Spring 2009 The Chronicle 1 - United States Navy · 2 The Chronicle Spring 2009 Patience and timing paid off for SSC Atlantic industry partner ... The Heliodisplay system is easily

The ChronicleSpring 2009 1

The Chronicle2 Spring 2009

Patience and timing paid off for SSC Atlantic industry partner Francis Allston when he captured this shot of an egret at Edisto Island recently.

Patience and timing paid off for SSC Atlantic industry partner Francis Allston when he captured this shot of an egret at Edisto Island recently.


Captain’s Call .................................4The Navy’s newest warship ................5Captains Krause, Cox retire .......18, 19Real World training held ..................22SECDEF GWOT medals awarded ........24Crosby is HENAAC role model ...........25Leadership training underway ...........26New Orleans office assists VA ...........29Engineers are SMART selectees .........31Atlantic projects earn Lighting Bolts ...32SSC Charleston hosts VIPs ...............36The final word ..............................38

4 2009 Innovations highlightedEverything from adaptive antijam techniques to wikis are being investigated by this year’s innovators.

12 10,000th MRAP shipped by seaTeam effort is credited as Army officials celebrate milestone delivery of lifesaving vehicles to the warfighter.

20 C4I Open House shows capabilities Event showcases increased awareness of C4I operational capabilities across the community.

Air Force Gen. Duncan McNabb, Army Maj. Gen. James Hodge and Liberty Global Logistics officials celebrate sea delivery of 10,000th MRAP vehicle. See page 12.

InsideInsideSpring 2009 Vol. 15, No. 2

On the coverSSC Atlantic Command-ing Officer Bruce Urbon chats with CNO Adm. Gary Roughead after the commissioning of USS Truxton. Photos by Joe Bullinger. See story on page 3.

Photo by Tom Egbert

Commanding Officer .......... Capt. Bruce Urbon

SSC Atlantic’s Mission

To provide quality full-service systems engineer-ing and acquisition to rapidly deploy capabilities to the Naval, Joint and National Warfighter through the development, test, evaluation, production, and fielding of sustainable, survivable and interoperable Command, Control, Communications, Comput-ers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Information Operations, Enterprise Information Services and Space capabilities that enable knowl-edge superiority.

The Chronicle is a quarterly publication designed for SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic employees. Its purpose is to inform, educate, entertain and generate new ideas. An official publication, The Chronicle is printed using appropriated funds in compliance with Document Automation and Production Service regulations. Contents of The Chronicle are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Navy or SSC Atlantic.

To view The Chronicle online, visit http://enterprise.spawar.navy.mil, click on “SSC Atlantic” under “Field Activities” on the left, click on “Charleston” on the right, then “Chronicle.”

P.O. Box 190022North Charleston, SC 29419-9022

Editor .........................................Susan PiedfortCommand Photographer ..............Joe Bullinger

TheTheChronicleChronicle


Navy ERP drumbeat continuesNavy Enterprise Resource Planning continues to be a

high priority for us as we move toward our “Go-Live” date of Oct. 1. As Admiral Bachmann has noted, we are well postured to make this substantial transition to the new consolidated financial system. It has been a huge undertaking for many of our folks, especially Nelson Ard’s team that has been working across all of our sites for more than a year on this effort.

As we move toward October everyone in our command will be affected. Based on your user role (time and at-tendance, training, purchasing, etc.) your level of access is determined and you will receive training as needed for your specific duties. Most SPAWARriors will have more than one user role. Web-based and instructor-led train-ing will begin in July and August, respectively. Please keep this training in mind when building your schedule this summer. Navy ERP will standardize and, therefore greatly streamline, core business processes across Team SPAWAR.

I recently returned from a visit to Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, where I had the chance to meet with our dedicated government and industry partner team and the customers they support in this critical strategic location on the Horn of Africa. While small in number, our team at Camp Lemonier is making an enormous impact on the operational capabilities and readiness of the warfighters stationed there. These and other SSC Atlantic employ-ees serving in the Middle East are among those recently honored by the Secretary of Defense with GWOT medals (see story on page 22). After spending some time at Camp Lemonier, I have newfound respect and gratitude for our team’s dedication and sacrifice.

In addition to our daily operations, the SPAWAR Inspector General recently visited SSC Atlantic to take a look at our operations. Command inspections are held routinely throughout the Navy and help us ensure we are

maintaining the highest levels of readiness, effectiveness, discipline, efficiency, integrity and public confidence. Special thanks to all our folks who assisted the inspection team by providing expeditious and unrestricted access to our records, reports, investigations, audits, reviews, documents. I’d also like to thank all those who took part in focus group discussions on the command climate and general conditions at SSC Atlantic. An important attribute of high-performing, learning organizations is a drive to continuously take a look in the mirror and assess where the organization can improve. The feedback from the in-spection team was very positive. We demonstrated great progress on our journey toward competency alignment and SSC Atlantic integration.

I would like to offer a hearty “welcome aboard” to SSC Atlantic’s new 4.0 (Logistics and Fleet Support) Local Competency Lead Cmdr. Eric LeGear. Cmdr. LeGear comes to us from a tour as Combat Systems Officer on the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). As the 4.0 competency lead, Cmdr. LeGear oversees all aspects of SSC Atlantic’s fleet readiness ef-forts and is the command’s executive liaison with Naval Network Warfare Command (NETWARCOM), Atlantic Type Commanders and the Atlantic Fleet readiness com-munity. From his office at Little Creek, Va., he is close to the fleet and to key shore staff and support commands in the Tidewater area.

And finally, it was with great regret that I announced several weeks ago that our Technical Director Phil Charles decided to resign. Phil has been part of Team SPAWAR for 12 years and has left his mark through innumerable contributions to the command. He will be sorely missed and we wish him well in his next endeavor. Please give your support to Director of Corporate Operations Ken Slaughter, who is serving a rotation as interim technical director, as we move forward.


‘Man our ship and bring her to life’SSC Atlantic personnel were able to witness the commis-

sioning of the Navy’s newest warship, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun, at Wharf Alpha on the Naval Weapons Station, Charleston, S.C., April 25.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead gave the principal address, and SSC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce Urbon was among the local military represen-tatives, elected officials, dignitaries, friends of the Navy, Truxton family members and invited guests in attendance.

Designated DDG 103, the destroyer honors Commodore Thomas Truxtun (1755-1822) who embarked upon a seafar-ing career at age 12. When the U.S. Navy was initially orga-nized, he was selected as one of its first six captains on June 4, 1798. He was assigned command of USS Constellation, and put to sea to prosecute the undeclared naval war with revolutionary France. On Feb. 9, 1799, Truxtun achieved one of his most famous victories when Constellation battered the French warship L’Insurgente into submission in one of the most illustrious battles of the quasi-war with France.

