Opportunities for Advanced Speech Processing in Military Computer-Based Systems*

The author presents a study of military applications of advanced speech processing technology which includes three major elements: (1) review and assessment of current efforts in military applications of speech technology. (2) identification of opportunities for future military applications of advanced speech technology, and (3) identification of problem areas where research in speech processing is needed to meet application requirements, and of current research thrusts which appear promising. Opportunities for advanced applications are identified by means of descriptions of several generic systems which would be possible with advances in speech technology and in system integration. These generic systems include an integrated multirate voice/data communications terminal, an interactive speech enhancement system, a voice-controlled pilot's associate system, advanced air traffic control training systems, a battle management command and control support system with spoken natural language interface, and a spoken language translation system. In the applications discussed, various spectral analysis and digitization techniques are teamed up with artificial intelligence schemes to allow a machine to recognize continuous-speech sentences with vocabularies running to thousands of words. >

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