Photo By Spc. Stephen San Jose | Washington Air National Guardsmen of the 194th Communications Squadron, along with the...... read more read more
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The Washington Air National Guard prioritizes readiness and modernization, especially in the face of rapid technological advancements and global threats. To address these challenges, the 194th Communications Squadron hosted the final portion of the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) sponsored Catastrophic Communications Challenge (C2C) on June 5th at Camp Murray, Washington.
The event focused on testing and evaluating leading-edge critical communication technologies supporting the National Guard following events like a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake when terrestrial communication systems are inept.
“We partnered with four small businesses, down selected from a program record 34 companies, that came out to Camp Murray to show off their equipment and compete with each other,” said Senior Master Sgt. Chris Hodges, Operations Superintendent, 194th Communications Squadron.
In recent years, the Air National Guard has emphasized innovation events, bringing industry and the whole-of-government together. Teaming with NSIN, service members relate to innovators from defense, academia, and entrepreneurial ventures to solve national security issues in new ways. The Air National Guard’s innovation office held a problem-sourcing seminar at Camp Murray last November hosted by NSIN. The innovation office used these seminars to help Guardsmen better define their problems and work toward better ways to solve them. The 194th Communications Squadron was chosen for this follow-on event to assist them with a long-standing problem: how they establish communications for the Wing’s Emergency Operations Center during disasters.
“We went back to NSIN and applied to be part of their challenge program and were accepted,” said MSgt Christopher Pavel, State Innovation Director, Washington Air National Guard. “This led to a record submission of small businesses applying to the program; a group was selected to compete in a one-day pitch event with the top five finalists invited to demonstrate their products in field conditions simulating the EOC with no other form of communication.”
The 194th Wing's Emergency Operations Center is in the Wing’s complex on Camp Murray and is activated to contact all Wing personnel in the event of a major emergency in the state. However, the facility has outdated equipment and needs updating.
“This Catastrophic Communications Innovation event was briefed at the Annual Domestics Capabilities Priorities (DCP) conference in early May. Every ANG Wing attends the DCP, and the presentation on the C2C Challenge was met with a lot of excitement,” said Col. Ryan Price, Commander of the 194th Mission Support Group. “The National Guard is consistently called upon to respond to needs stemming from disasters in our local community. The ability to effectively communicate is critical to meeting these needs promptly.
Col. Price was part of the planning team for the Cascadia Rising 2022 event and has been a part of the Washington National Guard’s Homeland Response Force. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding the available capabilities.
“The Air National Guard’s current capabilities are bulky, costly to operate, difficult to transport, and have significantly lower capabilities. They have not kept pace with industry,” said Price. “The innovation being produced through NSIN, such as what this Catastrophic Communications Challenge is doing, will directly impact our ability to support better and meet the needs of our community during future catastrophic incidents.”
At the event, Airmen tested products and scored the best overall product using pre-determined grading criteria. This also allowed airmen to compare the current systems they operate and identify potential solutions to support their future needs.
“I am grateful for the ingenuity and time invested by all challenge participants. Partnering with industry to find and innovate new solutions to challenging problems the National Guard faces is key to our success,” said Price.
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2024 15:40 |
| Story ID: | 473659 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 214 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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