of acreage used for growing various crops.
“Basically they’re looking for an accurate, fast way of processing this information,” said Nichols, the brigade’s senior geospatial intelligence engineer.
Nichols explained that the ministries will use the raw data to begin a cost analysis of improvement projects. Many parts of the canal system are over 30 years old and are in various states of disrepair.
The Stryker Soldiers got involved in the data-gathering effort after previously assisting the U.S. Agency for International Development/Tatweer program by preparing maps of a roughly 35-square-kilometer area, between Taji and Baghdad. That area, south of the Grand Canal, is the pilot area for the irrigation inventory.
The Tatweer, an Arabic word meaning development, provides support to the ministries for capacity development in public management.
Nichols and Spc. Jessica Yates, of Hatboro, Pa., another brigade geospatial analyst, developed the block of instruction after discussing the need for the training with Robert Kirkman, the programs U.S. senior advisor to the MoWR. Nichols and Kirkman, who has led the GIS-mapping and irrigation canal surveying efforts, met with Iraqi water resource officials to learn about their data management needs in completing an inventory.
“These processes are going to be the basis for their new GIS centers,” Nichols said of centers to be developed at each ministry and linked together through a database. “Now both ministries can use this data collectively to better economic development.”
Nichols explained that once information is processed it can be used to determine how many acres of crops a stretch of canal can support compared to current agriculture usage. The GPS information, Nichols said, can show Iraqi officials where there may be unregistered water pumps and can illustrate canal flow capacity. Farmers in Iraq must get a permit to pump from a canal if their usage meets a certain level.
Nichols said the training “has gone really well.” After a few days of learning the processing program, the technicians began working with the actual data from Canal 42, in the Taji Irrigation District, east of Sa’ab al Bour.
Kirkman, who has worked with the Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team working with 56th SBCT, said the project utilizes the 56th Brigade’s “relationship with the locals.”
The USAID/Tatweer program and inter-ministerial teams are working to improve survey methods to more accurately determine cropping patterns into an economic model. That model will show potential returns on crops grown if water is returned to rehabilitated canals.
Nichols and Po used an interpreter to present their model to the technicians in a brisk exchange of questions and answers. The students huddled in groups around laptop computers as the two instructors led them through the steps of turning GPS points into detailed maps.
Po, a geospatial analyst, said her involvement in the class is showing students how to set up their system to use the GIS data. A year ago Po, a 2007 high school graduate, was a brand new Soldier with a semester of college completed. Now she’s helping Iraqis build their future.
“I got on this deployment right out of [advanced individual training],” Po said. “It makes me feel really good. They have the ability. They’re going to go a long way.”
“The benefit they get out of it is it helps them work together,” Po continued. “What we’re showing them … is how they can use their water system to rebuild capacity.”
Po’s day-to-day work on the deployment includes doing terrain analysis and responding to requests for mapping information. Po said her experience in Iraq is shaping her future.
“I have decided from this deployment to go back and get my degree in GIS and hopefully come back here as a civilian to help them,” Po said.
Jun 28, 2009, post by Marcin Frackiewicz
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
www.ts2.pl
|
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
WARSAW, Poland, Jan. 22 /Reuters/ — TS2 Satellite Technologies‘ network in Iraq and Afghanistan has over 15,000 military users of local broadband satellite connections.
“We were among the first telecommunications operators in the satellite technology in the territory of Iraq and Afghanistan, and as such we have enjoyed a successful cooperation with the U.S. Army for several years now,” says Marcin Frackiewicz, CEO of the TS2 Satellite Technologies.
TS2 Satellite Technologies offers two-way high-speed Internet access with no phone lines, no cable and no dial-up modem. It’s always on, available virtually anywhere, and affordable. The laptop or Wi-Fi network can receive Internet signal through a special satellite VSAT modem, which was usually set up in a building or tent when deployed.
The one VSAT access point provides the following services for soldiers:
– Broadband access to the Internet (WWW, E-mail, FTP etc.)
