European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 16, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday May 16, 1990 the stars and stripes a \ m m pm m is Iii re fillip k we Mai a a a Page 9 Over Here v Wal a in a or Soj pm Bah Rumpp Wolfis Sas Krimgo Orijel master sgt. Charles Smith gets classroom instruction on the use setting up an Antenna at bad Kreuz Nach Are spec. Vaughn i Larrigan foreground and sgt. David Brown. Usa eur getting new combat phone system. I .1 i Brt ii Quot by Chuck Roberts staff writer bad Kreuz Nach West Germany a the first european based troops have begun training on the army a latest communications network a $4 billion system that brings the ease of the office phone to the Battlefield. The system called Mobile subscriber equipment replaces antiquated radio gear in army tactical vehicles with a military version of the car phone. Once training on the new equipment is Complete soldiers will be Able to communicate by phone Over 15,000 Square Miles an area the size of Massachusetts Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. After setting up his Headquarters a commander will be Able to set his digital phone on the table and be in Contact with five divisions within seconds. The system also will allow the brass to receive Battle maps on a facsimile machine that can take a waxing and keep on faxing. The suitcase size machine which weighs about 50 pounds can take rigorous handling and use any Type of paper and it will keep working in a  features include Call forwarding and conference Calls. And use gear even can be rigged up to civilian phones allowing a Soldier in the Field to talk with the folks Back Home the commander willing that is. And callers can be sure that their conversations wont be plagued by eavesdroppers. Although the army  discuss specifics the system is safeguarded by an encrypting device that locks out unwanted listeners. Currently units Are linked from one command Post to another. In the future several communication links will be spread across the Battlefield in a Mobile flexible pattern. A communication link consists of a he Macc with a Small operators office set up in the rear Cabin. If a link is destroyed Calls can be relayed to another vehicle. This Mobile system can keep up with the flow of the Battle a or even stay slightly ahead of it according to it. Col. Robert Shively who s getting the system running in Europe. A your brigades have always been Able to outrun the old equipment a Shively said. A they would spend maybe two hours of 24 hours in Contact because by the time we found them set up. Got service to them Laid the wire for them got the phone to them they might be within an hour of packing up and leaving. A now with this system they might jump on top of a spot where we re already  v corps soldiers began the conversion to use with around the clock classes that began april 30. Everyone from privates to generals is receiving training that ranges from four hours to eight weeks. When v corps finishes in december Vii corps will hit the classroom. The army Hopes to have All soldiers training on the equipment by 1993. The first soldiers to use the equipment were assigned to 111 corps at fort Hood Texas in 1988. They liked what they saw said sgt. 1st class Ernest Hopkins who transferred from Iii corps to the 8th signal in in West Germany to lend a Little knowledge to the european Effort. A the army was smart when they bought this a Hopkins said. Quot every Soldier i had said this is a Good system a and a Soldier will Tell you if he does no to like it use is a hit with soldiers because they no longer handle heavy cumbersome equipment. The army s current communications gear consists of three generations of 1950s-Era equipment that has been piece sealed together Over the years. With use digital switchboards Are replacing manual controls on which switches have to be pulled by hand to make a Telephone connection. After More than two weeks in the classroom. Spec. Stephen Mcanally of the 17th signal in is impressed Quot this stuff is better. It s More High tech and can do a lot  Mcanally is among More than 4,000 signal soldiers whose Job classifications have shrunk from nine to three As a result of use. Mcanally a Job As a switching system operator is basically the same except hell be pressing buttons instead of pulling switches. A now in a just a phone operator and it s easier than before a said pfc. Paul Oliverie. Also with the 17th signal in. A i think it will be a lot More reliable and a lot  the use program which is based on a system used by the French army was conceived in 1983. It will reduce the army signal corps by about 5,000 soldiers. The contract was awarded to get in 1985, and the equipment was at fort Hood by 1987. A so that a a fairly Good Success Story in the acquisitions business Quot Shively said. Equipment training and repair Are provided by the telecommunications giant g 1e, which moved about 300 workers to West Germany to launch the program. The army does t officially accept the equipment until the troops have been trained and the equipment is tested in the Field