TACTICAL INFORMATION BROADCAST SERVICE
MISSION
The Tactical Information Broadcast Service is a tactical
intelligence dissemination network developed to provide direct support to military operations in the areas of battle-field
management, targeting, and situational awareness as they relate to combat commanders, their supporting echelons,
and other supporting organizations throughout the world.
FEATURES
TIBS produces a dynamic, near real- time, graphical
depiction of the battlefield by utilizing information from a variety of intelligence disciplines and other sources. As a
satellite broadcast, the data is available to all user com-mands, concurrently and immediately.
Unlike many information distribution systems, TIBS is designed to allow an interactive exchange among network
participants which yields a rapid assembly of information to the user audience.
BACKGROUND
TIBS currently supports real- world operations as well
as various exercises, operational concept demonstrations, and tests. The Assistant Secretary of Defense and the Air
Staff designated the Air Intelligence Agency Directorate of Operations as the Department of Defense Executive Agent
for TIBS. AIA created the TIBS Special Management Office to oversee the management of the program.
TIBS GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
The TIBS network is a continuous, secure broadcast
with data providers and data subscribers interconnected by a common radio channel in the UHF range (225- 400
MHz). While UHF terrestrial line- of- sight networks are possible, typically the transmission medium is a United
States Air Force satellite communications broadcast. The current TIBS network architecture supports up to
10 data providers, 4 high- priority talkers, 50 active query subscribers and a number of receive- only terminals.