Information is as crucial in modern warfare as bullets and aircraft.
It must be accurate, timely and detailed, delivered to where it's
needed, and not be subject to eavesdropping or tampering.
Traditionally,
military communications relied on point-to-point, voice-based
connections. These are wasteful of bandwidth and the human
resources
required to operate them, and make dissemination of information more
difficult. They do not fit well with the needs of modern
militaries or
data communications systems.
Hence the embracing of
`network-centric warfare', and the acquisition of standard network
technologies. However, budgets are tight, and interoperability
with
allies often trumps raw technical requirements. We present an
experimental ad hoc network protocol for enabling naval vessels to
communicate with the Internet Protocol, using only existing physical
layer communication assets, a PC, and some sticky-back plastic.