Integrated Broadcast Service (IBS)

The Integrated Broadcast Service (IBS) program, as detailed in Program Element 0305179A, is a critical Army-led initiative under the Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The primary goal of the IBS program is to provide a consolidated, interoperable broadcast capability that delivers time-sensitive tactical and strategic intelligence, as well as targeting data, to all echelons of Joint Service operational users. The program supports the modernization and sustainment of IBS terminals compatible with UHF SATCOM broadcasts. This directly benefits key mission areas such as Air and Missile Defense, Long Range Precision Fires, Soldier Lethality, and Network Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) operations.

The Joint Program Office (JPO) for IBS Terminals is responsible for coordinating these modernization efforts across the Joint Services and the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM). The JPO manages the development and sustainment of the Joint Tactical Terminal (JTT), which is the official IBS system. The JTT ensures continued interoperability with a wide range of tactical producers and consumers, and currently includes the JTT-Senior, JTT-IBS, and JTT-Next Generation (JTT-NG) configurations. A significant objective is to update JTT terminals to incorporate Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) elements, ensuring compatibility with evolving SATCOM requirements and maintaining operational relevance.

The EF4: Integrated Broadcast System budget line specifically funds ongoing software development, integration, and certification activities for IBS modernization. Funding supports vendor terminal software development and porting, vendor and independent testing, integration, and certification by government and contracting agencies such as the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC), National Security Agency (NSA), Navy, and DRS. These efforts are essential to ensure that IBS terminals meet current and future operational requirements, maintain interoperability, and comply with security standards such as Type-1 encryption, Common Interactive Broadcast (CIB), and Common Message Format (CMF).

Objectives for the upcoming fiscal year include continued management of JTT-NG software modernization activities, encompassing verification and validation testing, engineering support, certification, and software deployment planning. The increase in funding is attributed to the need for additional personnel to manage requirements, development, engineering, and test activities, as well as to support Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) processes. This approach is intended to accelerate the delivery of new capabilities and ensure that software updates can be rapidly fielded to address emerging threats and operational needs.

A key component of the IBS modernization effort is the integration of MUOS-WCDMA technology, which will enhance the ability of JTT terminals to operate over modern SATCOM constellations, including support for Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) SATCOM integration. The program also emphasizes compliance with military standards (MIL-STD), configuration management, and upgrades to the IBS-LEO/IBS-Alt path. These enhancements are designed to address obsolescence, improve communication security (COMSEC), and support the migration from legacy to updated SATCOM architectures.

Testing and certification activities are a major focus, with planned support for CI/CD engineering, additional JITC testing, and NSA certification of MUOS-WCDMA capabilities. The acquisition strategy is guided by the IBS Operational Requirements Document (ORD) and the consolidated IBS Information Systems-Capability Development Document (ISCDD), which outline the need for a common tactical terminal solution and ongoing modernization to keep pace with technological advances and operational demands.