Montana Highway Patrol helps county pay for unused, unwanted tower

Montana Highway Patrol helps county pay for unused, unwanted tower | The Glendive Ranger Review: Although they have not yet rid themselves of the communication tower near Fallon, Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Mary Jo Gehnert said Dawson County has found help paying the bills from Montana Highway Patrol. The tower was erected in 2007 on Bureau of Land Management land with Homeland Security funds from the Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program.
However, by 2011 Interoperability Montana was running out of administrative and operations funding and on June 30, 2011 IM dissolved. When IM dissolved, approximately $10 million in grant awards, projects and contracts were abandoned.
“When the IM project went defunct, all of the expenses fell back on to Dawson County,” Gehnert said.

Enhancing National Preparedness to Space-Weather Events | whitehouse.gov

Enhancing National Preparedness to Space-Weather Events | whitehouse.gov: The strategy plans to deal with communications operability and interoperability - "Ensure the capability and interoperability of communications systems during extreme space-weather events: Effective communications systems are essential to gaining and maintaining situational awareness and ensuring unity of effort in response and recovery operations. The effects of space weather on communications systems occur at different timescales and at varying degrees within a single event, depending on the system and the characteristics and duration of the event. Government and private-sector stakeholders need guidance that allows them to maintain communications capabilities (including interoperability) during an extreme space-weather event."

Philippines, Pacific militaries train in post-disaster communication | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

Philippines, Pacific militaries train in post-disaster communication: Military representatives from 21 Asia-Pacific nations including the Philippines met in Manila to discuss how to restore communication channels destroyed in disaster situations.

The meeting, part of the United States-led Exercise Pacific Endeavor 2015, hosted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines provided an opportunity for the partner-nations to enhance communication interoperability and learn about the latest trends in satellite technology, broadband global access networks (BGAN) and mobile Internet capabilities.

Ethiopian, Djiboutian militaries broaden communication, intelligence system skills at CJTF-HOA | Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa

Ethiopian, Djiboutian militaries broaden communication, intelligence system skills at CJTF-HOA | Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa: Having a quick and effective means of communicating complex tasks is a critical component to any military force of sufficient size and complexity.

What began with runners conveying messages by foot to commanders in the field, and signalers waving flags to coordinate troop movements is now performed with sophisticated telecommunication systems and computers.

Aiding the military forces serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to effectively communicate is the U.S. Africa Command Data Sharing Network (ADSN). Recently, intelligence and communications personnel from the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and Djiboutian Armed Forces (FAD) visited Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa to work alongside U.S. intelligence and communication specialists here.

Cognitive Networked HF

The radio system bringing connectivity to the toughest environments in the world | ZDNet: The technology behind the system combines traditional high frequency (HF) terrestrial radio technology with modern cognitive and software-defined technologies. The latter is key, as it replaces typical hardware components (such as mixers and amplifiers) with software, enabling it to work even in the most demanding environments.

Homeland Security Today: DHS Needs to Improve Grant Guidance for Public Safety Communications Equipment, IG Says

Homeland Security Today: DHS Needs to Improve Grant Guidance for Public Safety Communications Equipment, IG Says: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) isn’t providing specific requirements in its grant guidance to grantees for acquiring interoperable emergency communications equipment, according to a new DHS Inspector General (IG) audit report.



Quack, quack, quack.  As if the quality of "interoperability" was readily observable.  SAFECOM grant guidance has been issued with each program for years.

Baltimore Wasn't Fully Prepared for Riot, Mayor Says

Baltimore Wasn't Fully Prepared for Riot, Mayor Says: The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that the emails and other documents show that communications within government broke down during the riots of April 27, as officials desperate for information exchanged rumors and subordinates questioned city leaders.

Homeland Security Today: Bill to Improve Interoperable Emergency Communications for First Responders Passed by House

Homeland Security Today: Bill to Improve Interoperable Emergency Communications for First Responders Passed by House: The State Wide Interoperable Communications Enhancement Act, or SWIC Enhancement Act (HR 2206), passed by the House would require states to have a Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC) or to delegate activities related to achieving interoperability to other individuals.

Homeland Security Today: NEW - Unlocking Interoperability: What It Means for Next-Generation Public Safety Communications

Homeland Security Today: NEW - Unlocking Interoperability: What It Means for Next-Generation Public Safety Communications - Robert Stack: You can’t go 60 seconds in a conversation about public safety communications without someone using the word “interoperability.” Plus, the number of interpretations—and misinterpretations—of what “interoperability" actually means is directly related to the number of participants in the conversation. That’s because “interoperability” means something different to the many facets in the industry.

Friendly Fire 'Kills' Allied Troops During NATO War Games in Germany / Sputnik International

Friendly Fire 'Kills' Allied Troops During NATO War Games in Germany / Sputnik International: "It's more than material. There are cognitive, procedural, and then technical aspects. We've got to all be on the same cognitive framework, we've got to have procedures on how to do things, and then there’s a technical solution."