The newly commissioned 9,200-ton Truxtun has a crew of 276 officers and enlisted personnel. They are able to

conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Truxtun can also fight air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and she contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to apply maritime power to protect U.S. vital interests in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world.

Carol Leigh Roelker and Susan Scott Martin, descendants of the ship’s namesake, served as sponsors of the ship and the ceremony was highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when they gave the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”

In his remarks the CNO called Truxtun the most ad-vanced, capable and versatile surface combatant class in the world.

“Two weeks ago, it was an Aegis destroyer, USS Bain-bridge, that successfully rescued an American merchant captain from pirates off Somalia. A week before that it was the Aegis destroyers [USS] Curtis Wilbur, [USS] Stetham,

Continued on page 22

Truxtun commissioned in Charleston

Sailors man the rails of Truxtun as she becomes a commissioned naval ship April 25. Photo by Joe Bullinger


SSC Atlantic’s

2009 innovatorsA Publish It! product

by Peter Johnson The fourth annual SSC Atlantic Innovation Program got

underway in January with the announcement of propos-als selected for grant awards for the 2009 fiscal year. The Innovation Program is part of the command’s Balanced Scorecard initiative, and has been particularly beneficial in answering the strategic objective to accelerate innovation and experimentation within SSC Atlantic. This year the Innovation Program features 18 teams that were selected from 57 applications. SSC Atlantic Acting Chief Engineer, Capt. (Sel) Scott Heller congratulated the innovation teams at the grants announcement. SSC Atlantic’s FY09 innovation proj-ects are:

Heliodisplay Development Principal Investigator: Rick Paquin

Numerous studies have con-cluded that people learn using various, different methods. Some individuals are visual learners, others are auditory learners and still others are participatory, in-teractive learners.

This innovation project will develop low-cost simulation so-lutions for learning applications by researching and using Heliodisplay technology. The Heliodisplay is an interac-tive device that projects an image from any VGA output device, into the air. The user can interact with the screen content through motion, as they would with a touch screen,

but without physically touching anything. This technology will allow a user to interact directly with images within a simulation, without the physical constraints of a screen or display thereby eliminating portability issues inherent with most other simulation technology.

The Heliodisplay system is easily programmable through software and could substitute for large, expensive simulators, thus resulting in a cost savings to DoD. These simulators will create more dynamic and life-like training scenarios that enable military trainees to interact virtually, providing a more realistic “feel,” closer to what they would experience in a real-world environment.

Satellite Simulator with Record/Playback Capabil-ity Principal Investigator: Jamin Barnett

This innovation project looks to design a programmable satel-lite simulator (SATSIM) with record and playback of radio frequency (RF) signals capability. This project will initially focus on the Navy’s ultra high frequency (UHF) band satellite communica-tions (SATCOM) radios, includ-ing 5kHz and 25kHz dedicated and demand assigned multiple

access transmission formats. This system will increase SSC Atlantic’s SATCOM testing payload capabilities and will provide an affordable, fully programmable, expandable and versatile satellite simulation tool.

Rick Paquin, right, and team members, from left, Holly Quick, Tom Gwiazdowski and Sandy Mieczkowski, pose in Norfolk, Va.


The recording and playback capability is unique and not offered by commercially available SATSIMs. The record/playback ability enables extensive troubleshooting options and allows easier sharing of detailed test data between SPAWAR labs, better utilizing geographically spread equip-ment and resources. Users will be able to save radio trans-missions, enabling the cross-sharing of waveform RF data across labs at different locations. The system will allow fully configurable Doppler scenarios, which will more accurately represent real world scenarios to radios under test.

The hardware costs will be significantly less than current technology, resulting in a substantial cost savings of test budget expenses. The simulator will provide a future-ready SATCOM radio performance testing capability far beyond what is presently available at a fraction of the cost. Other features of this project include 30MHz channel bandwidth, programmable time delay, Doppler algorithms and nose and signal attenuation levels.

New Professional Rotation Experience Principal Investigator: Bruce Billian

The impending retirement of many in the DoD acquisi-tion workforce generates a considerable need to update New Professionals. In doing so, upcoming professionals gain a wealth of knowledge and experience that allows them to contribute effectively.

One of the ways to educate and familiarize New Professionals to SPAWAR and DoD acquisitions is through rotation opportuni-ties. This innovation project will investigate and develop solutions related to the rotation program that is available to New Professionals at SSC Atlantic. These rotations present unique opportunities for New Professionals to explore the opportunities and capabilities

within SPAWAR and gain the breadth of knowledge that can contribute to long-term career growth.

Currently at SPAWAR, rotations are often times not a priority in New Professional development. This project will remedy this issue by working to identify successful rotation programs at peer organizations, discovering inter-nal challenges, and creating a list of recommendations for the improvement of the current program. This project will ultimately provide a report and recommendations that will detail how an improved program could be established that would provide the most benefit to the organization as well as to New Professionals.

Portable Solar Power Unit for Rapid Establish-ment of BelAir Wireless NetworksPrincipal Investigator: Peyton Cavaroc

BelAir100 series radios, currently used by SPAWAR, can be used to establish wireless networks on military bases, for special events, disaster relief operations and various other applications. This innovation project proposes developing a Wi-Fi radio with a solar-powered unit that can be packed into a compact form and easily transported. The entire

system will fold up into the form of a box and be small enough to allow a single van to easily carry and deploy several units.

The product proposed will be a convenient, portable, cost-effective solution to powering the BelAir100 radios. This will allow for a Wi-Fi network to be rapidly established with little to no maintenance or monitoring required and will allow SPAWAR or other organizations to rapidly establish wireless networks by

drastically reducing the setup time. The solar-powered unit will also have a backup battery

capable of maintaining power for five cloudy days with the support of a lithium-ion battery. The lithium ion battery will replace the conventional lead acid battery thus reducing the size and weight of the unit. This solution will allow low maintenance Wi-Fi networks to be established without the need for generators or hard-wired installations, allowing for quick and easy deployment.

Wiki Syndication and FederationPrincipal Investigator: Russell Clayton Coleman

Wiki-based solutions apply to a variety of information types and subject matter for knowledge capture and col-laborative information sharing. Wiki-based documentation has become the standard for software documentation and is especially well suited for technical and programmatic documentation within SPAWAR.

Heller congratulates Jamin Barnett and team members Michael Pereira and Lesley Peacock.

