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 Liveblogging:
Industry Symposium 2007 Day 2
The
U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) Public Affairs Staff
blogged live from the two-day NDIA-USJFCOM Industry
Symposium July 31-Aug. 1. USJFCOM’s leadership
as well as other distinguished military and state government
leaders, including Virginia's governor, spoke at
the "Hampton Roads... Supporting Joint Force Operations" 2007
symposium designed to raise industry and academia's awareness
of joint warfighting challenges and solutions.
 Day
2 begins -- 10:30 a.m. -- Virginia Secretary of Technology
Aneesh Chopra
-- from MCC(SW/AW) Chris Hoffpauir
Industry Symposium 2007's second day started with a presentation
by Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra, who gave
the attendee's an overview of what the commonwealth is doing
to promote expansion in the technology sector.
Chopra
began his remarks by noting he was tracked the progress
of yesterday’s events through the live blog, congratulating
JFCOM and NDIA on a successful first day.
Chopra's office is responsible for using technology to simplify
government operations, improve public services, and drive
economic innovation. He said Virginia is at the forefront
of the industry and is in a unique position to expand even
more.
“Virginia has the highest concentration of technology
workers in the country,” Chopra said. “One of
three new jobs created in the commonwealth were created in
technology sector.”
Chopra said while the military's presence is a key part
of the modeling and simulation industry, Virginia's economic
expansion in that part the technology sector is moving beyond
only military applications.
“Since we began tracking it in 2002, the modeling
and simulation industry has grown 11 percent a year, mostly
in this region” he said. “That is phenomenal
growth. What's more exciting about this growth is that it's
not all anchored on the military.”
Chopra said there are numerous civic and private sector
applications for the technology, such as transportation planning
and medicine. He cited registration for an upcoming IT conference
next month sponsored by the governor is an example of interest
in the field.
“We've
got half a dozen sections participants can register for.
The number one section right now is the use
of modeling and simulation to reduce project management risk.
There's this passion and interest in the growth of modeling
and simulation that goes beyond what many see as being a
more direct relationship to USJFCOM and related military
assets. ”
He said the Commonwealth must make some investments in the
future to maintain the economic expansion it currently enjoys:
* Investing in research and development by supporting academic
institutions and promoting partnerships that can advance
technology.
*
Investing in innovation infrastructure, such as establishing
universal, low-cost broadband Internet access. Chopra said
currently 60 percent of Virginia's population has access
to broadband. He said some of the technologies the military
is developing could be applied in the private sector to address
that. He also said that pooling resources through public-private
partnerships can maximize the technology's impact.
*
Filling tomorrow's high-tech workforce through promoting
education and redesigning at the curriculum in the commonwealth's
K-12 schools to emphasize science and technology and allow
them to connect in the 21st Century's economy.
The
secretary's comments were followed by leaders from several
local Hampton Roads development organizations.
The
panel presented an overview of five partnership activities
whose work and focus contribute to joint operations.
Among those speaking:
Mr. Dana Dickens, President, Hampton
Roads Partnership
Mr. Richard "Rick" Lally, Chairman, Hampton Roads
Technology Council
Dr. H. Lee Beach, Jr., Executive Director, Hampton Roads
Research Partnership
Mr. Frank Roberts, Executive Director, Hampton Roads Military
Federal Facilities
Alliance
Mr. C. Jones Hooks, President, Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance
12:00
p.m. -- From the Floor -- from MCC(SW/AW) Chris Hoffpauir
Up
to this point in the Symposium I've been blogging on various
speakers' presentations and haven't really had the opportunity
to troll the exhibit floor to see what's on display. I
took the opportunity to see the displays for myself before
covering Virginia Governor Tim Kaine's keynote during lunch.
Since
I had limited time, I decided to visit USJFCOM's Joint
Communication Support Element's (JCSE) booth. JCSE, based
at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., provides communication
support
for joint task force commanders, special operations, and
during natural disasters.
I
spoke briefly with Marine Sgt. Catarino Mata, and Army
Sgt. Richard Acevedo.
“We
provided support for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort,
all over Iraq, and most recently for Exercise Talisman
Saber in Australia,” Acevedo said.
Mata
showed me a kit that can provide mobile secure Internet
access for personnel such as flag and general officers
and civilian leadership while on the road. He said the
unit, small enough to be carried by one person, can access
through a satellite, allowing users to access from almost
anywhere in the world.
