Hanscom Airmen to participate in annual interoperability demo

  • Published
  • By Patty Welsh
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AFNS) --  Members of the 653rd Electronic Systems Wing's Enterprise Integration Division are preparing for Hanscom AFB to once again become a key site for this year's Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration from June 14 through 24.

CWID is a global, annual event directed by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It is designed to investigate and assess command and control, communication systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies for potential solutions to near-term warfighter and agency capability gaps. U.S. Joint Forces Command officials provide oversight, while Defense Information Systems Agency officials manage day-to-day operations.

The demonstration takes place at multiple sites across the United States and additional sites hosted by officials from NATO, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Hanscom AFB is the lead Air Force site For the CWID scenario, the primary mission here is to publish the air tasking order/airspace control order and provide the simulated air campaign picture.

"CWID provides a great way to demonstrate emerging and improving technologies for acquisition programs and our warfighters," said Col. Jeff Hodgdon, the 653 ELSW EID director and the Combined Forces Air Component commander for the demonstration.

The CWID process of identifying near-term warfighter challenges, choosing what trials and technologies have the potential to meet those shortfalls, integrating capabilities and executing globally in a simulated, realistic environment is a cost-effective way to evaluate technologies with large potential payoffs, he said.

"This year, 33 technologies have been selected to be assessed as part of CWID," said Capt. Lara Styles-Smith, the alternate Hanscom AFB site lead for CWID. "Of those, 13 will either be hosted here, or we will be providing infrastructure-type support for them."

Some of the technologies to be hosted include the following:

-- TacView is a compact, rugged, Windows XP tablet personal computer for use in all flight conditions and high workload environments to ensure crews receive real-time information.

-- Joint Mission Planning Software Virtual User Environment provides information access across multiple networks at different classification levels from a single workstation.

-- Ballistic Missile Defense-Flex builds an air picture through interfaces with various systems and data links to provide situational awareness for warfighters.

All demonstrations will be conducted in a simulated operational environment. Using modeling and simulation, scripted scenarios will replicate warfighter air missions and processes.

CWID provides an opportunity for acquisition staffs, warfighters and contractors to see what works and what doesn't under realistic conditions, Colonel Hodgdon said.

In addition to traditional military scenarios, two scenarios will gauge technologies dealing with homeland security and defense. One scenario involves a hurricane affecting the East Coast and the second scenario consists of a terrorist attack in Boston.

"Through these scenarios, the participants can evaluate how each technology works," Captain Styles-Smith said. "The goal is to get feedback from the organizations that would be using the capability, and if the technology is successful, try to get it transitioned for use.

A trial from last year's CWID, the ReadyResponders Network, an information-sharing portal hosted by a nonprofit organization, has recently been used in Haiti to coordinate and improve response efforts.

"We know that in today's environment, government agency interoperability is extremely important, which is why we're hosting a homeland defense/homeland security node here," Colonel Hodgdon said.

EID members are preparing for CWID now by doing network testing. The last two weeks of May, the equipment needed for the technology trials will arrive. Following, the people who will act as the operators during the scenarios will be trained.

In addition to the U.S. military, CWID participants include military from the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark and Italy, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local first responders.

"We fight as a joint team and interoperability is vital to our success," Colonel Hodgdon said. "Our combined team of (electronic systems center) personnel, Massachusetts Air National Guardsmen and coalition partners is looking forward to putting this year's trials through their paces, working the tools and providing assessments that optimize potential capabilities for our U.S. and coalition warfighters, as well as homeland defense specialists and first responders."

"CWID offers a great venue to conduct risk reductions, perform flyoffs between emerging technologies and do early assessments," Colonel Hodgdon said. "It's a great opportunity for ESC. With the right effort, we could eliminate many of our own technical shortfalls as well as solve real-world (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) issues that exist for the U.S. and our coalition partners."