Pacific JTIDS Coordination Committee Working Group

Meeting Summary

Honolulu, Hawai’i

28 July 2011

1. Introduction

Mr Bruce Emerali, Pacific JTIDS Coordination Committee (PJCC) Chairman, welcomed the delegates and thanked everyone for their attendance. He noted that the PJCC was formed in 2007 as a sub working group of the Link 16 Multinational Working Group (MNWG) and it provides aforum to address Link 16 related issues for nations who are not able to attend the MNWG. The meeting is held once a year in conjunction with the Pacific Command (PACOM) Spectrum Management Conference in order to gain more exposure for Link 16 with the Pacific Rim nations in attendance. He noted that the informal nature of the discussions is intended to allowPacific Rim nations to get access to Link 16 information without having to provide a national position on the issues. The PJCC discussion topics are intended to assist nations in getting started with Link 16 if they have no prior experience, and give more detail to those who are looking to improve their system operation or get their Frequency Clearance Agreement (FCA) completed.

The PJCC working group members provide a wealth of technical Link 16 information to Pacific Rim nations that in the process of developing an FCA or those that have had requests from guest forces, as required by Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA), to transmit Link 16 in their sovereign territory. The information provided during the meeting is intended to provide a basic understanding of Link 16 for the delegates in attendance to provide to their CAA and other interested parties, but there are also members of the PJCC that can provide very detailed technical information concerning the complexities of the operational use of Link 16 systems.Mr Emerali emphasized that nations can begin developing an FCA even if they do not have any Link 16 equipment because it can be used solely to support guest force operations. He also stated that obtaining a FCA is a long and involved process so new nations interested in an initial frequency clearance should expect it to take longer than the typical 90 day period.

Mr Emerali provided a quick overview of the meeting agenda and asked the delegates to introduce themselves for the benefit of the group. He distributed a sign-in sheet with all of the invitees and asked that each delegate in attendance review their contact information for correctness and initial the sheet by their name. The list of attendees is provided as Attachment 1 to this summary.

2. Review Record of Discussion PJCC 09

Mr Emerali asked the delegation if there were any comments or concerns with the record of discussions from the last PJCC meeting. He noted that the summary is provided to assist the attendees with remembering the topics that were covered during the discussions so comments are appreciated. There were no comments and it was approved as submitted. The record of discussion was provided in hard copy to the delegates at the meeting and it was noted that it is also available on the MNWG web site. Mr Emerali encouraged all new delegates to register for access to the website because it contains a vast amount of important Link 16 background information and test data.

The delegate from South Korea asked if there is a list of nations that have a clearance to use Link 16. Mr Emerali responded that there is a Link 16Star Chart that is maintained by the MNWG and it contains the up to date status information for each nation that has obtained a FCA or is in the process.He added that each nation has the sovereign right to use their spectrum how they want and any other nation entering the country will have to abide by the criteria they have coordinated with their CAA. The MNWG has compiled a lot of information on the steps required to obtain an FCA and the information is available at for those nations that are interested in learning more.

3. Action Item Review

NOTE: The action item numbering convention has been changed in order to track the year the meeting was held. The new convention specifies the 2-digit year followed by the action item number for that meeting. The actions listed below are from PJCC 2009 and were listed in the previous meeting summary as 3-XX.

09-1 The Chair to clarify the proper procedure to request a MIDS/JTIDS frequency clearance for Malaysia, Palau and the MarshalIslands.[CLOSED]

Discussion:The Chair stated that the information concerning the process for obtaining a frequency clearance is contained in the MNWG Notebook which is available on the MNWG website.

09-2 The Chair to invite all of the interested countries to the July 2010 MNWG meeting in Japan. [CLOSED]

Discussion:The Chair stated that Mrs Ricketts, MNWG Chair, will provide a brief overview of the status and discussions from the MNWG 2010 inTokyo,Japan and the MNWG 2011 in Luxembourg. Mr Emerali took an action to send an invitation to the delegates for the MNWG 2012 in Switzerland.

ACTION: The Chair to send an invitation to all interested nations for the MNWG 2012 in Switzerland.

09-3The Chair to put the revised PJCC charter on the MNWG website and to also email to the membership. [CLOSED]

Discussion:The Chair noted that he provided the charter to the delegates by email but he did not get many responses or comments.He stated that the charter will also be uploaded to the MNWG website for review.

ACTION: The Chair to send out the recent updates to the charter to all PJCC nations for review and comment.

09-4Pacific Rim countries to consider volunteering for the position of co chair. [OPEN]

Discussion:The Chair commented that he would like to see more permanent members of the group and would be happy to step down as chairman if anyone is willing to take the lead.

