COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Imagine coordinating the response to a terrorist attack or natural disaster that involves not only local police and fire departments, but federal agencies and military assistance.
Now imagine the different computer networks, radio frequencies and possibly even languages that could be involved in that coordination.
Finally, imagine the nightmare of disentangling all the incoming information so that commanders can make sense of it.
Discovering new technologies to overcome the challenges of interagency communications, information sharing and coordination is the purpose of the Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration 2007 (CWID). CWID is a “fast track” for technologies. To qualify for consideration, each new technology must be deployable to the field within 12-18 months.
The annual event gives companies that are developing emerging technologies the opportunity to meet with military, federal, state and local operators and to provide their products for testing and assessment. Successful technologies could be purchased and put into use by the military in a very rapid fashion, according to Chris Lambert, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command CWID program manager.
“We’re looking at new and emergent command and control information technologies that will assist not only NORAD and USNORTHCOM, but our federal, state and local partners in homeland defense,” Lambert said.
Some of those technologies include a miniature, portable hard drive that plugs into any computer and connects users to their home network and their own profiles on that network. Users can work from any location, and the computer used to make the link does not leave any trace of the connection – a characteristic vital for protecting confidential or secret information.
Another product provides real-time video and audio links as well as “chat” – similar to instant messaging – that allows incident responders from throughout the nation to view an event and to discuss and make decisions about a response in real time, rather than relying on briefers with lengthy slide shows. This tool is currently used by commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One new technology that could benefit both civilian and military personnel translates foreign languages to English in real time.
“(The translator software) would be very valuable,” said Staff Sgt. Daniel Clifton of the 207th Army Liaison Team. Clifton, who has served in Iraq, said that lives could be saved in combat if American troops were able to receive almost instantaneous translation rather than relying on translators, which can take up to an hour.
“The more (intelligence) we get, the more bad guys we can take out and the less casualties we have at the same time,” he said.
The technologies spotlighted by CWID are also valuable to responders in the United States, Lambert said.
The Incident Commander Radio Interface is one example of a recent successful new technology that was recommended for purchase by CWID. Disaster responders can merge their different, incompatible radio systems through this device, so that state, local, federal and military responders can communicate with each other.
CWID is an international effort, encompassing not only U.S. agencies, but the governments of several NATO countries, including Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain, and several other nations.
“(Coalition partners) all look at these technologies and make sure that we select technologies that are interoperable,” Lambert said.
Each year, the U.S. government publishes a list of desired technologies and companies submit their solutions they would like to demonstrate. CWID organizers then develop an operational scenario to test those technologies, and personnel and agencies that would use the products in the field run the scenario.
After each CWID demonstration, officials recommend the top 10 technologies for purchase and deployment. This allows coalition partners to put these new technologies to work much more rapidly than the normal military purchase process would allow.
CWID 2007 included a simulated hostage rescue involving USNORTHCOM and the Colorado Springs Police Department, a simulated terrorist attack in San Diego, terrorist activities in Seattle, Wash., a simulated nuclear detonation in North Carolina and several other simulated incidents which allowed the interoperability partners to test the technologies and see if they solved specific problems.
NORAD is a bi-national command including Canada and the United States and is responsible for aerial warning and defense of North America and maritime detection and warning. USNORTHCOM is responsible for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.