Army orders more JNN nodes

DataPath officials announced earlier this month that the company received a $17.5 million Army contract to deliver more trailers for the new Joint Network Node (JNN).

DataPath will provide 14 JNN satellite communications trailers and 38 command trailers. JNN equipment consists of compact satellite terminals that allow Army forces to access mobile communications systems even when soldiers are in remote locations, states a June 13 company statement.

“We know that information superiority, supported by a reliable communications infrastructure, is crucial to the success of today’s peacekeeping operations,” said Andy Mullins, chief executive officer at DataPath. The contract award marks the second JNN deal the company received this year.

JNN consists of vehicles and shipping containers equipped with systems that provide voice over IP, dynamic IP, videoconferencing and access to the military’s classified and unclassified networks. Commanders at their headquarters and soldiers operating in smaller units in the field can use JNN, which is an essential part of the Army’s new Joint Network Transport Capability. That system relies on IP, satellites and commercial products to provide more mobile communications and greater access to logistics and intelligence data.

Army officials have said that operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated the need for a system that provides communications for soldiers when they cannot see one another during combat.