Fiber optics trends and strategic applications

The authors first present the historical and forecasted trends in fiber optic technology, with implications for the expected cost of such transmission systems. The latest example of technology advances, the optical amplifier, is highlighted. The worldwide deployment of fiber optic systems is illustrated, and applications to the US Department of Defense are discussed. The Defense Commercial Telecommunications Network is presented as an example. The spectrum of threats to NS/EP (national security and emergency preparedness) telecommunications is presented, as are the implications of the reduced emphasis on a massive nuclear attack. The potential roles of embedded network intelligence and of standards such as synchronous optical network (SONET) in improving end-to-end survivability of critical NS/EP connectivity are discussed