– Data transfer to many other users simultaneously
– Telephone connections including VoIP, IP phone
– Video-conference connections
Advantages of the system:
– Short set-up time
– Fast and easy upgrades
– Possibility of guaranteed CIR
– Transmission in almost all weather conditions
The communication among the bases is possible thanks to the simultaneous lease of bands on the Intelsat 10-02, Intelsat 901 and Eutelsat W6 satellites whose coverage enables configuration of connections between any place in Europe, Middle East and Southwest Asia.
TS2′s satellite military networks are located in Al Taqaddum Air Base, Bahgram AF, Balad Base, Baquba Airfield, Brassfield-Mora, Cob Adder, Cob Speicher, Camp Al Asad Airbase, Camp Bucca Basra City, Camp Buehring, Camp Charlie Basra, Camp Eggers, Camp Fallujah, Camp Grizzly, Camp Korean Village, Camp Liberty, Camp Mejid, Camp Ramadi, Camp Slayer, Camp Stryker, Camp Taji, Camp Victory, Fob Bagram, Fob Brassfield Mora, Fob Delta Al Kut, Fob Diamondback, Fob Falcon, Fob Garryowen, Fob Gardez, Fob Ghazni, Fob Kalagush, Fob Kandahar, Fob Lagman, Fob Mchenry, Fob Marez, Fob Normandy, Fob Rustamiyah, Fob Summerall, Fob Sykes, Fob Salerno, Fob Torkham, Fob Warhorse, Fob Warrior, Herat RTC, Jallahabad Air Base, Kabul Airport, Kabul Camp Eggers, Kandahar Air Base, Lsa Anaconda Balad, Q-West Base Complex and Tallil Ab Lsa Adder.
Especially for U.S. Military Personnel, Contracting Officers and DoD Contractors, TS2 delivers satellite equipment to most of all military addresses in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East, within maximum of 7 days.
Supported military locations in Iraq -
http://www.ts2.pl/en/Internet-in-Iraq-for-US-Army-Soldiers
Supported military locations in Afghanistan -
http://www.ts2.pl/en/Internet-in-Afghanistan-for-US-Army-Soldiers
Contact:
Piotr Kubiak and Michal Skrok
TS2 Satellite Technologies
phone +48 22 630 70 70
fax +48 22 630 70 71
http://www.ts2.pl
Jun 29, 2008, post by Marcin Frackiewicz
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
Since 2003, we provide satellite Internet in Iraq and Afghanistan globally enabling Iraqi and Afghan citizens, businesses and remotely deployed personnel to have broadband Internet access, enterprise connectivity, VoIP and videoconferencing services at affordable costs.
Contact: phone +48 22 630 70 70
www.ts2.pl
|
| *** ads by SatPRnews *** |
TS 2 is the prime Internet Provider for US Army soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of all active customers are Polish and US Army soldiers, but TS 2 solutions have been implemented also for private companies and organizations. TS 2′ network in Iraq and Afghanistan has over 15 thousand military users of local broadband satellite connections.
TS 2 specializes in providing global satellite access services. They core business is broadband access to the Internet in areas with poor telecommunications infrastructure and mobile satellite phones communication. The main medium of used transmission is a two-way satellite transfer system, which provides good access to the satellite network in even the least accessible areas. It not only provides a broadband connection but also a wide range of additional data and voice services.
