Public Safety Interoperability with an SCA Military Radio using the P25 Waveform

The need for interoperability between the U.S. Military and civilian forces has been demonstrated in matters of homeland security (9/11) and national disaster (Katrina). The APCO Project 25 (P25) waveform was designed in order to improve interoperability between civilian public safety agencies (Police, Fire, etc.). In increasing numbers, APCO Project 25 is being adopted by such civilian agencies across the country. When civilian agencies need to communicate with each other, the most prevalent choices are P25 or Analog FM. For military personnel to work with these civilian agencies, a radio providing both of these modes would be ideal. This currently is achieved by providing the military person with an additional radio for use during these homeland missions. This extra equipment means extra weight, extra batteries, and extra accessories for the soldier, as well as extra procurement and logistics support requirements. In addition, civilian P25 radios are typically capable of operation in only a single frequency band (either VHF or UHF) and typically have only one encryption type (either DES or AES). This means that in some cases P25 radios can not talk to each other due to frequency incompatibility, encryption incompatibility, or both. Modern military radios that employ the JTRS architecture and SCA Operating Environment are capable of supporting multiple waveforms in a single radio. These radios are also capable of a broad spectrum of frequencies. For this reason, it seems like a natural step to implement the P25 waveform for such a radio.