Photo By Seaman Apprentice Soren Quinata | MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Nov. 5, 2024) Damage Controlman 3rd Class Nicholas Ward, assigned...... read more read more
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In the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, on a blue leather couch in the Chaplain’s stateroom aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), sits Damage Controlman 2nd Class Nicholas Ward. Gripped tightly in his hands is a cell phone, connected to what the Sailors aboard colloquially call “CATNIP,” which stands for Commercial Afloat Transformational Network Instructure Program. With tears in his eyes and a wide smile on his face, he gazes at his wife on the screen as she shows him his newborn daughter’s face for the first time.
In May 2024, a Starlink enabled Wi-Fi system was installed aboard Wasp as part of the U.S. Navy’s new beta test of the Sailor Edge Afloat and Ashore (SEA2) initiative. Although the U.S. Navy has had internet capability over Department of Defense sanctioned networks for decades, this separate system uses satellites from the Starlink network, maintained by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to provide a high quality and consistent internet connection Sailors can access via their personal electronic devices, such as phones, iPads, tablets, and laptop computers.
“It came to us in boxes,” said Cmdr. William Inch, Wasp’s C5I department head, describing the way in which the satellite and associated system was provided. “It’s not as simple as a plug and play; our team had to build the infrastructure for the system from scratch.”
Lt. Cmdr. Jaclyn Istilart, Wasp’s C4I department head, and Senior Chief Information Systems Technician Kaleb Alexander spearhead the monumental task of bringing Wi-Fi to Wasp. The system consists of two Starlink antennas, paired with seven access points situated in strategic locations around the ship intended to maximize the crew’s ability to connect to the system. In addition to installing the hardware, Istilart and Alexander had to determine how to integrate CATNIP into WASP’s emission control bill and electromagnetic emissions reduction plan, as well as develop a means to assign users, monitor content, and provide training to the crew and embarked commands.
Prior to Wasp, the Navy installed Starlink enabled Wi-Fi on its newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in February 2023. In August of the following year, the crew of the Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) installed Starlink and Kymeta terminals with the goal of enhancing Sailors’ connectivity to their homes and providing tools that improve their job performance.
Although Wasp is not the first ship to have Wi-Fi capability installed, the three ships of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (WSP ARG) are the first to conduct an official beta test of the SEA2 system intended to become the standardized system to one day be distributed to other ships of Naval Surface Forces. Each ship within the Ready Group has a slightly different version of the system and has been tasked to compile lessons learned to take back to the fleet for future improvement on the program.
On all accounts, SEA2 has set new benchmarks in speed and functionality, achieving operational capability 20 times faster than previous programs.
A few months after installing and testing the system, the C5I team realized that they could manipulate that speed of service and apply it to a very particular purpose. By isolating bandwidth to a single access point, the team could maximize bandwidth to enable an individual connected to that access point to conduct an uninterrupted video call with their family or friends to observe major life events. Thus, “BabyNIP” was born.
Staff Sergeant Tyler Fenty, assigned to the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC), was one of the first people to use the service. His daughter, Harlow Fenty, was born at Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and Fenty was able to stay connected with his wife for every moment, despite being underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
“I was able to see everything, from start to finish,” Fenty described. “It was a reassuring feeling that I saw the birth, and I know my baby is healthy,” he continued, “we’re still a family and we’re doing this stuff together.”
Staff Sergeant Seth Simpson, assigned to the Aviation Combat Element of the 24th MEU (SOC), learned of the service through his chain of command.
“It was a roller coaster of feelings,” Simpson recalled. “Once the contractions started, the mood and atmosphere shifted […] Seeing your wife in pain and agony is not an easy feeling to digest, but I knew that her being able to see and talk to me was helping to her keep going.”
For the birth, Simpson was able to sit in the executive officer of troops’ stateroom, which allowed him complete privacy for the entire event.
“Once Etta was born, I was probably the happiest man on the planet at that moment. I am very thankful the ship was able to provide me with this opportunity and I would have missed a very important day in my family’s life had it not been for ‘BabyNIP.’”
More than 10 Sailors and Marines have been able to be virtually present for the birth of their children since the C5I team first made the service available to the crew and embarked commands in early August. In addition to births, some Sailors and Marines have used the targeted bandwidth to attend weddings and funerals, be present for in vitro fertilization (IVF) doctor’s appointments, and participate in legal proceedings.
While in the past, Sailors and Marines at sea had to wait in line to use a sailor phone or find an available computer to use with limited bandwidth, CATNIP, and its unique subsidiary known fondly as ‘BabyNIP,’ are keeping Sailors and Marines of the WSP ARG-24th MEU (SOC) connected to their families like never before – boosting morale and alleviating stressors that negatively impact deployed forces.
Wasp has been underway conducting operations in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean since early April as the flagship of the WSP ARG-24th MEU (SOC). The Wasp, along with USS New York and USS Oak Hill, the two other ships that make up the ARG, is on a scheduled deployment to the Naval Forces Europe and Africa area of operations, supporting U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, to continue promoting regional stability and deterring aggression.
The 24th MEU (SOC) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) providing strategic speed and agility, ensuring our Marines are prepared to respond and protect U.S. national security interests around the globe. The MEU can respond rapidly from longer ranges with greater capabilities across the spectrum of military conflict.
You can follow USS Wasp’s adventures on Facebook and Instagram (@usswasp_lhd1).
To learn more about WSP ARG and 24th MEU (SOC) “Team of Teams,” visit their DVIDS feature page at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/wasparg24thmeu.
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2024 13:24 |
| Story ID: | 484922 |
| Location: | MEDITERRANEAN SEA |
| Web Views: | 171 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, BabyNIP is Born: Connecting Families from Oceans Away, by LCDR Mckensey Cobb, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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