When the Department of Defense first began implementing communications networks using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), network protocols were fairly immature. Configuration of devices was manual, security and prioritization were absent, network management was immature, and communications speeds were incredibly slow by today’s standards. Over time, our IP networks have become more robust, more user-friendly, and equivalently more relied upon by users and managers. Our users now expect a high level of performance from our IPv4 networks. We have in-depth security systems, highly robust network management, auto-configuration, prioritization, converged voice and video, multicast, mobility and high-speed performance capabilities on our IPv4 networks.The challenge of implementing IPv6 into an Army network comes from two conditions placed upon DoD by Congress: Do No Harm and IPv4 Parity. The first is easily understood and met — we do not want to diminish our current communications capability in order to develop a future capability. The second is the real challenge: that the IPv6 network will perform equivalent to or better than the current IPv4 network.
http://military-information-technology.com/article.cfm?DocID=2146
Challenge of implementing IPv6 into the US Army
When the Department of Defense first began implementing communications networks using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), network protocols were fairly immature. Configuration of devices was manual, security and prioritization were absent, network management was immature, and communications speeds were incredibly slow by today’s standards. Over time, our IP networks have become more robust, more user-friendly, and equivalently more relied upon by users and managers. Our users now expect a high level of performance from our IPv4 networks. We have in-depth security systems, highly robust network management, auto-configuration, prioritization, converged voice and video, multicast, mobility and high-speed performance capabilities on our IPv4 networks.