1. This Briefing is Classified UNCLASSIFIED 1 ALAMO CHAPTER AFCEA COL Ferguson ARNORTH G6 26 Feb 08

2. 2 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.” United States Senate GAO “… Though much attention had been paid to addressing communications shortfalls, efforts to address interoperability as well as simply operability were inadequate.” White House “… 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.”

3. 3 The Challenge of Disaster Relief Federal Agencies DHS DOJ DOD (NG – Title 10) State & Local Agencies (NG – Title 32) COP JRIES DCTS NCES DSEL Chat Numerous Players, Systems, Domains, and Enablers The Common Ground SIPR Internet Telephone Radio Web Browser VTC NEMIS NAWAS LEO GEO NGO PVO GuardNet

4. 4 Disaster Communications Response Incident LMR WMD CST JISCC National Guard DHS/FEMA MERS DISA NORTH NCS AT&T DCT Commercial N-NC Assets

5. 5 N-NC Communications Response Incident CAE DCO JCSE SC2IP DSCA EXORD LNO Package JACC/CP DCCV DCT ARNORTH OCP JTF-CS TACPAC JFHQ-NCR MCP ROVER MARFORCOM Catastrophic RFF 11 th Sig BDE 3 rd CCG 35th Sig BDE Fly-Away Tm Responsiveness& Control

6. 6 InmarSatCommercial Ku PSTN Internet DSN DRSN SIPR VTC NIPR PSTN Internet InmarSat DISA Teleport Incident Land Mobile Radio 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 Deployable Cellular JTF-HQs Deployable Cellular JISCC CST National Guard Deployable Cellular

7. 7 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.

8. 8 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.

9. 9 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.

10. 10 Fort Sam Houston, Texas 24 Mar - 28 Mar: DICE participation at Fort Sam Houston

11. This Briefing is Classified UNCLASSIFIED 11 Questions