DARPA advanced logistics transceiver study

Logisticians today must be able to locate combat-trackable items (major end items) on the battlefield "in theater," but a Joint systems-level capabili ty to do so is not available within DoD. The Information Systems Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency commissioned the study descri bed in this article to determine the concept of operations and perform a co mmunications analysis for a system of small, expendable tags to operate in several logistical settings using a variety of communications relay payload s. This article defines the logistics problem (number of units, message len gth, frequency, bandwidth, power, communications relay, etc.) from which a development effort could be initiated to field a system within roughly the next 25 years.