Marines eye UC behind enemy lines

Imagine a walkie-talkie. Now think of a walkie-talkie that James Bond would use. That’s the idea behind a computer-in-a-briefcase system that would allow ...

Imagine a walkie-talkie. Now think of a walkie-talkie that James Bond would use.

That’s the idea behind a computer-in-a-briefcase system that would allow troops to collaborate with commanders from hostile locations.

Information Week reports the U.S. Marine Corps will pay big bucks for the communications solution that would provide field troops with access to the armed forces’ Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, as well as email, voice, and videoconferencing tools.

Troops could use the system to maintain contact with commanders from behind enemy lines or from other hot spots.

“This system and the services it provides are required by initial response teams to facilitate communications with higher headquarters while on-the-pause and over-the-horizon,” according to an official request for proposal.

If the Corps likes what it sees from private industry, it could order anywhere between $2 million and $75 million of gear and supporting services over a five-year period.

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