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This Briefing is Classified UNCLASSIFIED

ALAMO CHAPTER AFCEA

COL FergusonARNORTH G626 Feb 08

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Why Practice Interoperability

“… Moreover, plans had not been tested with a robust exercise program. None of the exercises that were conducted prior to Katrina called for a major deployment of DOD capabilities in response to a catastrophic hurricane. As a result, a lack of understanding exists within the military and among federal, state, and local responders as to the types of assistance and capabilities that DOD might provide in the event of a catastrophe, the timing of this assistance, and the respective contributions of the active-duty and National Guard forces.”

UnitedStates

Senate

GAO

“… Though much attention had been paid to addressing communications shortfalls, efforts to address interoperability as well as simply operability were inadequate.”

WhiteHouse

“… To restore operability and achieve interoperability, there is a strong need for rapidly deployable, interoperable, commercial, off-the-shelf equipment that can provide a framework for connectivity among Federal, State, and local authorities.”

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The Challenge of Disaster Relief

Federal Agencies

DHS DOJ

DOD(NG – Title 10)

State& Local Agencies

(NG – Title 32)

COP

JRIES

DCTSNCES

DSEL

Chat

Numerous Players, Systems, Domains, and Enablers

The Common Ground

SIPRInternet

Telephone

RadioWeb Browser

VTC

NEMISNAWASLEO

GEO

NGO

PVO

GuardNet

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Disaster Communications Response

Incident LMR

WMDCST

JISCC

National Guard

DHS/FEMA

MERS

DISA NORTHNCS

AT&TDCT

Commercial

N-NC AssetsN-NC Assets

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N-NC Communications Response

Incident

CAE

DCO

JCSESC2IP

DSCA EXORD

LNOPackage

JACC/CP

DCCV

DCT

ARNORTHOCP

JTF-CSTACPAC

JFHQ-NCRMCP

ROVER

MARFORCOM

Catastrophic RFF

11th Sig BDE

3rd CCG

35th Sig BDE

Fly-Away Tm

Fly-Away Tm

Fly-Away Tm

Fly-Away Tm

Fly-Away Tm

Fly-Away Tm

Responsiveness & Control

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InmarSat Commercial Ku

PSTN

Internet

DSN

DRSN

SIPR

VTC

NIPR

PSTN

Internet

InmarSat

DISA Teleport Incident

LandMobileRadio

CAE

DCO

Tactical Inter-connectivity among responding forces is effected by connecting ACU-1000s through the deployed IP infrastructure.

Note: This is not “inter-talkability”, it only allows inter-connection of disparate radio systems.

Enabling C2

JISCC

DeployableCellular

JTF-HQsDeployable

Cellular

JISCC

CST

National Guard

DeployableCellular

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DOD Interoperability Communication Exercise (DICE)

• For almost two decades, the Department of Defense (DOD) Interoperability Communications Exercise (DICE) has been conducted annually as the only DOD exercise whose primary purpose is to certify systems for joint interoperability. Starting with FY08, JITC will be conducting DICE Working Group and EXERCISES three times per year to accommodate the growing need for joint interoperability certifications, assessments and training. DICE builds upon the successes realized during other DOD technology demonstration and risk mitigation events. As the sole interoperability certifier of DOD Information Technology Systems (ITS) and National Security Systems (NSS), the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) conducts DICE in support of DOD joint interoperability testing, training, and exercise transformation initiatives.

• DICE employs a robust and operationally realistic Joint Task Force (JTF) architecture that provides the necessary opportunities to vigorously exercise and evaluate non-secure and secure command and control voice, data and video services and interfaces, which are critical to split-base operations. Actual operational units install, operate and maintain the equipment and systems used in the exercise. These configurations are characteristic of those used in real world combat and contingency operations by the warfighting community and provide sufficient data to assess the interoperability of the systems and determine if anomalies experienced in the past were corrected. Additionally, DICE provides Joint and Service communicators an opportunity to achieve a degree of comfort using the new versions of hardware and software. This is achieved through JITC’s emphasis on the three components of interoperability: the Forces, the Procedures and the Equipment.

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DICE Venue

• Technology is not usually the problem to interoperability; its normally Policy, Tactics, Techniques, or Practices that hinder interoperability.

• Inter-talk-ability is often the first step toward interoperability.

• Without the pressure of operations, DICE provides an environment for communicators to practice inter-talk-ability.

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USNORTHCOM DICE Objectives

• Interagency communications training, practice, and experimentation.

• Identify inter-talk-ability shortfalls; for instance:• Firewalls blocking mission traffic

• Radio encryption mismatches

• Dialing instructions

• Identify quick-fixes to issues, or• Identify resources to fix issues.

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Fort Sam Houston, Texas

24 Mar - 28 Mar: DICE participation at Fort Sam Houston

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This Briefing is Classified UNCLASSIFIED

Questions