The Department of Defense (DoD) released a new instruction sheet related to LMR interoperability and standardization with a new policy that all DoD LMR equipment procured after July 28 will conform to Project 25 (P25) standards.
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The notice said that DoD equipment should be capable of operating between 138 – 869 MHz using either P25 Phase 1 or 2 modulation and signaling or narrowband (12.5-kilohertz deviation) with associated Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System/Digital Coded Squelch (CTCSS/DCS) signaling to facilitate direct interoperation with non-DoD P25 and FM LMR systems.
Trunking networks will comply with the P25 trunking specification, testing and compliance assessment documents. LMR wide-area networks will comply with the P25 Inter RF Subsystems Interface (ISSI) specification, testing and compliance assessment documents, the instruction sheet said.
“DoD components will ensure that LMR base stations, repeaters, subscriber units and any LMR support devices are P25 certified for all DoD P25 interfaces prior to procurement or use,” the document said, referring to the P25 Compliance Assessment Program (CAP).
ISSI testing is not currently conducted within P25 CAP, although users and an independent P25 lab have requested the capability to be added to the program. A number of documents for the P25 ISSI, including conformance, performance and interoperability test procedures, were developed and published by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and approved by the P25 Steering Committee as P25 standards. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) CAP Office issued a compliance assessment bulletin (CAB) addressing test procedures for the ISSI, which was distributed for review and response. The list of tests covered by the ISSI CAB are all TIA published and P25 Steering Committee approved tests.
To date, there is no recognized lab to perform the ISSI tests although DHS named three new accreditation bodies in 2013. In the meantime, DoD could require test results from the published TIA procedures be provided by the manufacturers, said P25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG) Director Stephen Nichols. "The current Safecom grant guidance suggests this alternative in the absence of recognized CAP tests and recognized labs," he said.
In August, DHS, which oversees CAP, requested nominations and expressions of interest for membership on the P25 CAP Advisory Panel.
In addition, all DoD systems that employ encryption will comply with NIST Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) and will not use Data Encryption Standard (DES) or Triple DES, the sheet said.
"Project 25 has been adopted in many LMR radio systems used by public safety first responders in the United States and the majority of federal agencies," Nichols said. "P25 systems give DoD the opportunity to work closely with state and local government entities and federal law enforcement agencies for mutual aid and support during natural disasters, social unrest, terrorist threats, as well as daily shared mutual aid for police, fire and EMS services adjacent to DoD military bases and reserves."
The full instruction sheet is here.
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