Transport Protocols in the Tactical Network Environment

The shift to network centric warfare highlights the deficiencies of existing reliable transport protocols in tactical network environments. Existing transports are designed upon a set of assumptions that are violated by noisy, wireless tactical networks where end-to-end encryption and authentication must be maintained. Protocols such as TCP that are designed for low-corruptive-loss environments provide abysmal performance when deployed in tactical network environments. TCP adaptations that address corruptive loss rates generally violate tactical-network security requirements. As part of a DARPA-funded effort to dramatically improve reliable-transport performance in tactical network environments, Architecture Technology Corporation (ATC) has analyzed the tactical network environment and has examined the behavior of various reliable transport protocols within such environments.