09-5Mr Ozeki to provide a presentation on MLAT, WAM, ADS B and QZSS at the Spectrum Access meeting that will be held at the next MNWG. [CLOSED]

Discussion:The presentation was provided at the last MNWG meeting and is available on the MNWG website

09-6Australia and Canada to provide plans to install ADS B equipment and if so what impact is there if any to MIDS/JTIDS operations.[OPEN]

ACTION: The Chair to contact Australia to discuss the status of the ADS-B installation and any effect it will have on Link 16 operations.

09-7The Chair to send an email and letter to the membership that encourages the nations to obtain a FCA for MIDS/JTIDS.[CLOSED]

Discussion: Mr Emerali stated that he will provide the letter for nations to give to their subject matter experts.It is his hope that he will be able to continue to add new nations to the star chart.

09-8 The Chair to send out the star chart and the Pacific Rim countries are requested to verify if the information in the star chart is correct. [CLOSED]

Discussion: Mr Emerali stated that the star chart is available on the MNWG website for review.

09-9 The Chair to post a record of meeting discussion and copies of the presentations/briefings on the MNWG website under the PJCC folder.[CLOSED]

Discussion: Mr Emerali stated that the record of meeting from the PJCC 2009 is available on the MNWG website. He added that he will upload the record of meeting from the PJCC 2011 to the MNWG website within the next few weeks.

09-10The Chair to provide a letter of invitation to attend the next PJCC to each Pacific Rim country.[CLOSED]

4. Charter Overview and Status

Mr Emerali provided a quick overviewof the updates to the PJCC charter and stated that he will send it out to the delegation for review and comment.

5. Report on activities of MNWG 2011

Mrs Ricketts, MNWG Chair, provided an overview of the activities and discussion topics covered at the MNWG 2010 and MNWG 2011. She stated that MNWG working group holds an informal ad hoc meeting once a year to discuss spectrum support topics and Link 16 related technical and operational issues. The meeting is open to both military and Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) personnel for nations that are interested in Link 16, those affected by the use of Link 16, or nations that are developing a new system in an adjacent band. One of the primary goals of the discussions is to developcommon set of frequency clearance criteria andrecommendations that can be referenced by any nation interested in developing their own FCA. Another goal is to exchange technical, spectrum support and operational information in order to assist nations in obtaining frequency clearances and promote interoperability.

Mrs Ricketts gave an overview of the organization of the MNWG and noted that there are technical sub working groups that have been formed to address specific areas of concern. The Pacific JTIDS/MIDS Coordination Committee (PJCC) focuses on getting the Pacific Rim nations familiar with and involved in the use of Link 16 by providing detailed technical information on how to obtain a FCA. The PJCC members have the advantage of benefiting from the presentations on the lessons learned from the work performed by the MNWG and the Link 16 tutorial that is provided at each meeting. The Frequency Clearance Experts Group (FCEG) focuses on developing the Common Frequency Clearance Criteria (CFCC) document to be used by nations that have no prior experience in developing a FCA or nations that are looking to improve their FCA. The Spectrum Access Sub Working Group (SASWG) focuses on the compatibility of systems that operate in the 960-1215 MHz frequency band. The SASWG also provides technical evaluation and analysis of both current and future communications systems to protect Air Traffic Control (ATC) equipment and provide recommendations for test methods that can enable all L-Band systems to operate without interference.

Mrs Ricketts stated that the MNWG2010 in Tokyo, Japan had 50 delegates representing 13 nations including 7 Pacific Rim nations. There were official meetings of the SASWG and FCEG sub working groups and Link 16 Tutorial sessions in addition to the main sessions. The main sessions covered the updates concerning the national test programs and FCAs, and presentations on spectrum access initiatives, FCA compliancy tools and Link 16 operational processes.

The MNWG 2011 in Luxembourg had 70 delegates representing 23 nations including 7 Pacific Rim nations. There was an official meeting of the SASWG sub working group and a Link 16 Tutorial session in addition to the main sessions. The main sessions covered the usual updates concerning national test programs and FCAs, and presentations on spectrum access initiatives, new Link 16 terminals (Strike Common Weapons Data Link and MIDS JTRS), frequency remapping, platform TSDF awareness and a STANAG 4175 IPF Requirement update. There was also a demonstration of the new US Link 16 Pulse Deconfliction Server (LPDS) capabilities.

