The Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration is transforming from its traditional role as a venue for viewing technologies into a proving ground for solutions that can be fielded within 12 months of completion of the event. Organizers have adopted new standards and changed policy to better meet the goals of national civil agencies, improve the trial selection process, develop higher standards for trial submissions and create an execution environment that reflects the operational world. The objective is to find technology solutions that will enhance the capabilities of combatant commanders, military services and agencies that support the U.S. Defense Department in its effort to provide homeland defense and security.
Since its inception in the 1980s, the Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (JWID) has evolved to reflect the military’s emerging needs. The U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is hosting JWID 2004, which is being led by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The event takes place June 14 through 25 and will focus on helping the command meet the challenge of developing information-sharing capabilities between the Defense Department and civilian agencies through advancements in technology, tactics, procedures and policy.
Lt. Gen. Harry D. Raduege Jr., USAF, director, DISA, explains that JWID 2004 is different from its predecessors in a number of ways. Under new standards, proposed solutions must address requirements identified by the combatant commands, services and agencies and be sponsored by a government agency to participate in the event. The agency is responsible for ensuring that the technology is mature enough to be fielded within a year. If the solutions complete the challenges of JWID successfully, they will be considered for fielding by the government sponsor, the services or U.S. Joint Forces Command on behalf of the combatant commands.
 |
Maj. Gen. Dale Meyerrose, USAF, speaks to participants at the JWID final planning conference in Chesapeake, Virginia. As the director of architectures and integration, U.S. Northern Command—the JWID 2004 host command—Gen. Meyerrose has been working closely with DISA, the services, federal agencies and international participants to organize the event.
|
The participation policy also has changed for the 2004 demonstration. In the past, the host command invited organizations and companies to participate. However, this approach resulted in coalitions that were geographically based, which does not necessarily reflect the nature of operations today. This year, participants must not only be invited by NORTHCOM but also by the Combined Federated Battle Laboratory partners, which include Australia, Canada, NATO, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. “The JWID coalition is now based on participation of the willing, which is a reflection of the real operational environment,” the general explains. For JWID 2004, the United States is sponsoring the Republic of Korea, and NATO is sponsoring Partnership for Peace nations. NORTHCOM is sponsoring U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies in the United States and Canada.
“Gone are the days when trials were not screened, sponsored, mature or matched to an operational requirement—the trade show and test labs. The focus is to provide capabilities to users in a finite time frame. This is not your daddy’s JWID!” Gen. Raduege states.
The general admits that the biggest challenge the JWID team has faced in organizing this year’s event has been developing procedures and information domains that will benefit a wide range of users—from the first responder to the combatant commander. “This is something that has not been done before but is desperately needed,” he points out.
Another challenge has been addressing the information-sharing requirements of the homeland security organizations of the various nations that will participate in the event, he adds. “We have, in fact, made significant changes in JWID policies to facilitate not only Defense Department interoperability improvements but also improvements in information sharing between national homeland security organizations. The response to these changes and new focus was so positive that we had nations knocking down the door to participate in this new JWID environment,” the general says.
This overabundance of interest actually is the source of another issue organizers have faced over the past year of event planning: controlling the growth of participation. “We are stretched to limits managing the various networks, domains, partnerships and missions of the participants. We have already exceeded our assessment capacity and have to look at making the trial screening process more rigorous than it already is. The participants view the new JWID as a valuable venue to address and resolve their interoperability issues. Because of this, other organizations have shown keen interest in participating in 2005,” Gen. Raduege shares. DISA plans to begin coordination with participants earlier, set limits on the number of trials and examine a reallocation of resources for the future, he adds.
Despite the challenges, Gen. Raduege is enthusiastic about the upcoming event. “Another benefit of JWID is the working relationship we’ve established with the DHS agencies during the JWID cycle. JWID is one of the few venues in which the department can work with these agencies to resolve interoperability issues by leveraging military and law enforcement resources to meet a common goal. We are doing all of this without sacrificing the level of effort to enhance interoperability with our traditional coalition partners,” Gen. Raduege concludes.
Additional information about the Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration is available at www.jwid.js.mil.