Bruce Billian

Peyton Cavaroc


However, cur-rent Wiki tech-nologies offer no syndication mech-anisms (way of in-forming consum-ers and produc-ers of additions or changes) and lack federation of pertinent informa-tion. Syndication, via RSS or ATOM feeds, would offer real time aware-

ness of information changes. Incorporating federation technologies into Wikis could improve information sharing and reduce efforts across program boundaries, maximizing knowledge reuse and minimizing cost and time.

The goal of this innovation is to research syndication and federation approaches for wiki platforms. Prototypes will be developed to ensure proof-of-concept and provide immedi-ate return to programs within the command. This innovation proposes to add syndication interfaces to an existing wiki software package and create a standard publication profile for wiki syndication.

Integrating the Multi-Touch Multi-User (MTMU) Tool with the Command Post of the Future (CPOF) Fundamental Object Model Principal Investigator: Matt Largent

Many legacy systems were developed using object ori-ented methodologies. Numerous legacy systems contain capabilities that could be used by other systems if there was a simple mechanism to provide capability sharing. A simple object-oriented method is needed to distribute service transformation capability which will greatly expand the use of sharing or re-using the wealth of legacy methods already owned by the Navy.

This innovation project uses the Command Post of the Future (CPOF) legacy system and the Multi-Touch Multi-User (MTMU) system as a pilot for this concept. The vision is to create fundamental building blocks that enable a break from traditional point and click interac-tion methods, enabling parallel-ism with local multi-user aspects of the MTMU. This innovation will also provide transformational warfighter processes by coupling the current technologies.

CPOF and the MTMU are similar devices in that they both manipulate user images and

graphics. However, the MTMU is a new technology and currently does not contain a robust graphics manipulation library. Paying the creator of the MTMU to enhance his graphics manipulation capabilities would be very expensive. By exploiting existing legacy application methods through their exposure as consumable Web services or distributed services, the Navy can achieve a significant cost reduction and move toward the vision of reusable code and sharable services at the Navy enterprise level. This innovation will begin to move the Navy toward the FORCEnet vision of selectable presentation and visualization services.

Secure Messaging Using Identity-Based En-cryptionPrincipal Investigator: James Leonard

The DoD has invested heavily in the public-key infra-structure (PKI) on the unclassified networks, which helps secure networks and provides a simple way to perform au-thentication. PKI has enabled the DoD to provide a secure method for digitally signing and encrypting messages.

Presently, classified networks are limited to software certificates and all their associated shortcomings. These limi-tations have resulted in nominal use of message level encryption in clas-sified networks. This innovation will examine the mathematical basis behind Identity-Based Encryption (IBE) and applicability within the DoD.

IBE can be used on classified networks to encrypt messages using plain text public keys such as a person’s e-mail address. IBE has all the same ben-efits as PKI but fewer shortcomings. IBE does not incur the same infrastructure costs as PKI while maintaining the same message level security, making it more efficient than PKI.

SPAWAR will benefit from having a GOTS prototype that could be turned into a production product and used by various commands/agencies. This will bring a much-needed capability to classified networks.

Aligning Service-Based Security Architectures Across the DoD Enterprise Principal Investigator: Andrew Mansfield

This innovation aims to improve the development of an SOA Information Security Architecture that supports easy integration and reuse for the major Program of Record Core Service Development Programs. This innovation will focus on four major focus areas: Authentication, Authorization, Auditing and Assurance.

Derik Pack, representing the Wiki Syndi-cation and Federation innovation team, is congratulated by Heller.

Matt Largent

Heller and James Leonard.


The purpose behind this innovation is to investigate and propose changes to methodology for securing service-

based architectures through the develop-ment of a framework that addresses specific key functional com-ponents, aligns them to a common set of standards and specs, and then prototypes implementation and documentation arti-facts.

Several innovations have examined pieces of these technologies but have failed to ex-

amine the alignment and complexities of implementing such a framework across customers with varied needs and complexities. The goal of this innovation is to develop a security infrastructure and set of guidelines that will enable information sharing by developing flexible, reusable, open source security architecture.

Ubiquitous SIGINT Model (USM): A Frame-work For Low Cost, Reusable SIGINT Capabil-ityPrincipal Investigator: Bradley Mitchell

A common task in military and civilian wireless com-munications is the identification of the specific modulation type used to encode messages. This task must be automated in order to keep up with heavy message traffic or signals that appear for short intervals. Automatic Digital Modula-tion Identification (Modulation ID) accomplishes this task with a combination of sophisticated algorithms and high- performance computing hardware.

Modulation ID is a critical task in wireless communica-tions for both military and civilian uses. It is especially important in the field of Signal Intelligence (SIGINT). Newer modulation schemes place high computational re-quirements on Modulation ID systems and have created a need for rapid upgrading to enable recognition of previously unknown schemes.

The Ubiquitous SIGINT Model (USM) will answer this challenge by optimizing existing modulation ID software for parallel processing on inexpensive consumer graphics processing units (GPUs). USM will also explore a new statistical learning technique, Support Vector Machines (SVM) for modulation type classification. The result of this effort will be a reusable library of software that can be easily integrated with GPUs to support rapid development and fielding of new modulation ID capabilities.

Neural Techniques and Genetic Algorithms to Automate Signal Recognition and Processing (NiGhtmaRe) Principal Investigator: Curtis Nelson

There are a number of recognizers currently in use by the services. Most of these are rule-based systems that are process intensive and require experts to make field changes to incorporate new signals. The current method of recogni-tion of signals of interest involves experts writing detailed signal descriptor file (SDF) definitions which need to be constantly created (when new signals arise), updated and distributed throughout the fleet.

This innovation project will use a signal recognition algorithm based on a pattern recognition approach utilizing neural networks and genetic algorithms. The proposed recog-nizer will provide an enhanced feature to automate the neural network topology. With a neural net-work, the updates can be rapidly field-ed and the need for on-site subject mat-ter experts (SMEs) will diminish. This enhanced feature would provide op-timum computational efficiency and support a more rapid field upgrade capability.

The advancement of neural networks and genetic algo-rithms will increase the speed of recognition of signals of interest thus alerting the warfighter of potential threats or of potential targets. This technique will greatly improve the accuracy of emerging threat signals. The goal is to meet a Navy requirement to provide a faster, more efficient tool to perform recognition of signals of interest and enable rapid field upgrades to be implemented in a timely manner.

Trey Oats, a member of Mansfield’s team, is congratulated by Heller.

Heller, Mitchell and Mitchell’s team consisting of Lucas Overbey, John Cutter and Jessica Reno, pose in the command theater.

Heller, Nelson and team members John Cutter and Jessica Reno.


Over-the-Air Programmable Unattended Ground Sensors (OTAP-UGS) Principal Investigator: David Neumann

Unmanned ground sensors (UGS) have become pre-dominantly digital signal processing (DSP) solutions, but they are typically programmed for one type of purpose and then deployed. Many times, they are inserted into areas not frequented by the military or intelligence organizations. In

some cases, the mission changes over time and therefore all new sensors must be deployed, which costs additional time and effort.

