Photo By Ramon Go | 241105-N-GC965-1022 SAN DIEGO (Nov. 5, 2024) Naval Information Warfare Systems Command...... read more read more
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For Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR), industry engagement plays a crucial role in providing the U.S. Navy with robust, secure and resilient communication and systems that ensure connectivity across platforms, regions and domains. During the first week of November 2024, key NAVWAR experts and leaders attended both the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) Fall Forum, Nov. 5-6, and the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International (AFCEA) Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Symposium, Nov. 7-8, in San Diego to network with industry and academia and share their needs and goals.
Across both events, high-level representatives from the NAVWAR enterprise shared their current digital transformation efforts and program-specific challenges and opportunities, including from NAVWAR headquarters; Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic; NIWC Pacific; Program Executive Office (PEO) Digital and Enterprise Services (Digital) and PEO Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Intelligence (C4I).
With the Fall Forum’s theme of “A Uniting Force for Information Warfare,” representatives from industry, government and academia came together to discuss how they can all work collaboratively to meet the Navy’s needs in a rapidly evolving warfighting sphere, especially in accordance with the 2024 Navigation Plan (NAVPLAN) laid out by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
NAVWAR Executive Director John Pope emphasized the role of information warfare in the CNO’s NAVPLAN, highlighting the importance of maintaining and strengthening the Navy’s warfighting capability in an increasingly complex global environment.
“Industry partners are vital to NAVWAR’s success in delivering the technologies that support the NAVPLAN’s focus on innovation and agility,” he said. “Collaboration with industry is essential for rapidly developing and deploying solutions in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and cloud-based infrastructures, which are highlighted in the NAVPLAN as critical enablers of the Navy’s future readiness.”
Partnering with small businesses is key to deliver technologies at speed. Aligning with the Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro’s memorandum released in April 2023 about increasing small business utilization, NAVWAR remains dedicated to openly communicating with industry and lowering barriers to entry wherever possible.
“We want to understand what kind of small businesses are out there and what they’re capable of, so they can help us with our warfighting mission,” said Kimberly Reidy, the director of the office of small business programs at NAVWAR, during her presentation. “In providing small businesses with more chances to work with us and by making the process more transparent, we hope to be part of the culture change that encourages more collaboration with small business.”
Dan Loe, cybersecurity and operational services portfolio manager at PEO Digital, walked attendees through their fiscal year 2025 (FY25) objectives and encourage current and future industry partners to propose related pilot projects. “We have evolved our approach to collaborating with industry partners through structured piloting,” he said. “In addition to defining how PEO Digital measures potential success through outcome-driven metrics and continually evaluates our technology landscape through the lens of investment horizons, we are sharing our FY25 objectives organized by solution types to more clearly guide industry on our priorities for delivering a world-class digital experience for Sailors and Marines.”
The second day of Fall Forum focused on leaders from PEO C4I, with ten of the 11 program offices presenting their areas of expertise to attendees, alongside engaging in meaningful conversations at meet-and-greets. Jara Tripiano, the acting executive director of PEO C4I, kicked off the day with a welcome speech. “PEO C4I values industry as force multiplier for the Fleet and appreciates every opportunity to collaborate on C4I solutions,” she said. From there, representatives from information operations, tactical networks, expeditionary integration and other program offices shared their outlooks for 2025 and beyond, highlighting their needs and stressing the importance of a strong and sustaining relationship with industry.
At the C4ISR Symposium, NAVWAR leaders also joined Space Force and Marine Corps partners to emphasize urgency, collaboration, and inclusivity in building strong industry partnerships. Together, they discussed data dominance, secure naval operations and rapid acquisition, highlighting the need for transparent, mutually beneficial relationships between industry and the DOD.
"If we want to accelerate, our job is to take risks,” said Grant Kluzak, data director at NAVWAR, during his panel on naval data centricity. “We have to break the culture of working in a vertical system-centric way, where we’re too focused on what we’re doing to see the big picture. Until we do that, we will never achieve the seven goals to become a data-centric DOD, to make data visible, accessible, understandable, linked, trustworthy, interoperable and secure.”
To better adapt to the current warfighting climate, new practices have been established to make sure NAVWAR is able to continue being the preeminent provider of information warfare capabilities. This includes model-based digital engineering, which is a holistic approach to designing and delivering complex systems that uses digital models and data instead of documents.
“Industry is playing a key role in helping us achieve the push towards digital engineering,” said Nick Freije, assistant chief engineer at NAVWAR, on a discussion about modernizing engineering. “This is definitely a collaborative effort between us as we aggregate data and learn quickly together.”
NAVWAR is also working to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance sailor self-sufficiency. Dr. Heath Gross, director of cyber systems at NIWC Pacific, provided insight on the benefits of AI implementation throughout the Fleet on a panel about cyber afloat and ashore. “As we navigate the digital age, it is imperative that we embrace AI as a pivotal technology to enhance our operational capabilities,” he said. “AI empowers our Sailors, reduces reliance on external support, and ensures continuous readiness, making it a game-changer for the Navy.”
On a panel about streamlining procurement, Troy Gunter, the contracts director at NAVWAR, spoke directly to industry about the direction he hopes to move towards, one that is highly adaptable to meet any rising need. Expressing a desire to move away from “the mentality of waiting for someone else to make the first move,” he urged industry to work alongside him to shift the culture to tackle any challenge.
Several NAVWAR experts were recognized with Trailblazer Awards for advancements in fields like cybersecurity, quantum research and AI. “Day in and day out, the workforce across the NAVWAR enterprise blaze new trails, redefining what's technically possible for defense applications,” said Carly Jackson, chief technology officer at NAVWAR. “The awards celebrate their unwavering commitment to maintaining our nation's technological advantage in the information warfare domain.”
In his closing remarks at the C4ISR Symposium, Pope encouraged industry partners to continue supporting NAVWAR’s push toward “accelerating modernization, enhancing cyber resilience, and driving digital transformation.” NAVWAR’s engagement in events like the Fall Forum and C4ISR Symposium reflects the command's commitment to cultivating strong industry partnerships that will advance the Navy’s technological edge and ensure mission readiness for the challenges ahead.
About NAVWAR:
NAVWAR identifies, develops, delivers and sustains information warfighting capabilities and services that enable naval, joint, coalition and other national missions operating in warfighting domains from seabed to space and through cyberspace. NAVWAR consists of more than 11,000 civilian, active duty and reserve professionals located around the world.
| Date Taken: | 11.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.15.2024 11:20 |
| Story ID: | 485398 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 173 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, One Week, Double the Engagement: NAVWAR Leaders Discuss Navy Objectives at Key Defense Industry Events, by Lily Chen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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