TS2’s satellite networks are available in Al Taqaddum Air Base, Bagram AF, Balad Base, Baquba Airfield, Brassfield-Mora, Cob Adder, Cob Speicher, Camp Al Asad Airbase, Camp Bucca Basra City, Camp Buehring, Camp Charlie Basra, Camp Eggers, Camp Fallujah, Camp Grizzly, Camp Korean Village, Camp Liberty, Camp Mejid, Camp Ramadi, Camp Slayer, Camp Stryker, Camp Taji, Camp Victory, Fob Bagram, Fob Brassfield Mora, Fob Delta Al Kut, Fob Diamondback, Fob Falcon, Fob Garryowen, Fob Gardez, Fob Ghazni, Fob Kalagush, Fob Kandahar, Fob Lagman, Fob Mchenry, Fob Marez, Fob Normandy, Fob Rustamiyah, Fob Summerall, Fob Sykes, Fob Salerno, Fob Torkham, Fob Warhorse, Fob Warrior, Herat RTC, Jallaabad Air Base, Kabul Airport, Kabul Camp Eggers, Kandahar Air Base, Lsa Anaconda Balad, Sather Air Base, Q-West Base Complex and Tallil Ab Lsa Adder. [2]
TS2 delivers telecommunication services also for Police Transition Teams in following locations: West Ramadi, Warrar, Tal-Aswad, Saqlawiyah / Saqlawiah, Rutbah, Rumanah, Ramadi District HQ, Qatanna, Mulaab, Kubaisa, Khaladiah, Karmah, Jazeera, Hit, Haqlaniyah, Hamdiyah, Habbaniyah, Forsan, Ferris, East Ramadi, Barwannah, Anah, Ameriayah and Al Qaim. [3]
Military customers in Iraq and Afghanistan
Before end of 2007 year, the TS 2 solutions have been implemented for e.g. US Marine Corps (USMC), US Army Corps of Engineers, Australian Defence Force (ADF), Command of Polish Navy, Special Military Formation GROM, 1st Special Commando Regiment, Polish National Police, Polish National Headquarters of the State Fire Services, Border Guard (Poland), World Bank Group, Lockheed Martin Information Technology, Halliburton Energy Services, KBR, General Dynamics Information Technology, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace, US Naval Research Laboratory, ITT Corporation Aerospace / Communications Division, Technest Holdings / EOIR Technologies, North Eastern Aeronautical Company (Neany), EchoStorm Worldwide, Jorge Scientific Corporation, Erinys International, Aegis Iraq, American Heart of Poland and more others.
TS2′s military services are used by soldiers from 1 BCT 101 ABN DIV, 1-151 CAV HHT, 1-161st FA A-BTRY, 1-206 Field Artillery Battalion, 1-25 SBCT, 1-5 INF B Co, 1-61 CAV SQDN, 1-76 FA, 1/402nd AFSB STRYKER LNO, 1038th HCC, 10TH MTN DIV, 1710 Transpotation company, 184th Ordnance Battalion, 189 CSSB, 18th EN BDE, 1AD 2BCT / TF 1-35 AR, 1AD STB/Datapath, 1BCT, 1STB 1BCT 4ID, 1st BCT 101st Airborne Div., 1st Intel Bn P&A Co AFP, 1st PLT C Co 3-21 IN, 1st Space BDE / MNC-I, 2 BCT 1ID JSS H2, 2/25 DET 1 WPNS CO MAP 3, 2/25 Det 1 H&S Comm Plt, 201st Engineer Bn., 215th ASMC Phipps Clinic, 259 CSSB 155 ICTC, 25th Signal BN, 269 TH MP CO, 269th MP CO, 27th BCT, 3/10 MPCO, 3/4 WPNS CAAT-2, 324 NSC, 330th Military Police Detachment, 345th MI BN, 351st MP CO, 368th