Several vendors now offer software-defined radios small enough to serve as handsets. This innovation project will investigate using one of these units for both transmit and receive, leveraging this capability to add new features more related to intelligence data such as acoustics, communica-tions signals and atmospherics.

This project will also assess the feasibility of adding new types of functions over-the-air to an already deployed UGS sensor.

This innovation project will assess the applicability of this technology to the Physiological Operations (PSYOPS) group at Special Operations Command (SOCOM). This project may also benefit others who have requested decoy signals.

Virtual World DNA: Virtual World Dynamic Network AnalysisPrincipal Investigator: Lucas Overbey

Defense and intelligence agencies are becoming in-creasingly interested in technologies that provide tools for identifying and understanding terrorist organizations and networks. In the last decade, social network analysis (SNA) tools have gained considerable interest in the intelligence and military communities as terrorist networks have be-come more global, decentralized, and flexible. Additionally, recent concerns have been voiced that social networking websites and virtual worlds provide likely breeding grounds for terrorist recruitment, communication and coordination activities.

This innovation project will research and develop tools and techniques necessary for dynamic network analysis (DNA) of terrorist activities in virtual worlds such as Second Life. Analysis techniques will be utilized to provide infor-mation about the structure, key network actors and linkages and likely successful scenarios for terrorist network influence and/or destabilization in these virtual worlds. Research will aim to understand if and how terrorist networks can take advantage of a virtual world and how strategies can be devel-

oped to dis-rupt these networks.

T h i s project ad-dresses spe-cific gaps i n n e e d s of both the g o v e r n -mental and r e s e a r c h communi-ties and this effort will advance SSC Atlantic’s capabilities in network and behav-ioral science technologies and the development of science and technology (S&T) competency. Novel technologies will be produced for detecting and understanding terrorist net-works, and for developing strategies related to how the DoD can preempt covert terrorist activities in virtual worlds.

Enabling Need-to-Know In Digital Communica-tions Through Minimal Disclosure Principal Investigator: Michael Ramirez

This innovation project seeks to investigate the use of conditional decryption as a means of increasing security and decreasing the amount of additional information needed from an individual to authenticate. It will explore modern cryptographic techniques to enable minimal disclosure and enforce need-to-know within digital communication.

For example, an administrator may author a policy which states, “Users must be a NATO-country citizen and possess a clearance of Secret or greater.” The user, upon offering the necessary proof, does not reveal anything beyond the stated requirement, such as his actual country or his full clearance details. Policies can be written in a declarative manner to ensure the security requirements are met without revealing any additional information, which is critical to the security of the user and preventing insider abuse.

T h i s i n n o v a -tion will a l l o w SPAWAR to offer l e a d e r -s h i p i n t h e d e -ployment of mini-mal dis-c l o s u r e sys t ems

Heller, Lucas Overbey and team member Bradley Mitchell.

David Neumann

Heller poses with Michael Ramirez and team member James Leonard.


jammers/in-terference on communica-tion systems.

The pro-p o s e d i m -provements will be de-veloped and implemented for use on the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Joint S u r r o g a t e Radio (JSR) platform. The goal is to de-velop the algorithms and implementation to be integrated into JTRS radios within the next increment of the Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW).

This innovation would have numerous benefits after be-ing integrated into JTRS radios in the field. Ultimately, it will give the warfighter more immunity to different types of “friendly” jamming and enemy jamming for a variety of battlefield scenarios, as well as to possible interference from other communication systems occupying the same band.

SSC Atlantic Cyber Warfare Center Of Excel-lence Structured Holistic Attack Research Com-puter Network (SHARCNet)Principal Investigator: Karen Sorenson

Cyberspace is a domain, much like sea, air and land, where each of the principles of war applies. Much combat capability operates in cyberspace: Command, control, com-munications and computer (C4) systems as well as the intel-ligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms. In order to be prepared for the future of warfare, an innovative approach to Cyber Warfare is desperately needed to secure

and production systems that are resistant to insider/intruder attacks on audit logs. Through the capabilities that enable need-to-know principles, the designing of distributed archi-tectures will be significantly easier and more secure, allow-ing federation agreements to be established without fear of incidental information leakage between organizations.

Monitoring End-to-End Mission Thread, LSI, and End-to-End Test Status using MTMU Visu-alization Capabilities Principal Investigator: Robert Regal

This innovation project will create a basic generic process management system (GPMS) built into the Multi-Touch, Multi-User (MTMU) system. This GPMS would be capable of creating graphical processes, associating them with process steps, assigning metrics and resources, and creating relevant documentation based on the process structure, attributes and monitoring process execution. This innovation will provide the ability to monitor the status of multiple mission threads,

LSI configurations, or end-to-end test configurations at the process or activity level.

This innovation will also allow us-ers to collaborate by manipulating sys-tem configurations, operational or test data and processes at the presentation or visualization layers.

Users will be able to import data from mission-thread librar-ies, test case libraries and system configuration libraries, and use them to create new threads, system configurations or test cases. The use of the MTMU user interface will permit the operational user to monitor and control synchronous operations, complex LSI product configurations, or paral-lel tests.

This innovation will reduce time to create processes and simplify the design process. It will also allow presentation layer manipulation of processes, integration of Model Driven Architecture (MDA) concepts with the process and unify process creation, execution and monitoring.

Adaptive Time-Domain Anti-Jam Techniques for OFDM Communication SystemsPrincipal Investigator: Greg Sheets

The coexistence of communications systems, jammers and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) on the battlefield is a major issue for safe, effective and reliable communica-tions. The goal of this innovation project is to research and develop a signal processing approach to limit the effects of

Heller and Robert Regal.

Vince Van Houten, Heller, Karen Sorenson, Jeff Sweeney, Rick Whitley and Vincent Feaster of the SHARCNet team.

Greg Sheets, right, and team member Lee Stubbs pose with Heller.


our nation’s information systems.This innovation project, the Structured Holistic Attack

Research Computer Network (SHARCNet), is a pioneering approach to the future of Cyber Warfare. SHARCNet is a research computer network that combines the three concepts that make up Computer Network Operations (CNO): Com-puter Network Attack (CNA), Computer Network Defense (CND), and Computer Network Exploitation (CNE).

SHARCNet will allow for the development and testing of the most state of the art technologies for Defense-in-Depth strategies. The primary objective of SHARCNet is to cre-ate an isolated and controlled network for research, testing and analyzing network attacks and mitigation technologies. This will provide insight as to how well mitigation and at-tack technologies perform and how they can be combined to limit the potential attack surfaces and protect DoD systems in a Network Centric Battlespace.

