For years, soldiers stationed far from home have relied on letters, packages and occasional phone calls to stay in touch with loved ones. With video conferencing technology, military personnel can connect with family members back home in real time. For example, a Navy petty officer can join his wife and share his baby's first moments. An Army private can watch her daughter's graduation. A family can share a holiday meal and open gifts with their Marine son. Family separation is one of the most negative aspects of troop deployment, according to "How Deployments Affect Service Members," a study by the Rand Corp. Researchers surveyed and conducted focus groups with U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003 and 2004. They found that being separated from family caused higher-than-usual stress and significantly reduced individuals' intention to re-enlist. E-mail also was unreliable and difficult to access, they said, because of the limited number of computers. Military video conferencing provides such a way to keep families together.

In this article, we'll talk about how video conferencing works, how the military uses this technology and how families connect using video conferencing. They exchange visual information with Webcams (digital video cameras) and streaming video. Audio content may be distributed via computer or the telephone system. The chief advantage of video conferencing is that audiences tend to absorb information better if they are both seeing and hearing it. To accomplish that, video conferencing programs combine Web page tools and Internet communication into one interface to create an interactive meeting environment. Software is used to compress the data so that it can travel more quickly via ISDN lines, broadband Internet or WiFi. When the data reaches its destination, it's decompressed to be viewed on a computer monitor or television screen and heard through speakers. Video conferencing software can be purchased by itself, or the software and server space can be provided by a hosting service. The U.S. military uses video conferencing in several different ways.

The U.S. Army first used digital communication technology in 1990 to broadcast a training course to five National Guard sites in Kentucky. Today, the Army uses digital communication technology -- including video conferencing -- for everything from training to war planning. Every year, for example, 35,000 hours of training is broadcast to 1,200 U.S. Video conferencing speeds up the work of the military justice system by connecting experts in one location with military tribunals or medical review boards in another. And, the Army's combat planning in Iraq includes daily video conferences to outline daily missions and review strategy with field commanders, plus additional conferences with troops. These meetings are transmitted using the Aethra SuperNova video teleconference system. Because the details are top secret, these video conferences require secure transmissions. Video and audio signals are sent across hard-wired, fiber-optic connections to and from each conference site, over encoded military satellite systems, or a combination of both.

Over time, commanders recognized the need to let soldiers use that technology to connect with their families at home. Next, we'll see how military video conferencing works for military personnel and their families. During the Gulf War, companies such as AT&T provided phone connections from the Persian Gulf to the United States, so that personnel at some bases could make 10-minute "morale calls" home once or twice a month. Morale calls still exist, but so do e-mail, chat rooms and video conferencing services via the Defense Switched Network (DSN), the military's global telecommunications network. This all connects to the military concept of "readiness" by troops and their families. Military readiness means troops are focused and ready for duty at all times, free from distractions due to personal problems or inadequate training. S. military bases. Most military video conferencing options are open only to immediate family members such as spouses and children, parents and siblings. Video conferencing options, equipment and availability vary, depending on the branch of military service, the size of the base and other factors.

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