Hawai'i is playing a key role in the development of a sophisticated mobile communications system designed to save American lives on the battlefield, and civilian lives in humanitarian missions, including the ongoing relief effort in the Gulf states devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

When standard communications systems go down, this mobile communications command center is designed to keep vital information flowing between the front lines and military command headquarters.

A prototype of the Mobile Modular Command Center (M2C2) was unveiled earlier this month at a U.S. Marine training facility on Bellows Air Force Station.

Its primary purpose is to save lives of Marines who are the first sent into battles, and who have to cope with a system that often leaves them with no communications during the first critical hours or days of a mission.

The Hawai'i-produced M2C2 units provide the Marines with the capability of "over the horizon" and "on the move" satellite communications. In other words, the M2C2 mobile command center links the troops on the ground with command centers on board ships, central battlefield command centers, and even the Pentagon or Marine Headquarters half a world away via secure satellite communications.

But M2C2 has a dual purpose long sought after in the halls of Congress, and by American taxpayers. And you can credit Hawai'i's senior senator, Daniel K. Inouye, for having the foresight to accomplish that dual purpose, using military research dollars for both military and domestic purposes; and at the same time giving Hawai'i's economy a boost.

In addition to saving lives of Americans on the battlefields, M2C2 would have saved lives in Hurricane Katrina, and it would have saved lives in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami in December.

Some National Guard commanders in Mississippi had to resort to what was termed the "Civil War" way of relaying information, making a soldier run between command posts with handwritten notes during Katrina rescue missions.

In this day and age of sophisticated technology, that is an embarrassment and quite frankly a crime.

M2C2 doesn't depend on cell phone towers and electric power grids that go down in a disaster. It links ground personnel with remote command headquarters using the latest in wideband satellite communications, digital data and laser technology.

M2C2 is also light enough to be lifted by helicopter to a target zone or ground zero relief center, or dropped by parachute to a battlefield. It requires little set-up time.

As Marine Brig. Gen. Steven Hummer described it during its unveiling, M2C2 will give military commanders "virtual situational awareness."

Gen. Hummer should know. He was part of the U.S. assault on Baghdad, and his division had to stop, set up a satellite link, download e-mails and then shut it all down to continue moving as they marched on Iraq's capital.

Working with the Office of Naval Research, Sen. Inouye obtained $6.9 million in R&D project funds for M2C2. On Sept. 8, two prototypes were delivered to the Marines at Bellows.

The M2C2 phase two proposal calls for up to $20 million for testing, integration and additional M2C2 units equipped with "lessons learned" technology additions.

Phase three production costs are pending.

As the M2C2 prime contractor, Hawai'i's Pacific Technologies recruited a world-class technical team consisting of Raytheon, Monitor and Pelatron, a Native Hawaiian firm.

They are working together with the Marines from Kane'ohe Marine Corps Base, and the government team from the Office of Naval Research to design, integrate and deliver the M2C2 prototypes in 12 months — six months ahead of schedule.

They are working together to reduce the estimated $1 million dollar cost per M2C2 unit, by figuring out a way to shed some of the top-secret military coding and equipment. Every state should have at least two of these M2C2 Homeland Security units to ensure that secure communications will be available in times of natural disaster or another terrorist attack in America.

They are working together with one goal in mind: saving lives.

David Ushio is president of Pacific Technologies and M2C2 program manager and a past member of The Advertiser's Community Editorial Board. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.