Behavior-Based Autonomous Rules of the Road NavigationPrincipal investigator: Mikan Stamenkovich

The Navy is just beginning to field its first Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) as part of the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Counter Measures Program (LCS MCM). Controlling a USV is difficult due to the complex nonlinear effects of the ocean surface as the open ocean is a difficult environ-ment for maintaining an accurate track and course. There have been several successful Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) control efforts, but USV efforts have lagged due to this added nonlinear complexity.

This innovation effort will add higher level behavior- based navigation concepts to the core controller. There are certain “Rules Of the Road” (ROR) that must be obeyed when navigating on open water. Collision and obstacle in-formation for safe USV navigation is obtained from sensors and Geospatial Information Systems (GIS). Higher level navigation behaviors involve making decisions about po-tential collisions and obstacle avoidance while maintaining the underlying goal of reaching a predetermined waypoint

or docking ramp. This innovation will effectively achieve behavior-based

sea surface navigation through incremental enhancements. High-quality sensors will augment the proposed behavior- based controller. This will position SPAWAR to provide a low-cost benchmark in the emerging area of autonomous USVs.

Integrated Gunshot Detection System In JTRS RadiosPrincipal Investigator: Dexiang John Xu

In the modern battlefield, U.S. forces have repeatedly been exposed to the danger of fire from hidden snipers. Snip-ers are often able to escape into the local populace before they can be located and neutralized. This innovation will investigate and research the use of the wideband network-ing waveform (WNW)/soldier radio waveform (SRW) radio network as a conduit for data resulting from the immediate processing of the sound of the shots fired by snipers.

The goal of the project is to integrate the gunshot moni-tor system into the joint tactical radio system (JRTS) radio network. Gunshot-triggered transmit (GTX) function will be developed and the gunshot sound will be collected and analyzed to identify its characteristics. When a gunshot is verified, the JTR will be triggered to transmit a GTX mes-sage. The information of arrival time and the warfighter’s current location provided by the built-in GPS in the JTR will then be relayed to a processing unit that will use it in conjunction with additional information from other troops in the area, to determine the precise location of the source of the fire.

Once this location has been determined, it will be trans-mitted to the troops under fire and patrol air forces in the area, allowing them to return fire and call in support from other units to help remove the threat. This project will potentially provide the warfighter with a direct and measurable benefit of enhanced safety in urban and rural warfare situations by reducing the time necessary to neutralize the threat posed by a hidden sniper.

From left, Scott Downs, Darrell Fischer, Mikan Stamenk-ovich, David Grant and Robert Greer pose in Norfolk.

Heller poses with Dr. Xu’s Integrated Gunshot Detection System innovation team.


The Airborne and Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tacti-cal Radio System (AMF JTRS) program at SSC Atlantic has been self-assessed as following CMMI® Level 2 pro-cesses.

During the self-assessment, the Engineering Process Of-fice and a Department Enterprise Process Group (DEPG) representative conducted a review of the program’s docu-mentation to determine whether the program was following the best practices of CMMI®.

The AMF JTRS program was commended for its excel-lent reporting detail and format, the strong involvement of its sponsor and management, and for the strong intergroup coordination between its teams, who are geographically distributed.

“AMF JTRS is such a dynamic program where effective communication and process management was top priority from the beginning,” said Brad Hoisington, AMF JTRS Senior Manager. “The team consists of members from coast-to-coast involved in numerous IPTs, so virtual com-munication is the only method for constant communications. There are numerous teleconferences, Web conferences and a centralized data management system we use to stay abreast of issues and manage the activities. The CMMI® self as-sessment process served to strengthen our communication methods and processes.”

The team began its CMMI® efforts with classroom training for selected team members, followed by one-on-one coaching with an EPO representative to understand the process, specific terminology, and how to prepare for the self-assessment.

“After looking at CMMI® as an additional task on our

plates, we finally realized that we were already doing good systems engineering and it became easier,” Hoisington said. “We needed to link our organizational structure with the CMMI® process areas and understand what artifacts are needed for evidence. My feeling about CMMI® is now more positive because we have achieved this milestone.”

The end result, he said, was his team’s realizing the importance of documenting and managing all their efforts, which has increased their efficiency.

“Meeting minutes, just to name one, have proven their worth in the very dynamic environment of the AMF JTRS program. There has been an improvement in our implemen-tation and auditing of the CMMI® processes,” Hoisington said. “More importantly, the team members rallied together to offer their subject matter expertise and deliver artifacts on top of their everyday tasks.”

AMF JTRS leadership has now challenged the team to begin taking steps toward CMMI® Level 3.

For AMF JTRS, all seven CMMI® Maturity Level 2 process areas were reviewed: configuration management, measurement and analysis, process and product quality assurance, project monitoring and control, project plan-ning, requirements management and supplier agreement management.

AMF JTRS team members who participated in the as-sessment included Brad Hoisington, Michael Robinson, Lori Thompson, Laura Dygert, Claire Commodore, Kirk Teems, Clifford Hunt, Xuong On, David Kauffman and Bob Davis.

- Beth Meloy, Engineering Process Office

AMF JTRS self-assessed as following CMMI L2 processes

Photo by Rick Naystatt

Fran White, left, a civil service employee at SSC Atlantic, and Clayton Bush, a Tacti-cal Networks (PMW-160) contractor, work with Information Systems Technician 2nd Class James Rago to troubleshoot the video teleconference system of a video information exchange system aboard aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). PMW-160 and SPAWAR provide the Navy with network fabric and services used by multiple shipboard tactical and business applications and systems and rou-tinely install, maintain and train crewmembers in operational and maintenance procedures.

Supporting the fleet


Military and civilian officials from SSC Atlantic, the U.S. Transportation Command, the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) and SCCD’s 841st Transportation Battalion gathered March 23 on Naval Weap-ons Station, Charleston’s Wharf Alpha to commemorate the 10,000th surface shipment of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to U.S. Central Command.

With the cargo ship MV Alliance New York as a back-drop, military and civic dignitaries lauded the team effort that resulted in the milestone.

841st Transportation Battalion Commanding Officer Army Lt. Col. Randy Haufe acknowledged the efforts of SSC Atlantic, Charleston Air Force Base and the Naval Weapons Station, along with his civilian and military workforce and that of the International Longshoremen Association from Terminal Corporation-East, as dedicated and superior in accomplishing this operation. He also recognized other strategic partners who have been instrumental in the effort -- Army Material Command, MRAP Program Manager Paul

‘Bravo Zulu to one and all’Ceremony celebrates 10,000th MRAP shipped by sea

Commander of U.S. Transportation Command, Air Force Gen. Duncan McNabb speaks to the crowd.

