The navy is building a service-wide wireless computer network to reach its goal of real-time information sharing, defense sources said yesterday.
According to a government source, the navy has spent NT$100 million buying "wireless bridges" from a US company.
Most of these linking devices, like wireless cards for notebook computers, are installed on ships and at land-based command posts for the transmission and reception of information.
The navy is the first service of the military to build such a network. The air force has followed, with the army still believing in conventional radio transmissions.
If the network is implemented, the navy will achieve its goal of information sharing between its ships and command centers on shore. But two years have passed and the network is still under construction.
Being the pioneer in the field for the country, the navy has experienced many problems, the Taipei Times was told.
The government source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the navy has bought a type of wireless bridge not ideal for the task.
"The wireless bridge used for the network is of commercial specifications, not military ones. It has been found to develop many problems while operating on a ship," the source said.
"What is done cannot be undone. The navy is trying to fix all the problems found with the product. After all these problems are solved, the wireless network will be able to work normally," he said.
Despite the delay in implementing the network, the navy is still confident it can get the job done, officials said.
A naval officer said the network is worthy of the effort because it will enable unprecedented information-sharing.
"A ship, for instance, can ask for vital information from command centers on shore. The information includes data collected by radar and radio stations of the navy. It could be about the surrounding environment of the ship or any other place around the country," the officer said.
"The advantage of the system is to make ships have immediate situational awareness, either of their surroundings or of the environments of friendly ships far away," he said.
"A smaller version of the network has taken shape. An officer can have access to vital information of the service from any part of the country as long as he has a notebook computer and a wireless card," he said.
"The wireless card has to be encrypted, of course. The navy is the first military service to have the system," he said.
The air force is catching up in the building of wireless networks for command and control purposes, while the army lags behind.
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