“You
have secure Internet and the commercial Internet, secure
and commercial phones... with everything using a Voice
over Internet Protocol,” Mata said. “This is
an on-the-go package, it's really versatile. We supported
a three-star admiral during Talisman Saber.”
Mata
said JCSE has other, more robust setups capable of supporting
multiple users in command centers, which allow units anywhere
in the world to have the same kind of access they have
at their home bases.
12:01
p.m. -- Many voices for Capabilities-- from Robert Pursell
Here
we are straight from Ballroom ABC, where everyone is listening
intently to a panel discussion,
where representatives from five of the different military
commands in the Hampton Roads region will discuss joint
capability areas from their command’s perspective.
The
panel is being moderated by Air Force Maj. Gen. Mike Hostage,
USJFCOM’s director of capability development
(J8). The panel consists of four other key figures who
will each speak and later take questions from the audience.
In
addition to Hostage, the panel includes:
• Army Lt. Gen. John Curran, Training and Doctrine Command;
• Air Force Maj. Gen. Mark Matthews, Air Combat Command;
• Mr. Joe Murphy, U.S. Fleet Forces Command;
• Mr. Colin Wright, Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and;
•
Marine Corps Col. Andrew O’Donnell, U.S. Marine Corps
Forces Command.
Hostage
kicked things off discussing why we’re here
for this panel. Just like in yesterday’s breakout
session on the Joint Capabilities Development Board, he
said the
push for new USJFCOM capabilities is centered on the Joint
Command and Control Capability Portfolio Management (JC2
CPM).
“
The fundamental process with the Department (of Defense)
we’re engaged with now is capability-based management,” said
Hostage. “The specific task within USJFCOM for Gen.
Smith and the JC2 CPM is to execute the capability-based
management within the specific arena of joint command and
control.”
He said this can be achieved more efficiently
if everyone involved in joint partnership can come to
a common understand
of the capability set.
Curran
is up now and is talking about the Army’s Capabilities
and Integration Center and its role in bringing capabilities
to the warfighter.
“Its mission is to design develop, integrate and synchronize
force capabilities for the Army,” he said. We’ve
got a liaison with other services and work quite a bit with
industry.”
He wrapped
up by inviting industry to help out with some of the technologies
they’re currently
involved with.
Murphy
and discussed the Maritime Operations Center, which enhances
the Navy’s capability to command
forces at the operational level of war. It’s the Navy’s
way of delivering capabilities.
He said stressed that the
combatant commands need to step up and help USJFCOM manage
the integration process.
“Right now, USJFCOM is trying to manage the chaos
on behalf of the combatatant commanders, but it’s up
to each individual combatant commander to certify that service
component
to do the function for which it was originally intended,” said
Murphy.
Wright,
speaking for ACT, spoke about NATO’s
capability areas and how they determine them.
“We
do capability gap analysis; we do technology gap analysis
that goes with finding a niche where multinational
nations
can come together to look at things that may not be looked
at by nations individually,” he said.
That wraps things
up for this discussion. It looks like everyone is off to
lunch to listen to the Governor speak.
12:45
p.m. -- Hands on at the exhibit floor -- from Army Spc.
Andrew Orillion
I
was checking out the exhibition room just now and met the
chief
of USJFCOM’s Joint Technology Simulation
Division, Lt. Col. John Janiszewski. Janiszewski is a simulation
operations officer and has been working with simulations
for many years, so this kind of event is his bread and butter.
When I met him he was sitting in front of a multi-screen
display wielding two joysticks and taking instruction through
a set of head phones. He was pretending to be a fighter pilot
thanks to the Container Based Architecture for Simulation
(CBA) portable simulation unit provided by Plexsys and Zedasoft.
This type of technology has come a long way since the days
of Microsoft Flight Simulator.
After landing, I spoke with Janiszewski about the symposium
and the simulation technology that was on display.
CBA is virtual cockpit capable of replicating several different
aircraft displays including the F16, the F22 and various
helicopters.
Janiszewski flew a number of different aircraft, practiced
targeting and fired of missiles for a good half an hour.
“I was a little clueless,” Janiszewski admitted. “I’m
not a pilot so needed a lot of help, but was still fun.”
