Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) joined eleven other Navy commands at the U.S. Navy Information Warfare (IW) pavilion to provide a glimpse into the IW community’s mission to advance, align, deliver, support and sustain capabilities that enable the future fleet during WEST 2022 at the San Diego Convention Center, Feb. 16-18.
In its seventh year at WEST, the IW pavilion demonstrated the Navy's commitment to maintaining maritime superiority in a complex, information-driven environment using speakers, panels, subject matter experts and technology demonstrations.
“Now, more than ever, our focus is on delivering the information warfare capabilities the Navy needs for any potential battle,” said Vice Adm. Jeffrey Trussler, deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of naval intelligence. “When we talk about the information age, it’s all about speed, it’s about the precision of information you get, and acting on it in an appropriate amount of time for decision advantage to enable connected, combat-ready forces.”
Vice Adm. Kelly Aeschbach, commander, Naval Information Forces, expanded on the importance of delivering information at speed and scale, highlighting the value of industry engagements and partnerships.
“The set of capabilities that Information Warfare brings is indispensable to all mission areas of naval and joint operations,” said Aeschbach. “We are delighted to be a major participant at WEST 2022. This conference is an important opportunity to connect with our industry partners as they are critical enablers to our warfighting capability, providing innovative solutions that we need now and into the future.”
As a part of the IW speaker series NAVWAR Commander Rear Adm. Doug Small hosted a question and answer session that focused largely on Project Overmatch, the high priority initiative aimed at connecting platforms, weapons, and sensors together in a robust Naval Operational Architecture that integrates with Joint All-Domain Command and Control for enhanced Distributed Maritime Operations.
To explain the concept in broader terms, Small described the ubiquity of digital platforms we all use in our daily lives, and contrasted the ease with which we upgrade and use those systems with the complex processes we use for military systems.
“When you download Yelp on your phone, they don’t come to your house to see if it will open properly, if every possible information flow across every network, whether it’s Wi-Fi or cellular or 4G, that all those data paths work,” he said. “They don’t need to because they’ve already done all that work on that digital platform. That’s all we’re trying to do.”
Following the best practices of the commercial software industry, he explained that we need to deliver digital platforms to our operators and make sure the applications can communicate and perform their functions in harsh environments, with whatever data paths are available.
While at WEST, Small also participated on the panel “What Changes Should Be Made to the DoD Acquisition Process to Accelerate and Adapt to Meet the Future?”
“I believe we have all the authorities we need and the tax payers’ dollars to do what we need to do,” said Small.
He added that what is needed is to apply the “resources we have to the truly meaningful outcomes that are required to deliver at speed and scale.”
For many attendees, the most anticipated part of the IW pavilion was the return of the in-person engagement zone, giving them the opportunity to informally meet with dozens of program managers, business portfolio managers and subject matter experts to discuss capabilities, service offerings and opportunities for partnerships.
“What surprised me the most about this year’s WEST was how grateful industry was to get just five minutes of my time,” said Capt. Andy Gibbons, program manager, Communications and GPS Navigation Program Office. “It is an example of the separation we have all felt in industry – acquisition teaming due to the pandemic. It’s been a great event where teaming was rekindled and many more new relationships were born.”
This year the IW pavilion hosted 14 technology demonstrations and static displays that showcased various systems and capabilities that support and facilitate information warfare across all warfare domains. This included unmanned under water vehicles, a 5G test lab, artificial intelligence integration in planning operations, predictive tools to increase readiness, cybersecurity applications and software development.
By sharing insights into Navy tools, capabilities and tactics, attendees were able to see how they could contribute to the needs of the mission.
“We wanted to take what can be a complex process and break it down into easy-to-understand topics,” said Karina Schmidt, Compile to Combat Application Modernization and Onboarding (CAMO) project manager at Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific, who demonstrated her team's application of development, security, and operations (DevSecOps) in a DoD environment. "With this process we are able to dramatically reduce the time it takes for software to go from a developer's keyboard into the hands of the warfighter. Visitors hopefully left our demo with a better understanding of how they can apply DevSecOps and why it represents the ‘Rosetta Stone’ of rapidly deploying better software to the fleet.”
Also interesting to attendees was NIWC Pacific’s 5G test lab demonstration. The demo included graphical user interface displays that showed network and cell sites being configured, and user equipment connecting to the network.
"Our demonstration is for the DoD stakeholder investigating 5G technology applied to custom tactical radio solutions,” said Ricardo Lizarraga, electronic warfare engineer at NIWC Pacific. “We use the latest generation base-station network emulator, combined with additional test equipment, and custom software developed in house to emulate a 5G standards compliant cellular network in a lab environment. We then use automation to test various user equipment under similar conditions, or a single user device with varying protocol or cell behavior. This work is part of a larger NIWC Pacific investment in labs, equipment, tools, and skills supporting 5G for naval applications."
To encourage and facilitate industry connections and partnerships, NAVWAR also had representatives from the command’s Office of Small Business and Small Business Innovation Research Programs on hand to provide information on how to do business with NAVWAR.
The premier naval conference and exposition on the West Coast, WEST is now in its 32nd year of bringing military and industry leaders together. Co-sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute, WEST is the only event in which the makers of platforms and the designers of technologies can network, discuss and demonstrate their solutions in a single locale.
About NAVWAR
NAVWAR identifies, develops, delivers and sustains information warfighting capabilities and services that enable naval, joint, coalition and other national missions operating in warfighting domains from seabed to space and through cyberspace. NAVWAR consists of more than 11,000 civilian, active duty and reserve professionals located around the world.