AFMC Command News

Hanscom to lead Air Force efforts on interoperability demo

  • Published
  • By Chuck Paone
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Officials here are busy setting up a mock air operations center for the annual Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration, which will run June 15 through 25.

Hanscom is once again serving as a major host site for CWID and the lead Air Force site. Operators from the Air Force, other services, the Air National Guard, various civil agencies and forces from Canada, Australia and New Zealand will be on hand.

CWID is a global, annual event directed by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and sponsored by U.S. Joint Forces Command. It's designed to investigate and assess command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies for potential solutions to near-term warfighter and agency capability gaps.

It is, according to organizers, the only mechanism by which the United States and allied militaries and industries test and evaluate the interoperability of their respective C4ISR systems.

The Electronic Systems Center's 653rd Electronic Systems Wing's enterprise integration division is hosting activities within its C4ISR enterprise integration facility and in the division's newly renovated tactical shelters. The center will host 21 interoperability trials in which operators assess technologies at various stages of development to determine their potential for meeting critical warfighting needs.

"We fight as a joint and coalition team and interoperability is critical to our success," said Col. Jeff Hodgdon, the 653rd ELSW enterprise integration division director and the combined forces air component commander for the demonstration. "CWID provides a great, low-cost opportunity to demonstrate emerging and improving technologies for acquisition programs and our warfighters. We also realize that other government agency interoperability is just as important, which is why we're hosting a homeland defense/homeland security node."

The combined team at Hanscom, which includes members from the Massachusetts Air National Guard and coalition partners, is looking forward to putting this year's trials through their paces, Colonel Hodgdon said.

Although CWID is not officially categorized as an exercise, CWID will play out as one in many ways. This year's version will differ from previous years in that it will feature one, continuous nine-day scenario with no repetition.

All parts of that scenario are based on real-world environments, according to Steve Campbell of the CWID joint management office. Also, all activity is simulated, which helps keep action levels high and costs low.

Unlike many other venues, CWID offers three levels of assessment for its interoperability trials. First, warfighters judge an interoperability trial's operational utility. Then, joint interoperability test command experts evaluate the trials for interoperability with other operational systems. Finally, National Security Agency specialists look at how well information assurance needs are met.

CWID's technical transition working group will closely examine fielded and near-fielded systems along with mature technologies showing significant promise to help transition the trial to a program of record or operational use.

"CWID is designed around the need to fill critical capability gaps identified by the Air Force, its sister services and our coalition partners," said Capt. Todd Watson, the division's CWID project officer. "Additionally, each of our wings maintains its own list of technology gaps, and this venue gives them a chance to see technologies at work in their own backyard that might meet their specific needs."

Since C4ISR has been identified by the secretary of defense as perhaps the pre-eminent enabler of current operational success, meeting those C4ISR needs is arguably more important than ever.

"The CWID process of identifying near-term warfighter challenges, choosing trials and technologies that 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 big potential payoffs," Colonel Hodgdon said.

At Hanscom, demonstration leaders stimulate the environment using modeling and simulation with scripted scenarios replicating warfighter air missions and processes.

"Acquisition program managers, warfighters and contractors get to see the art of the possible - what works and what does not meet expectations under realistic conditions," Colonel Hodgdon said.

CWID also offers a real opportunity for ESC's wings and groups "to drive and leverage this event," he said. "It's a great venue for programs to conduct risk reduction, do a fly-off between emerging technologies and do early assessment. With the right effort, we could eliminate many of our own technical shortfalls as well as solve real-world C4ISR issues for the U.S. and our coalition partners."

The colonel noted that the combined team of experts is ready to execute and is looking forward to showcasing CWID to distinguished visitors.

Registration is open to government employees, contractors, members of the military and Hanscom civilians. The CEIF will be conducting tours from June 22 to 25. To register for the event, people should visit the CWID web site at www.cwid.js.mil.