Against the backdrop of the cargo ship MV Alliance New York -- which transported the first and the 10,000th MRAP to the war theater by sea -- Army Capt. Lonnie Nipper tells the

military and civic dignitaries assembled how MRAP vehicles saved the lives of everyone on his team during convoy opera-tions outside the wire.

Photos by Tom Egbert

Warfighter supportWarfighter support


Mann, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Ports America, Local 1771 Checker union, the commercial shipping industry, Military Sealift Command and numerous others within the local community,

Commander of Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Army Maj. Gen. James Hodge, saluted the efforts of all those involved in the shipment of the MRAPs, which he described as “the best equipment our service men and women could have available as they serve in harm’s way.

“You are putting MRAPs in the hands of our soldiers, Ma-rines, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen fighting on the frontlines in both Iraq and Afghanistan,” Hodge added.

Commander of U.S. Transportation Command, Air Force Gen. Duncan McNabb, recognized the professionalism and dedication involved on everyone’s part in the safe, secure and efficient shipment of 10,000 MRAPs. “These lifesaving vehicles are proving their value every day in protecting our warfighters and keeping them safe.”

Army Capt. Lonnie Nipper, a soldier who recently re-turned from a 12-month tour in Iraq and is newly assigned to the 841st, shared his personal experiences to illustrate the importance of MRAPs. While in Iraq, Nipper worked

as part of a military transition team of about 10 to 15 sol-diers who lived outside the wire, and he was responsible for mentoring and advising Iraqi forces. He spoke of several instances of improvised explosive devices hitting his convoy of MRAPs.

Although MRAPs were delayed by flat tires, vehicle damage, and on one occasion being flipped over, his team suffered no casualties.

“If it wasn’t for the people working diligently here getting these vehicles ready and shipped over to us, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish our mission,” Nipper said to the audience, adding, “so, thank you.”

The ship carrying the 10,000th MRAP, the MV Alliance New York, is the same ship that delivered the first MRAP carried by surface to the USCENTCOM theater of operations in November 2007.

As of the end of March, more than 15,000 MRAP vehicles had been integrated with C4I equipment by the SSC Atlantic team. While the majority of them have been shipped to the Middle East via sealift, some were airlifted out of Charles-ton on C-17s by the 437th Airlift Wing, and some remained stateside to be used for training.

- Susan Piedfort, Chronicle Editor

Representatives from the U.S. Transportation Command, Army Materiel Command, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Ports America, Local 1771 Checker union, the commercial shipping industry, Military Sealift Command and numerous

community leaders were among those who gathered at Wharf Alpha on the Naval Weapons Station to celebrate delivery of the 10,000th MRAP by sea from Charleston.


In February command master chiefs (CMCs) from SSCs Atlan-tic and Pacific, SPAWAR Space Field Activity Chantilly and Space and Naval Warfare Sys-tems Command (SPAWARSYS-COM) convened a selection board in which one outstanding Sailor was chosen to represent the entire SPAWARSYSCOM claimancy. As a result of this board, Crypto-logic Technician Technical First

Class (Surface Warfare/Aviation Warfare) Brittany M. Price from SPAWAR Space Chantilly Field Activity was named 2008 SPAWARSYSCOM Sailor of the Year.

The two other nominees were Sonar Technician Subma-rines Second Class (Submarine Warfare) Brian R. Hill, SSC Pacific Sailor of the Year; and Yeoman First Class (Surface Warfare) Lateef O. Birks, SSC Atlantic Sailor of the Year.

Price was lauded for her unsurpassed knowledge of the Joint Integrated Broadcast Network Emulator, whereby she

coordinated evaluations, demonstrations and final testing that resulted in the program’s successful completion and plan for transition. Her coordination with the Aegis Test Facility in Dahlgren, Va., and USS Higgins (DDG 76) culminated in providing a tool that will allow the warfighter to conduct training utilizing the Joint Tactical Terminal. This testing also incorporated feedback from the user, which will allow the delivered product to be more suited toward user needs and will reduce costs for implementation.

The SPAWAR Space Field Activity Commander Rear Adm. Liz Young called Price “an extremely talented Sailor and one of my finest leaders, regardless of rank or pay grade. She continually strives for excellence and sets the example for all her peers and subordinates to emulate. Her outstanding performance and superior technical acumen are instrumental in delivering Operational Solutions Group capabilities and efforts to the operational units. She also positively contributes to the professional and personal de-velopment of noncommissioned officers and Sailors within the command through interactive leadership, training and mentorship.”

SPAWARSYSCOM names Sailor of Year

SSC Atlantic Acting Chief Engineer Cmdr. Scott Heller was recently selected for promotion to the rank of captain.

Heller reported to then-SSC Charleston in 2007 as execu-tive officer and deputy chief engineer. After overseeing the merger of SSCs Charleston, Norfolk and New Orleans, he assumed duties of SSC Atlantic’s acting chief engineer.

Heller came to Charleston after a tour at PEO C4I and Space in San Diego, Calif. During that assignment he was the Navy’s lead for Cross Domain Solutions, assistant pro-gram manager for Automated Digital Network Systems, and acting deputy program manager for the Deployable Joint Command and Control Joint Program Office in Panama City Beach, Fla.

An Engineering Duty Officer and member of the Acqui-sition Corps, Heller was commissioned in 1988. His first shipboard assignment was on USS Pharris (FF-1094), where he earned his Surface Warfare Officer qualification. He then reported to USS Normandy (CG-60) as antisub-marine warfare officer.

In 1994 he reported to Aegis Combat System Engineer-ing Development Site as assistant officer-in-charge of the integration and test facility. Heller was then selected for the Engineering Duty Officer community, and reported to

Heller is captain selectee

Capt. (Sel) Scott Heller

the the Naval Post Graduate School ( N P G S ) . H e earned a master of science degree in computer science with a subspecialty in information as-surance, and upon graduation from NPGS was pre-sented the Navy League Award for highest academic achievement.

Heller first reported to then-SSC Charleston, where he assisted in the fielding and testing of multilevel secure systems, in 1998. He led a team of engineers conducting computer network vulnerability assessments of ships prior to deployment, visiting more than 100 ships.

In 2001 he was assigned to the Engineering Duty Office School as an instructor responsible for a tailored acquisition and EO community curriculum.

Price

HonorsHonors


Photo by Diane Owens

Cmdr. Eric LeGear has been named SSC Atlantic’s 4.0 (Fleet Readiness and Logistics) Local Competency Lead. LeGear oversees all aspects of the command’s fleet readiness efforts, and is SSC Atlantic’s executive liaison with Naval Network Warfare Com-mand (NETWARCOM), Atlantic type commanders and the Atlantic Fleet readiness community.