Airspace
Control and Operations and Trainer (ASCOT), was another
simulation from Plexsys. Janiszewski said that ASCOT
is an air picture replicator, primarily used to help train
Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) pilots and ground
operators. Good for training and learning about air craft
tasking but not as fun as the CBA.
Flight
simulations are only a small part of an ever growing picture.
Janiszewski also talked about Breakaway Ltd.’s
Mosbe program. Mosbe is a computer program that centers on
small unit tactics and has a more game like feel than most
simulations said Janiszewski.
“There is a lot of potential in these new types of
sims,” Janiszewski said. “They’re very
beneficial and we’re seeing new capabilities to investigate. “
Speaking
of new capabilities, Janiszewski was particularly excited
about Northrop Grumman’s new CELTS simulation
that I blogged about yesterday. In case you missed it, CELTS
is a turn-based simulation that focuses on the hearts and
minds side of the battle.
Janiszewski
described the simulation as a civilian population and human
behavior sim. He hadn’t really had much of
chance to work with the program but liked the new approach
the sim offered with regard to true full spectrum operations.
CELTS offers a new perspective by allowing a ground commander
to see how his actions might affect the larger picture, said
Janiszewski.
1
p.m. – Gov. Tim Kaine's keynote address – from
MCC(SW/AW) Chris Hoffpauir
After my brief visit to the exhibition floor, I move upstairs
for lunch. As I mentioned during my earlier post, Virginia
Governor Tim Kaine gave the address. He began by emphasizing
how important the military is to the commonwealth's security
and prosperity.
“I'm very passionate about the combined strategic
weight of the military presence in Hampton Roads with what
Joint Forces Command and the installations do for this community
and the commonwealth,” Kaine said.
“The
recognition that our military partners really were partners
that we should work in a very integrated way
with was just not the case, but I think in the last ten years
the commonwealth has come a long way in realizing just how
our fates are so tied together.”
Kaine said wanted to communicate his views on what the Hampton
Roads region and the partnerships with the military here
mean for the future of the commonwealth. He said the recent
USJFCOM's recent Noble Resolve experiment, which brought
together the commonwealth of Virginia and numerous partners
at the federal, state and local levels to examine ways to
enhance homeland defense and improve military support to
civil authorities both before and after natural and man-made
disasters.
“The relationship we have with Joint Forces Command
in particular has been very strong,” the governor said. “There's
nothing more challenging and frightening as a governor than
worrying about preparedness.
“I
think the deciding element in preparedness is communication.
The ability to communicate and work across the federal, state
and local boundaries in a seamless way is ultimately what
determines a positive or a negative response.
“Now
when I'm dealing with other governors around the country
I'm an advocate, saying 'Look at this capacity,
you can really help your citizens and you'll feel more confident
in your ability to meet challenges when you have to make
these coordinated responses.'”
Kaine said USJFCOM's deep engagement with the academic community
has been extremely valuable.
“There's
no one who understands better than the military that the
most precious commodity in the world today is not
oil. It's not water. It's brain power.
“USJFCOM
and our military installations in Virginia have gotten
that and so they have partnered with ODU (Old
Dominion University) and the modeling and simulation cluster
which is really developing so nicely in Hampton Roads. They
have worked hand in hand with the educational institutions
at all levels.
“The USJFCOM role, more broadly the role of the military,
in this economy here in Hampton Roads has been transformative,” Kaine
said. “Increasingly we're realizing the way to stay
in front is by making targeted investments in education and
these synergistic collaborations in economic development
with USJFCOM and the military installations that we are fortunate
to have in the commonwealth.”
2:13
p.m. -– Looking at Air Combat Command -- from Robert
Pursell -- After
an interesting lunch listening to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine
talk about the
state’s
role in technology and the integration of joint force operations,
I’ve
gone downstairs to join some folks in a breakout session
where the Air Force’s Air Combat Command (ACC) is
talking about its mission.
According
to its website, the ACC is the military’s
primary force provider of combat airpower to America’s
warfighting commands. This includes fighter, bomber, reconnaissance,
battle management, and electronic – combat aircraft.
It also provides command, control, communications and intelligence
systems, and conducts global information operations.
Since
the panel before lunch ran out of time, the ACC folks took
this opportunity to have a question/answer period.
This was really a great opportunity for everyone to exchange
information
on a more personal level and learn a little bit more
about ACC.
