HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (Aug. 7, 1997) – Electronic Systems Center, a principal location in the just-completed l997 Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (JWID), was cited for excellence by the U.S. Navy, the JWID ’97 lead service.
JWID ’97 involved 45 sites and tested communications interoperability among the United States military services and its worldwide allies, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and elements of NATO, during a wartime exercise scenario.
The demonstration took place from July 7th - 31st and revolved around a conflict between the fictional countries of Kartuna and Korona.
JWID management rotates throughout the Department of Defense and was managed by the Navy this year.
JWID ’97 marks the third time Electronic Systems Center has participated in the exercise, which will be managed by the Air Force in 1998.
"Electronic Systems Center was a major player in the demonstration, and one of our demonstrations, JWID 68, was cited as a possible Golden Nugget award by the Navy," said Major Michael Plowman, Hanscom’s JWID ’97 site coordinator.
When a JWID demonstration is given Golden Nugget status, it is recognized by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and becomes an accelerated acquisition program for immediate fielding, according to Plowman.
JWID 68 is a deployable, distributed, Joint Forces Air Component Commander, with an airborne command cell.
"Its purpose is to demonstrate that an Air Force commander can manage and control his forces, while enroute to a theater of operations," said Plowman.
"This principal demonstration was one of four recognized by the Navy for Golden Nugget status because, for the first time, it gave the Navy the ability to link-up a Naval Air Operations Center with its Air Force counterpart."
ESC’s other major demonstration, JWID 28, combined two active ESC programs, the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) Imagery Geolocation Improvement and the Time Critical Targeting Aid.
"JWID 28 was another standout," said Plowman. "It was ranked the best of the 12 demonstrations supported by the 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, La."
JWID 28 combines a Synthetic Aperture Radar Joint STARS image with topographical data from U.S. national imagery databases to provide a clear ground picture for the warfighter.
This year’s JWID force structure combined elements of U.S. and allied air, sea and ground units and, for the first time, included a U.S. Naval aircraft carrier battle group, led by the USS Hohn C. Stennis, an amphibious task force and a submarine, the USS Atlanta, as primary demonstration sites.
"JWID gave us the chance to show our command and control expertise to a worldwide audience," said Plowman. "We were able to electronically link key components of the battlefield and to show that communications interoperability is the key to the conflict of the future."
For more information, contact Jack Rankin via email- rankinj@hanscom.af.mil
or at ESC's Office of Public Affairs - (617) 377-4467