LeGear (pronounced LeZheer) is also responsible for the development, installation and sustainment of SSC At-lantic’s nontactical shipboard applica-tions, including software for shipboard personnel adminstration and training, as well as aircraft maintenance.

The 4.0 Competency leads develop-ment of installation policies, processes

and contracts across the enterprise, in compliance with approved DoD and Navy policies.

LeGear comes to SSC Atlantic after a tour as combat systems of-ficer on the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. In his new position he is based in Little Creek, Va., close to the fleet and to key shore staff and support commands he serves in the Tidewater area.

The 4.0 competency was cre-ated under the Competency Aligned Organization construct and the lead position was first occupied by Capt. Bruce Urbon before he was named SSC Charleston and Atlantic com-manding officer.

Cmdr. Eric LeGear

LeGear named 4.0 competency lead

Lt. Cmdr. James B. “Jimbo” Hadley, left, makes sure ETI Howard R. Chambers of Code 5314 signs on the dotted line as the SSC Atlantic Sailor reenlists March 13. After Hadley administered the oath of enlistment to Chambers, SSC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce Urbon, above, presented a certificate to Chambers’ daughter Emily, and to his wife Erika. Chambers serves as fleet liaison for TACMOBILE. His past assignments have included Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Six; Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, Orange Grove, Texas; USS Ogden (LPD 5), USS O’Brien (DD-975) and NAS Key West, Fla.Photos by Susan Piedfort

Chambers reups


SSC Atlantic Chief of Staff and former SSC New Orleans Commanding Officer Capt. Mark W. Krause retired from the Navy March 9 after 28 years of service.

During ceremonies held in New Or-leans, Rear Adm. Michael Bachmann, SPAWARSYSCOM commander, called Krause a dedicated and outstanding offi-cer and cited his important contributions to the SSC Atlantic transition team. Krause did an excellent job of elevat-ing the critical support New Orleans provides to the Navy, Bachmann noted, and most recently has played a key role in launching efforts to provide the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with a modern information technology (IT) environment.

During the ceremony, Krause re-ceived the Legion of Merit Award from Bachmann and congratulatory letters from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. He also received several parting gifts from the New Orleans military staff, including a flag that flew over the center.

Krause began his naval career in 1981, graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor of science in ap-plied math and receiving his commission as an ensign. He completed flight training in Pensacola, Fla., the following year and was designated a naval aviator in October 1982. He transferred to San Diego, Calif., in 1983 to begin a career as a Light Airborne Multipurpose System (LAMPS) Antisubmarine Warfare pilot, flying the SH-2F helicopter, before embarking on his first sea tour to the Indian Ocean. Krause was then assigned as a flight instructor in Mayport, Fla., during which time he attended night school and earned a master of administration in educational administration from the University of North Florida.

In 1994 he transferred to Commander, Navy Reserve Force as a staff action officer. After completing that tour, he attended the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif., graduating in 1999 with a master of science in infor-mation technology management. Krause was then assigned information technology director for the Navy Air Logistics Office, eventually becoming the chief technology officer (CTO) for the Navy Reserve Forces command staff, where he spearheaded a 60-member IT staff in the tactical execution and management of all Navy Reserve IT programs.

Krause ends 28-year naval career

In 2003 he was promoted to the rank of captain and was assigned as the Navy Reserve’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Office of Chief of Navy Reserve at the Penta-gon. There he directed all aspects of IT for an 88,000-mem-ber organization with a $3.2 billion annual budget, and led the transformation of the Navy Reserve into an IT-ready warfighter support asset.

In 2006 Krause was assigned as commanding officer of SSC New Orleans. He provided leadership for the delivery of engineering services and support for approximately 48 Navy manpower and personnel legacy systems, providing key mission-critical support for manpower management, assignment management, mobilization, readiness, personnel and pay, recruiting, order writing, training, separation and retirement, and financial management.

Following Hurricane Katrina, Krause successfully mi-grated all Navy applications that had been transferred to SSC New Orleans’ Continuity of Operations (COOP) site in Fort Worth, Texas, back to New Orleans. In partnership with SSC Pacific, he stood up a new secure, fully mirrored COOP site in San Diego, signaling the commmand’s com-plete recovery from the hurricane’s devastating impacts. He also established a state-of-the-art data center that has recently been designated by NETWARCOM as one of the Navy’s 10 official data centers within the U.S.

- Brittney Barras, SSC Atlantic New Orleans Office

Photo by Tom EgbertCapt. Mark Krause is presented a congratulatory letter from New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin by SSC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce Urbon during Krause’s retirement ceremony March 9 in New Orleans.

TransitionsTransitions


Cox retires in Norfolk ceremonyThe retirement ceremony

of Capt. James C. Cox, the former executive officer of SSC Atlantic and command-ing officer of SSC Norfolk, took place Jan. 16 in Ely Hall at Norfolk Naval Sta-tion in Norfolk, Va.

Cox, a native of Water-town, N.Y., was commis-sioned through Aviation Officer Candidate School in April 1979 and designated a Naval Aviator in September 1980. His first assignment was in June 1981 at Naval Air Station (NAS), North Is-land, Calif. During his career Cox accumulated more than 5,000 flight hours and de-ployed aboard several ships, including USS Coral Sea, USS Hayler, USS America and USS Theodore Roosevelt. His years of service found him in various positions, ranging from flight instructor of Helicopter Training Squadron Eighteen at NAS Whiting Field, Fla., to a Department of State assignment as the aviation plans and operations officer for the Bureau of International Narcotics Matters in the Office of Transnational Issues.

Following the Department of State assignment, Cox earned a master of arts degree in national security and stra-tegic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. He then served as executive officer and commanding officer for Training Squadron 6 at NAS Whiting Field, Fla.

In 2000 he joined U.S. Joint Forces Command and worked as director of facilities in the doctrine department, eventually transferring to Joint Force headquarters - Homeland Security in 2001 where he acted as operations officer. Cox reported for duty as executive officer at SSC Norfolk in July 2003; in February 2007 he became the commanding officer. When SSC Atlantic was commissioned in September 2008, he took the helm as executive officer.

The retirement ceremony commenced with Master of Ceremonies Capt. Jaret R. Rhinehart welcoming the guests, including SPAWARSYSCOM Commander Rear Adm. Michael C. Bachmann, Congressman Randy Forbes and Cox’s family. After the Marine Air Group 49 Color Guard conducted the parade of colors, Cox’s sister-in-law, Kather-ine White, performed an a cappella rendition of the national anthem. Cmdr. Brent Scott, a family friend, then delivered the invocation.

