YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — The Army’s 1st Signal Brigade — which handles voice and data communications for forces on the peninsula — has become the first brigade to field three of the military’s newest control systems, allowing commanders to manage battlefield communications.

The Integrated Systems Controls system will strengthen the ability of command-and-control centers to manage tactical networks that often are cluttered by dozens of voice and data sources, officials said.

“The ISYSCON is the most advanced tool General Dynamics has built to date,” said Capt. Michael Kaul, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Signal Brigade. “It provides planners the ability to manage all available tactical assets in the brigade.”

The system relies on two advanced software programs to follow all data paths on the military’s network. If one or more routing paths or links have been damaged, officials said, the system will track and forward that information.

“Real-time” tracking of communications is one of the biggest benefits, 1st Signal Brigade officials said.

“With the networking monitoring tools we are able to capture near-real-time information and current status of the network,” said Warrant Officer Robert Byrd, of the 307th Signal Battalion. “This is an important part of the situational awareness necessary to react promptly, and possibly save a soldier’s life because we know what is happening at that moment.”

Another feature of the ISYSCON is that it houses a full database of all tactical equipment and communications gear for every unit in the Army, officials said.

“This gives us the opportunity to preplan for units being deployed from the U.S. to the Republic of Korea and tie into our network, just in the case of a future conflict,” Kaul said.

The system also can help units set up communications hubs in terrain that otherwise might block or disrupt signals, officials said.

ISYSCON makes use of maps and terrain models to simulate transmission strengths from various locations.

The system then makes a recommendation of where to set up communications systems so that the impact of rough terrain on signal strength is mitigated.