Finance DET 4, 370th En Co 54th En Bn, 3ACR, 3D RADIO BN, 401st AFSB MRAP, 41st Fires BDE, 455 EOG/ Spawar/ ATM, 4ID, 4SB 1BCT 4ID, 4th BAT. 101st AB, 4th BCT, 504th MP BN, 527th MP CO, 527th Military Police Company, 542nd SMC, 55th EN CO, 561 MT company, 589th BSB, 58th mp co 1st plt, 5th ANGLICO HQ Det/1st BDE, 5th EN BN, 5th Eng Bn, 6-17 CAV 1-1 ARB, 715th MP CO, 752nd OD CO, 772 Military Police Company, 776 Maintenance Co., 812th MP CO, 836th Engineer Company Sapper, 84th EN BN 643 EN CO, 84th Eng Bn 643rd En Bn, 87th Eng Co, 926th EN BDE, 937th Engineer Company, 97th Trans Det 3, A 2-20 FA, A CO 1-5 IN REGT, A TRP 1-152 CAV, A co. 4SB, A-4/320th, A-BRTY 2-44 ADA, A-CO 1-21 INF, A/2-211 AVIATION, A/CO 1/21, ACO TF 1/35 AR, ALPHA TROOP 1-152, Aco 1-153 INF, Alpha Company, B 4-320th FA, B Btry 3-4 AMD Battalion, B CO Task Force Odin, B CO. Bldg 3455/CH, B Co 1-6 IN, B Co 2-112th, B Co 2-4 GSAB, B Co. Bldg 3455 / CH, B Co. Bldg 3510 / CH, B Company 1-18 Infantry, B co 1-35AR, B co 2-6 IN, B co 563D ASB, B co. 404 ASB CAB 4ID, Bco 1-184 IN L, Bco 1-21, Bco. 2-4 GSAB CAB 4ID, Bco.404 ASB, Bravo Co. 1-184th, Bravo co. 3-159 ARB, C 1/158 fa bn, C BTRY 2-5 FA, C Btry 2-8 FA 1/25 SBCT, C Co 1-12 CAV 1CD, C Co 1-24 IN, C Co. 1/168th GSAB, C Co. 4-4 ARB, C co. 4-4 ARB CAB 4ID, C trp 1-303d Cav 81st hbct, C-Btry 1/158 FA, C/Trp 6-17 CAV, CAB 4ID, CAB 4th ID, CAFFT TAJI, CAV. 2nd PLATOON, CJTF-101 CJ3 Biometrics, CSTC-A CJ6 CSC, Co. B 146 ESB, D Co 2-27 IN/ 3rd PLT, D Co. 2-327 Inf., D. Co. 1/114th INF, D/123 AVN 6-17 CAV, Delta Company 1-151, Delta Company 1-151 Warlords, Delta Troop 7-17 CAV, E CO 3-1 AVN REGT, E Co. 1-161IN, E. CO 1-66 AR, E/FSC 1-22IN 1BCT 4ID, EOD Company 1/3, F Co. 2-10 AVN, GLS/L-3/Titan, HHB 1/6 FA, HHB 2-20 FA BN, HHC 1-24 IN, HHC 1-87 INF, HHC 2-7 CAV 4 BCT 1 CD, HHC 2/327 INF Olsen Medics, HHC 25th STB 25ID G2, HHC 3-103 AR, HHC 3/2 SCR LST, HHC 51st Signal Battalion, HHC 56 SBCT, HHC 5th Engineer Battalion, HHC 710 BSB 3BCT, HHC 783rd MP BN, HHC 84th Engineers Battalion, HHC 949 BSB, HHC BTB, HQs/ 561st MP Company, HSC 834TH ASB, JCCS-1, JTF Paladin / COIC, KAF NSE Force Protection 1 Platoon, KAIA ISAF Kabul Afghanistan, KBR B4 Services, KBR/LSI C7A McHenry, L-3 Communications Iraq, L3 Vertex Aerospace Iraq, L3/GSI, NSWLOGDET TQ US NAVY, PM BIOMETRICS FWD/BAT, TF 5-09 Canadian Forces, TF Centaur, TF Fighting, TF Phoenix, Task Force 1-6 S6, Task Force ODIN, Task Force Wings and USAF FET in FOB Salerno. [5]
TS2 will provide satellite services for the Marines new bases in Afghanistan in first months of 2009 year. The government contract concerns establishing and maintaining full communication in new locations for two years for all soldiers stationed there. The USA are going to transfer 4.5 thousand Marines from Iraq to Afghanistan as early as at the beginning of 2009.
