Editor’s note: Over the next several days, various Coalition Warrior Interoperabilty Demonstration (CWID) participants will be providing their candid observations from the demonstration. U.S. Navy Cmdr. Robert Green gives his first entry from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Dalgren, Va.
Today wraps up the first week of the Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (CWID) 2010 and I have been impressed with what I have observed. I am working CWID from the site at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and specifically with the U.S. Navy. Our sailors are serving as warfighters in support of the overall CWID scenario and also conducting interoperability trials.
One of our concerns is determining the optimal manning levels on ships of the future and there are several technologies being employed at CWID that can help address that issue which I’ll discuss in future posts. We conduct tours daily through the site at Dahlgren and the intent of the tours is to let military, other government officials, and other visitors see the technology at work but, I have found that the visitors also often provide valuable input to the trial. Many of our visitors have significant experience in the military and with other military systems in use. They provide comments on what may be an issue in the future or point out another area the technology could be applied making the information exchange truly two-way. This unique opportunity makes CWID valuable for all parties participating.
A highlight of the week was a visit from former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Thomas F. Hall. What made the event special was that the Navy reservists remembered him as Rear Adm. Hall, chief of the Naval Reserve. Secretary Hall thanked everyone for their service and we were given a rare opportunity to thank him for his service and present him with a CWID coin. Earlier in the week we had the opportunity to congratulate another of our own, Rear Admiral (Select) Gretchen Herbert, USN, and she was also given a CWID coin. Unfortunately her coin presentation was done in a classified space and we were not able to get a photograph.
Post a comment