Innovative Information Technologies - Theater-Deployable Self-Healing Free-Space Optical Networks for Mobile Security and Command and Control Operatio

"Free-space optical communication's inherently low probability of intercept, resistance to jamming, lack of licensing requirements, ease of use, high-speed capability, and compact size make it an ideal addition to the array of equipment that can be used toform a battlefield network backbone.We propose to develop a field-transportable, mobile free-space-optical auto-reconfiguring self-healing tactical communication (FASTCOM) network to meet the needs of robust, theater-deployable communications. We will accomplish this by integratingsophisticated optical tracking techniques, GPS equipment, and COTS switches and routers with our considerable equipment experience and proven expertise in free-space optical communication systems. The system will operate in a mobile-mesh topology and willconsist of multiple communication nodes, each containing several individual eye-safe and covert optical transceiver subsystems. The communication nodes will be low-profile units that take advantage of GPS data to determine and relay their own positions tothe rest of the network, along with the positions and identifications of all nodes to which they are connected. This will ensure that even if one node or communication pathway is lost, the network can quickly and efficiently heal itself to handle heavy,continuous network traffic at speeds exceeding 1 Gbps. Reconfigurable, high-speed wireless computer networks have numerous applications in military, comm