Mobile Subscriber Equipment
The Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) system was tactical communication system created by GTE Government Systems[4]: 393 (later acquired by General Dynamics) for the United States Army.[2][6] Acquisition began in 1985 for echelons below Corps and down to the battalion level.[7] The system was first fielded in February 1988 to the 13th Signal Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.[1][4]: 395
| Mobile Subscriber Equipment | |
|---|---|
 Mobile Subscriber Equipment antenna trucks in use during Operation Desert Storm | |
| Type | Secure multichannel digital communications system |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | United States Army |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM)[1][2] |
| Designed | 1 October 1979 — 1 September 1983[3] |
| Manufacturer | GTE Government Systems[4]: 393 |
| Unit cost | Over US$4.3 billion (equivalent to $11.7 billion in 2022)[4]: 393 [5]: 1 (Project total) |
| Produced | 19 December 1985[5]: 1 — 1 November 1993[3] |
The first version included phones for both stationary and portable use, plus fax service.[1] When a user placed a call, the MSE software automatically found the destination telephone and connected the call. Tactical Packet Network services were provided by BBN Technologies as a packet-switching overlay to the MSE circuit-switched network; these services added Internet Protocol switching and routing to support end-to-end data communications.[6]
MSE was intended to provide communications support from the Corps' rear boundary to the division's maneuver battalion rear boundary, covering an area of approximately 37,500 square kilometres (14,500 sq mi). It consisted of the following major subsystems. The Node Center Switch (NCS) made up the backbone of the MSE system and provided connectivity through the use of extension switches, Large Extension Nodes (LENs), Small Extension Nodes (SENs), and Radio Access Units (RAUs). To communicate with other mobile and wire telephone users throughout the theater, the Radio Access Units allow the Mobile Subscriber Radio Telephone (MSRT) to interface into the MSE system through the NCS, LEN or SEN.[7]
See also
- Tactical communications
- Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) - successor to MSE.
References
- "Cellular Communications". National Museum of the United States Army. n.d. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- Crosson, Tom (11 December 2014). "Army Innovations: The First Cellular Network". General Dynamics Mission Systems. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
In 1985, the Army selected GTE (now General Dynamics) as the prime contractor.
- Pike, John; Sherman, Robert (12 September 1998). "Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE)". Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- Raines, Rebecca R. (19 June 1996). "CHAPTER XI - Signaling Ahead". Getting the Message Through: A Branch History of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Army Historical Series (1st ed.). United States Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-0160453519. LCCN 95002393. OCLC 32093827. OL 34420751M. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
MSE, produced by General Telephone and Electronics (GTE), was a fully automatic, secure radiotelephone switching system that could be used by both mobile and static subscribers. At a cost of over $4 billion, MSE ranked as one of the largest procurement efforts ever undertaken by the Army.
- Resnick, Bernard (1 September 1993). Lessons Learned Working with the Army's Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) Program (PDF) (Report). Fort Belvoir: Defense Systems Management College. Technical Report, TR 2-94. Retrieved 25 August 2022 – via Defense Technical Information Center.
- FM 11-55: Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) Operations (PDF). 22 June 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2022 – via Berlin Information-center for Transatlantic Security.
- "Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE)". US Army Signal School. n.d. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
In 1982, the Army embarked on the acquisition of the Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) system to meet the area communications requirement at echelons below Corps and down to the battalion level. MSE was acquired to meet the tactical telephone and switchboard requirements with a smaller more mobile switching capability.
Further reading
- Carestio, R.; McLeskey, F.; Coyle, D. (16 June 1986). An Analysis of Planned Army Ground Mobile Forces (GMF) Satellite Use in Support in Mobile Subscriber Equipment (PDF) (Report). M/A-COM Government Systems, Inc. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022 – via Defense Technical Information Center.
- Shively, Robert G. (15 April 1993). Updating The Joint Common User Communications Architecture — A Case For The Army's View (PDF). United States Army War College (Report). Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. ADA263904. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2022 – via Defense Technical Information Center.
- Field Manual 24-24: Signal Data References: Signal Equipment (PDF) (Report). Department of the Army. 29 December 1994. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022 – via Berlin Information-center for Transatlantic Security.