weapons and provide the operator with environmental information. AMRDEC worked with Invariant Corp. to develop customized software that would manage the system, and RRC contacted HDT Global to refine the power management resources that would keep the container operational.
IS IT READY YET? Next up, testing. Te U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) tested the modified shipping container outfitted with the operational technology the Sol- dier needed, at Fort Huachuca, AZ, in early 2013. ATEC supported the quick turnaround needed for the system and worked diligently to confirm its safe operation by mid-June.
CCWS teamed with REF, AMRDEC and the project manager for Soldier weap- ons within the Program Executive Office for Soldier to develop an accelerated program plan. Te partnership allowed each organization to harness its strengths to get CWS into theater quickly. REF described the partnership as “the perfect marriage.” Te first CWS hit the ground in Afghanistan eight months after receipt of funding.
Jay Crawford, an experienced test engi- neer from the CCWS Project Office, was working in Afghanistan when he saw the 10-liner come through for the CWS. He and Dillon have worked together for 20 years on various projects, including the Javelin missile.
Complications arose with getting the first unit into theater because of logistical issues with transport and field support, in addition to the normal requirements for briefs to various levels of leadership involved in theater. Crawford stepped in. He volunteered to provide hands-on expertise to get this new equipment into
field use. He set up the new system in two different locations and checked its performance under different conditions. He took delivery of parts, conducted nec- essary maintenance and, most important, trained the Soldiers in its proper use and showed them the system’s potential
in
order to maximize the investment in its development.
“My greatest satisfaction is seeing some- thing I’ve worked on used to help the warfighter,” Crawford said. “I’ve often told folks that I have the best job in the world. I get to go to the field [and] test new equipment to make sure it will work when the warfighter needs it.”
FIRST STOP: ROCKET CITY Te first two CWS units were put in place at a forward operating base (FOB) nicknamed Rocket City because it took so much mortar and rocket indirect fire (IDF). Te FOB’s first sergeant had built a small outpost (OP) to push the enemy away and reduce their effectiveness. He saw that CWS could reduce the risk to guards on duty. Within three days of installing the CWS, a rocket was launched over the OP into the main base. Te CWS operator located the rocket’s point of ori- gin and engaged it with the CWS within seconds, stopping incoming fire from that sector for more than a month.
CWS was also used at this location to cover troops on patrol. In the past, snip- ers covered the patrols. “If we take contact, we just take cover and let the CWS go to work,” the first sergeant reported.
CONCLUSION Initial feedback from the field was extremely positive. One first sergeant submitted this comment: “... Just wanted to give you a quick update on the CWS. It has continued to be a force multiplier. Today we received one round of IDF
from outside the OP and were able to engage the enemy with the CWS. I knew that it would only take days before the CWS would prove to be a huge asset to have on the OP. I, along with my unit, can’t thank you and everyone that has been a part of this project [enough]. You all have truly made us a more lethal and safer force …”
CCWS Project Manager Bill Ruta noted that CWS “keeps the Soldier foremost in mind.” While the system is still in the assessment phase, additional CWS units are ready for deployment. Larger solar panels have been added for greater power, among other improvements.
Based on the favorable reception CWS has received so far in Afghanistan, Dillon and his colleagues hope to get permanent funding so that CWS can become a pro- gram of record. Requests are rolling in from many units and are waiting to be filled. In the meantime, Dillon couldn’t be happier with how the project went.
“I don’t think there’s any greater feeling than when you hear back from Soldiers in the field about how the systems or projects that you have been working on have saved lives and have enabled them to come home to their families. It really motivates you to say to yourself, ‘How can we do more for them?’ Tey really deserve our best in all we do.”
For more information about CCSW PO, go
to
http://www.msl.army.mil/Pages/ CCWS/
default.html.
MS. CHERIE BLOCKER is a knowledge management specialist at the CCWS Project Office. She serves as the integrated digital environment lead. She is Level II certified in information technology.
ASC.ARMY.MIL
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