Talk on the Go

Commnunication Rolled Up in One Package

Take three trailers, three trucks and three humvees, cram them with communications equipment, and you have the current Marine Corps set up for linking command and field units.

But a new communication system under development will soon change that, condensing the time it takes to manage communications as well. Setting up communications quickly is the greatest asset of the new system for Marines.

The Mobile Modular Command and Control vehicle will lighten the load by outfitting one humvee with radios, communication computers and satellite links while staying mobile – just what the current system lacks.

Dubbed the M2C2, all features of communication are programmed into a laptop that eases the communication set-up links. The computers contain chat programs that enable contact with field units and commands and the ability to track vehicles and units on maps. A radio is outfitted with a TalkNet program that allows the M2C2 to communicate with all radios in the area from one microphone.

The M2C2 is not only versatile and compact – it's also self-sufficient. It contains three, 275-watt generators which supply the unit with its own power.

The M2C2 is currently under development. Testing will be done at combined arms exercises at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif. No date has been set for fielding the vehicle.