KEEPING WATCH
Force Joint Command CJ6, USFOR-A CJ6 and ASAALT (Forward), and OEF Regional Commands South and East. This collaborative environment allowed for the frank discussion ments,
of logistics, installation plans, and
capabilities, and greatly improved both understanding and support of the C5ISR execution while enabling the rapid reso- lution of integration issues.
The second major integration challenge existed within the Aerial Layer Network Extension. Executing this capability requ- ired testing, design, manufacture, and deployment
coordination, along with
support of three different platform PMs, including one external to the Army, and five different radio providers. After sev- eral weeklong sessions with CENTCOM, G-3/5/7,
platform PMs, and theater
representatives, the team developed a baseline, high-level aerial layer architec- ture, which dictated the radio capability and platform to be provided and where they would be fielded. Additionally, the team performed in-depth technical and design reviews, with each platform owner ultimately producing a site-specific bill- of-materials-level design for each site.
These marathon sessions with all key stakeholders were paramount to the ini- tial planning phase. They resulted in not only a detailed design for test, but also a bill of materials for ordering and the input to provide a detailed cost estimate, which gained quick buy-in from DA staff. In parallel, the U.S. Army Communications- Electronics
Research, Development,
and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate team led multiple iterations of testing at Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), AZ, and produced an Aerial Layer Assessment documenting the safety, performance, and recommended path for- ward for the integrated material solutions.
32
require-
“The YPG Aerial Layer Assessment laid the foundation for the material solutions. … We learned a lot about how to integrate communication payloads on what were traditionally ISR platforms,” noted Henry Muller Jr., Director, CERDEC Intelligence and
“The success of
Information Warfare Directorate. these integration efforts
added the much-needed technical cred- ibility this newly formed team leveraged to garner Army Requirements and Resourc- ing Board [AR2B] approval and funding to execute the IOC phase of the Aerial Layer Network Extension effort.”
FIELDING PREPARATIONS Preparation for fielding the C5ISR solu- tion took place in multiple steps. First, the product director teamed early with the Training Support Division (TSD) of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command to build a deployment and training approach. The approach included three distinct deployment teams operating independently, with the requisite skill sets, to facilitate installation and training at the sites identified in the IOC list.
The TSD staffed these teams in time for their participation in several of the testing events at YPG; the results were then integrated with the team’s
presence downrange, before and during the fielding cycle,” noted BG(P) Harold J. Greene, Program Executive Officer IEW&S. “The forward C5ISR team that we deployed is still paying dividends, as the rotating forces and theater leadership depend on them to educate and reinforce the benefits that the C5ISR gear brings to the fight.”
CONCLUSION Team C5ISR is currently fielding all five capabilities across each of
the regional
commands. Fielding of the Aerial Layer Network Extension began in November 2011, just six months after Army Staff approval and receipt of AR2B funding. We are well-positioned to take on several post-IOC efforts once the initial fieldings have been completed this summer.
COL MATTHEW SCHNAIDT is Proj- ect Director for the Army Special Programs Office at Fort Belvoir, VA, in the Program Executive
Office Intelligence, Electronic
Warfare, and Sensors (PEO IEW&S). He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy, an M.S. in computer science from the Naval Postgraduate
School, and an M.A. train-
ing in preparation for deployment. This rehearsal, known as the Yuma Proving Ground Training Culmination Event, provided the team members with the hands-on experience of
integrating the
radios onto the platforms and into the network at the one place outside of OEF where this was possible.
Next, a team went to OEF several months before the aerial layer deployment, to pave the way with the staffs for the deploy- ment as well as to facilitate the ongoing fielding ahead of the other four C5ISR capabilities. “This ONS was too impor- tant to us not to have a strong leadership
in
acquisition and contract management from Webster University. Schnaidt is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
TERRY CLAUSSEN is Deputy Product Director for Team C5ISR, PEO Command, Control, and Communications – Tactical at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. He is a U.S. Army Acquisition Corps member.
KEITH KONOP is Team C5ISR’s Chief Engineer supporting PEO IEW&S at Aber- deen Proving Ground, MD, on behalf of SMART Engineering Consultants LLC. He holds a B.S. in aerospace engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York University.
Army AL&T Magazine
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