WILLIAMSBURG, VA – Historic Williamsburg, Virginia will temporarily become home for more than 300 military, government and industry experts beginning Sunday, Feb. 8 through Friday, Feb. 13. Motivated by the prospect of better equipping today’s warfighters and first responders, these multinational visitors are poised to attend the U.S. Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (CWID) Mid-Planning Conference.
U.S. CWID is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs annual event and part of the global CWID Enterprise which includes NATO and other multinational partners. The Mid Planning Conference is one of three planning events leading to the annual, four-week Demonstration held in June. During the first two weeks of Demonstration, warfighters are trained on the technology and equipment. In the second two weeks, warfighters exercise the technology in simulated, real-world, operational scenarios and assess the technologies for warfighter utility, technical interoperability and information assurance.
A highlight of the Mid Planning Conference is an address by Major General Koen A. Gijsbers, assistant Chief of Staff, Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) Division, Allied Command Transformation. Major General Gijsbers is charged with leading the improvement of C4I Capabilities for NATO’s operational commanders and national forces. He is also responsible for the annual planning and execution of NATO CWID.
U.S. CWID’s focus is closing near-term Command and Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capability gaps for warfighters and first responders. Some 54 technologies, referred to as Interoperability Trials (ITs), will receive scenario training and prepare for detailed assessments of their technologies’ ability to meet warfighter and first responder requirements during the Mid Planning Conference.
In November, U.S. CWID’s 2009 Initial Planning Conference was also held in Williamsburg, which introduced military, government and industry experts to the ITs for evaluation. Industry representatives responded to CWID’s 2009 objectives outlined in the annual Federal Business Opportunity announcement.
U.S. CWID, previously known as JWID (Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration), made its mark in 1994, facilitating the transition of technology solutions for use by the Department of Defense, Homeland Security/Defense, and first responders worldwide. One of these technology solutions is Incident Commander’s Radio Interface (ICRI). The U.S. Marine Corps installed ICRI in Rapid Response Vehicles to interface with civil authorities for crisis response. Additionally, ICRI was effective during Hurricane Katrina response efforts.
U.S. CWID is not an acquisition venue; however, a final report inclusive of Demonstration results is submitted to CWID stakeholders, DoD, government agencies and first responders. The report is published annually in October.
U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) is the host Combatant Command (COCOM) for CWID 2009 and 2010. CWID 2009 is taking place at partner sites around the world and five U.S. locations to include:
- Joint Systems Integration Command at U.S. Joint Forces Command, Suffolk, Virginia;
- U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Virginia;
- Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific), Homeland Security and Homelan d Defense at San Diego State University, San Diego, California;
- U.S. Air Force Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts;
- Homeland Security and Homeland Defense and Maritime Component Command Center at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
The CWID Enterprise also consists of venues hosted by NATO, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. “Coalition participation is the cornerstone of CWID,” said then Brigadier General Michael J. Basla at the CWID 2009 Initial Planning Conference in November. “As new technologies are implemented via CWID, the military realizes significant cost savings along with enhanced risk reduction for warfighters.”