Mrs Ricketts noted that the MNWG 2012 will be held May 7-11 in Switzerland, and there is a proposal to have the MWNG 2013 in Taiwan. She added that Mr. Mario Lavoie from Canada will be the new Chair for these meetings.

Mr Emerali concluded the discussions by stating that the important point to note is how many nations are getting involved in Link 16. There are many new nations now looking at cross border issues and technical aspects of Link 16 which has become the Tactical Data Link (TDL) of choice for interoperability between nations.

6. Progress of Link 16 in the Pacific Nations

New Zealand

Mr Emerali provided a presentation concerning the status of the New Zealand FCA. He stated that New Zealand is fairly new to the Link 16 and the platforms that use it. They obtained their FCA through negotiations with their CAA in 2003 and their radio license, which mirrors the CFCC, in 2008. Since then the New Zealand Defence Force has drafted a Link 16 migration plan that includes shore infrastructure and upgrades to Navy assets, but the funding for this effort has not been approved yet. Link 16 is not an authorized system in the band so they are tailoring it to not interfere with the other authorized systems in the band. They are currently in the process of testing and evaluating the first P3K2 airframe to have the integration of Link 16 into the data management system as part of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) upgrade of the P3 Orion fleet. The platform will be Link 16 only and currently RNZAF will not be able to link to any other defence assets or perform any network design management.

Mr Emeralistated that New Zealandamended their FCA in 2008 concerning the geographic area definitionto include the New Zealandflight information region (FIR), andchanged the separation distance from TACAN/DME ground stations from 2 nautical miles (NM) to 600 meters in Whenuapai due to the limited space available to install a training ground station at the site. He added that they still need to conduct flight testing and take some measurements on to ensure that the new separation distance is adequateand if it can be reduced even further.

United States

Mr John Ashley provided some background information and a brief update on the United States frequency clearance which is referred to as the JTIDS/MIDS Spectrum Certification. The original frequency clearance was obtained in 2004 and it included new geographic area time slot duty factor (TSDF) requirements, reduced separation distances and permission to use voice and contention transmissions. Mr Ashley noted that the use of voice transmission consumes a large portion of the 100% TSDF limit because each voice pool (12 platforms or less) uses 12.55% TSDF for 16 kb voice or 4.16% TSDF for 2.4 kb voice. The current geographic area definitions are as follows:

  • 100% TSDF authorized for 100 nm radius around any TDMA terminal or Joint Operations Area
  • 400% TSDF authorized for 200 nm radius around any TDMA terminal or Joint Operations Area
  • 50% TSDF for closely spaced ground or stationary TDMA terminals

The current separation distance requirements result in a -33 dBm received signal restriction for Link 16 terminals that operate up to 50% TSDF and a -24 dBm received signal level restriction for terminals that operate at less than 20% TSDF in order to protect Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME). The received signal level requirement for the Mode-S and Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS) receivers is -20 dBm.

Mr Ashley then provided information concerning the new updates to the Link 16 Pulse Deconfliction Server (LPDS) which was formerly known as JTIDS/MIDS Deconfliction Server (JDS). The LPDS is an internet based scheduling tool that is required to be used for all Link 16 operations within the United States and Possessions. The server is used to track the TSDF levels for all operations and to ensure compliance with the geographic area TSDF operational limits outlined in the US Spectrum Certification. There have been recent enhancements to the server including the capability for deconfliction coordinators to schedule operations that require temporary frequency assignment (TFA) approval to transmit in excess of the geographic area TSDF limits. The enhancements are being directed by the newly formed LPDS Configuration Control Board (CCB) and there will be more updates through the configuration management process in the near future.

7. Star Chart Review

Mr Emerali displayed the current version of the MNWG Star Chart and noted that it shows what Link 16 capabilities each nation has obtained approval for and what conditions they have for the use of Link 16 within their sovereign territory.The following excerpts from the Star Chart shows the information available for the Pacific Rim nations.

There was a question from the United States delegation concerning whether there is a designator that indicates when a nation is close to getting an approval for a specific capability. Me Ashley responded that the shading in the Star Chart is used to show when a nation is currently in the process of obtaining a certain Link 16 capability. Mr Emerali stated that it is his hope that the Star Chart will be filled up as more nations get involved with Link 16. He added that he will upload the Star Chart to the MNWG website once it has been updated with any new information provided during the meeting.

ACTION: Chair to upload the Star Chart to the MNWG website once it has been updated.

FCA Request Letter

Mr Emerali stated that he completed the letter encouraging the Pacific Rimnations to obtain a FCA for MIDS/JTIDS and hard copies were made available during the meeting. He stated that he would also send the letter via email to the delegates after the meeting.