Team SPAWAR Participates in Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration 2010

By Erin Bridges, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Public Affairs

June 28, 2010 - SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) Pacific hosted the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (CWID) June 21–24.

This year's event tested and evaluated at the San Diego site in either classified or unclassified scenarios to simulate multiagency responses to various situations.

"My primary goal was to match our technologies to outstanding C4ISR requirements in all realms, whether it be maritime domain awareness or homeland security and first responder support," said Jay Iannacito, CWID project manager from SSC Pacific's C2 Technologies and Experimentation Division.

The classified portion, located in the E2C Lab, simulated a carrier strike group operating in the Indian Ocean with coalition forces. Representatives from the United States, Finland, Germany, Italy and Canada worked together in the lab.

The unclassified portion, located in the lab's parking lot, spent the first week simulating a multiagency response to a wildfire. During the second week, the simulations focused on multiagency response to a terrorist attack.

CWID provided an opportunity to try different technologies in an operational coalition environment when lives are not on the line.

"It's important to test in an operational coalition environment because if you don't test it in the field, it will fail in the field," Iannacito said.

During the first few days of the event, some technologies did not work as expected. Developers had a chance to identify the problems and, when possible, adapt the product to continue with the scenarios.

"We were either able to fix them or we weren't, and we had to move on," Iannacito said. "Some stuff just has played out to be unsuitable for this environment."

Other technologies thrived. Their performance during the demonstration could help market the product to potential customers to ultimately provide better interoperable capability in the event of a real emergency situation.