3:45
p.m. -- The Army and the Marine Corps have their say
-- from Army Spc. Andrew Orillion -- The symposium
is winding down and the last two breakout sessions of
the
day
have ended.
First
was the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) hosted by
Army Col. Steve Bullmore, Deputy for Science and Technology
Division Accelerated and Capabilities Development Directorate,
Army Capabilities Integration Center (now there’s a
job title!).
Bullmore’s
focus was on current gaps and how industry can help plug
those gaps and turn technology into capability.
There were four main areas that Bullmore said needed attention.
The first was increased protection for the men and women
on the front lines. Bullmore related some of his own experiences
as a tactical commander in Iraq when it came to this area.
He said that the best thing is for the industry to get directly
involved in solving problems.
The
second area of focus is to help provide a more lethal force.
Bullmore
wasn’t just referring to better bullets
and bigger bombs, he added that increased lethality also
meant better accuracy and lower collateral damage.
Third was to help increase awareness on the battlefield.
The fourth was the most intriguing, the human element. Bullmore
said that this concept is still somewhat nebulous, with an
official definition to be released in the coming months.
When asked to elaborate, Bullmore talked about technologies
such as brain imaging to see how a soldier reacts to stress.
It could also help in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries,
he added.
The final breakout session was hosted by Marty Westphal
of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command.
The
session was focused on command and control (C2) systems
and how they can be used to enhance lethality and effectiveness
of ground forces.
Westphal said that C2 systems must met the needs of everyone
and become more joint. Tailored systems, those meant for
a specific service or system, need to fused, he added.
4:45
p.m. – Industry Symposium wrap up - from MCC(SW/AW) Chris
Hoffpauir
USJFCOM Deputy Commander Army
Lt. Gen. Bob Wood wrapped
up Industry Symposium 2007 with a brief address noting his
observations over the last two days, as well as a hearty
thanks to all who participated.
“I think this was two days of well-spent time on all
sides,” Wood said. “From the participants and
the exhibitors to our military partners, this was extremely
worthwhile and valuable. We had a good dialog and a good
opportunity for looking at specifically at support to the
joint warfighter.”
Wood said the symposium was a great venue for adding clarity
in defining the joint warfighter's capability needs. He said
he couldn't think of any better spokesmen for that than the
commands here in Hampton Roads: the Army's Training and Doctrine
Command, the Air Force's Air Combat Command, Marine Forces
Command and Fleet Forces Command.
“Here at Joint Forces Command, as we look at our responsibility
to build capabilities for the joint warfighter, we're looking
at how well we can articulate our requirements and capability
needs,” he said.
Wood said one of the goals of the Symposium was to address
the requirement Gen. Smith mentioned in his opening address
- that the way the military executes joint operations must
be effective and efficient. He said a second goal of the
Symposium was to show how that can be accomplished with the
command's partners in the Hampton Roads area.
He said that is is important to build the personal relationships
Marine Lt. Gen. Weber talked about in his address yesterday.
“Hopefully we've managed to capture some of the energy
that exists in the Tidewater region and and bring it to bear
in this conference,” Wood said.
He said another goal was to bring in not just military and
industry partners, but also those from the state and local
side, and that he found the attention to the individual and
to education, job creation and economic growth particularly
interesting.
“Hopefully
over the last two days we were able to show that the energy
is not just on the military side, but
also on the civilian side here in Tidewater, and that through
the contacts you we're making you were able to build those
relationships.
“I
personally found that the exhibitors and the focus they
gave to the theme of this conference, Joint operations
and support to the joint warfighter, extremely heartening
and it was a great thing to be able to see solutions right
in front of me.
“So
to the exhibitors and to our partners, present and future,
thanks. I can tell you Gen. Smith and I are extremely
pleased with the representation and the potential outcomes
in finding solutions and supporting our warfighters.”
Wood
also thanked NDIA for its support in helping the command
in putting the symposium together, noting that big events
like this one don't happen over night.
“I
hope you all found this to be of value. Thanks to all for
your attention to the challenges we face and to
promoting the success of joint operations and in supporting
the welfare, security and the safe return home of our soldiers,
sailors, airmen, and Marines. Hats off to them, hats off
to you. Thank you very much.”
This concludes the liveblogging for Industry Symposium
2007. If you have more questions, please click here to send
us an email.
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