FACTOR 13
same phrase: “Game changer.” While the systems—and the process that delivered them—are far from perfect, they offer a dramatic improvement over what Sol- diers had before. As U.S. forces close out their missions
in Afghanistan, the net-
work will be there to support them until they come home.
For more information, go to http://peoc3t.
army.mil or
http://www.army.mil/asaalt.
ADDING IT ALL UP
CS 13’s arrival in theater culminates a total Army effort to field the technologies quickly. The effort spans dozens of commands and locations, requiring constant coordination among network and vehicle project managers, production facilities, brigade staffs, fielding personnel and training professionals. Several key CS 13 integration efforts took place at the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, SC, shown here. (Photo courtesy of SPAWAR)
fielding strategy hinges not just on integrated
equipment, but also on
integrated delivery, training and troubleshooting. We have made good strides in that direction, assigning an ASA(ALT) “trail boss” to oversee CS fielding to each unit; providing units with training on what
system functionality; and
cross-training field support personnel so they can develop subject-matter expertise across the CS portfolio.
But there are more steps we can take—for example, creating a formal mechanism to capture and transfer the engineer- ing and integration knowledge gained at the NIE events for better use by per- sonnel on the ground in theater. Tere is also value to formally implementing a leader’s course to help commanders understand how to fight using the inte- grated network capabilities. Just as we have training for commanders to fight
18 Army AL&T Magazine
using heavy weapons capabilities, air sup- port capabilities, indirect fire capabilities, etc., commanders need to understand the network as a combat multiplier, not just a collection of signal capabilities.
the entire capability
set brings to the fight, rather than just individual
Another important lesson learned from this process is that no matter how sophisticated the technology or high- profile the campaign, we need boots on the ground to actually make it happen. It was fortunate that the right people with the right skill sets converged in Afghan- istan to coordinate with retrograde efforts, gather the necessary equipment and put it all together to meet the unit’s timeline. Te Army needs to develop more of these technically savvy indi- viduals and support them when they go into harm’s way.
CONCLUSION When asked during their training rota- tions to describe CS 13, leaders from 4/10 and 3/10 kept coming back to the
October–December 2013
LTC BILL VENABLE is the ASA(ALT) SoSE&I theater lead, deployed to OEF to support the CS 13 fielding effort. He holds B.S. degrees in computer science and cognitive psychology from Mississippi State University. Venable currently is working on master’s degrees in business administration and adult education from Troy State University. He is Level III certified in program management and is a member of the U.S. Army Acquisition Corps (AAC).
MR. MICHAEL VALDEZ is the Fielding Branch chief for PEO C3T’s Project Manager (PM) WIN-T and served as the PEO C3T liaison officer in Afghanistan during the CS 13 fielding effort. He holds a B.S. degree in business administration from the University of Maryland and is working on a bachelor’s in computer networks and security. Valdez is Level III certified in life- cycle logistics and is a member of the AAC.
MR. CLIFTON BASNIGHT is the Technical Management Division chief for Product Manager Network Systems, under PEO C3T’s PM Tactical Radios. He deployed to OEF to support the CS 13 fielding effort. He holds a B.A. in liberal studies from Excelsior College and is currently working on a master’s in information technology from Virginia Tech. Basnight is Level III certified in information technology and a Cisco Certified Network Professional. He is a member of the AAC.
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