Cox took the stage, greeting the crowd with a cheerful, “What a great Navy day!” He went on to thank all involved

in organizing and partici-pating in the ceremony and then introduced the guest speaker, Rear Adm. Michael Bachmann.

Bachmann discussed Cox’s many achievements before presenting him with the Legion of Merit award for “exceptionally meritorious conduct” from the Chief of Naval Operations. Cox was also awarded a Presidential Retirement Certificate and a Certificate of Appreciation signed by President George W. Bush.

Capt. Bruce Urbon then presented Cox a Certifi cate of Appreciation from Vir-ginia Gov. Timothy Kaine,

and another from Gov. David Paterson of N.Y. His wife, Susan, and his children, James and Elizabeth, also received letters of appreciation for their support of Cox during his career. Master Gunnery Sergeant Willie Washington gave a spirited reading of “Olde Glory,” while Urbon and Master Chief Billy Swearingen conducted the flag ceremony. Cox’s son received a flag that had flown on the USS Constitution on Pearl Harbor Day; while his daughter received a flag that had flown over the Capitol on Veteran’s Day.

After the presentation of the flags, Cox regaled the audi-ence with a tale of his first drill sergeant, the aptly named “Sergeant Payne.” Expressing admiration for those who served before him, including his father, George Cox, Cox presented a shadow box commemmorating his father’s World War II accolades to his mother, Mary Cox. He then spoke of his mother’s service during World War II in the Women Airforce Service Pilots and how, in the six decades following the war, she never received recognition as a veteran. He said, “So today, Mom — today is your day. We salute you, Mary Cooper Cox,” as he watched Congressman Forbes officially award his mother with the American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.

Citing the things he loved most about Navy life, Cox concluded his speech by stating his deep appreciation for the support he received from both his coworkers and family throughout his career. Then, looking at his wife, he said for the final time, “Honey, I’m home.”

As a parting gift, Cox was presented with a handcrafted, engraved college chair. Following the benediction, Cox and his family departed to the ringing of the going ashore bell.

- Heather Rutherford, SSC Atlantic Tidewater Office

SPAWARSYSCOM Commander Rear Adm. Michael Bach-mann presents Capt. James Cox the Legion of Merit.


More than 40 flag officers and senior Department of Defense (DoD) executives from the Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) com-munity were among the 300 people who gathered for an Open House at SSC Atlantic March 4 and 5.

The Program Executive Office (PEO) C4I hosted the open house in partnership with Team SPAWAR and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The event featured briefings and discussions on C4I programs being executed by Atlantic and Pacific systems centers and their industry partners, as well as PEO C4I’s efforts to develop capabilities in col-laboration with ONR, the SSCs, and other DoD Services and Agencies.

Key topics included the acquisition and engineering approaches that support the delivery of C4I capabilities to warfighters, new Network-Centric strategies being em-ployed aboard ships of the Navy’s USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike groups, the platform production environment of the integrated Com-mon Submarine Radio Room, and the capabilities of the Systems Center’s Enterprise Engineering and Certifica-tion (E2C) laboratory.

Chris Miller, the Navy’s Program Executive Officer charged with ac-quiring C4I capabilities, kicked off each day with a discussion of the C4I portfolio and strategic priorities, C4I trends in the fleet, and the institutional benefits his organization has realized by employing Lean Six Sigma process improvement principles. Miller also discussed the use of social network-ing and blogs for collaboration and effective communication to enhance the rapid acquisition of C4I products, and the value of the SSC’s engineering laboratories.

“The labs that you are seeing this afternoon are truly national assets,” Miller told the attendees. “Nowhere

C4I capabilities

else do you have the entire architecture and testing capability all in one place.” The Open House, he said, is representative of the integrated and collaborative engineering approach by both SSCs and PEO C4I in developing C4I solutions and capabilities.

Rear Adm. Michael C. Bachmann, commander of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, spoke on the sec-ond day of the event. He noted that PEO C4I and Team SPAWAR are working together to strategize as they look to the future.

“The ways that we are coupled together and collaborat-ing are excellent examples of the kind of teamwork that makes us successful as an enterprise and enables us to bet-ter meet the rapidly changing demands of the warfighter,” Bachmann said.

Terry Simpson, SSC Atlantic/PEO C4I overall coordina-tion lead for the Open House, said the event met, and well

Open House demonstrates the power of teaming in acquisition and engineering

Terry Simpson introduces guest speaker Rear Adm. Michael Bachmann, commander of SPAWARSYSCOM, during the second day of the C4I Open House.

Photo by Tom Egbert

PartnersPartners


exceeded, the objective of maximizing awareness across the community of C4I operational capabilities. “This was a truly collaborative Team SPAWAR event that illustrated the power of teaming between acquisition and engineer-ing efforts to rapidly deliver innovative Joint warfighting capabilities,” he said.

The Open House provided a valuable exchange of ideas among major stakeholders at PEO C4I, SSC Atlantic and SSC Pacific on how they can collaborate and partner to bring innovative solutions to the warfighter at the right time and at the right cost.

Senior representatives from Chief of Naval Operations, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition; Naval Sea Systems Command; Naval Air Systems Command; Navy Fleet commands; Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics; National Security Agency; Defense Infor-mation Systems Agency; Joint Forces Command; Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard were among the attendees.


Photo by Tom Egbert

Photo by Sherri Vonbehren

Photo by Sherri Vonbehren

Above, from left, front row, Brig. Gen. Peter Hoene, USAF, U.S. Air Force Executive Of-ficer for Command and Control Capabilities; SPAWARSYSCOM Commander Rear Adm. Michael Bachmann; Program Executive Officer for C4I, Chris Miller; Dr. Gary Fred-erici, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) C4I and Space Programs; Rear Adm. David Simp-son, Director, Navy Networks, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Communication Networks (N6); and Brig. Gen. Terrence Feehan, USAF, Vice Commander, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base.; await the start of a brief during the C4ISR Capabilities Open House. At left, Brian Miller briefs visitors in the Bldg. 3146 labs. Below, SSC Atlantic Department Head Charlie Adams, left, and SPAWARSYSCOM Technical Director Rod Smith lead a discussion about a demonstration in Bldg. 3146.


RealWorldImagine you are a warfighter on patrol in a rocky

canyon in Afghanistan when you come under fire. You engage, and after a short while the enemy vanishes. You return to base to be debriefed by the command-ing officer. You take out a laptop, and on the screen appears a scene that is an exact 3-D recreation of precisely where you were in that canyon. Within seconds, you are dragging-and-dropping, indicat-ing your position, where your buddies were, where your vehicle was, where the sniper was and where you took fire.

In that short amount of time, four important things have taken place: an after-action report, mission planning and briefing, a mission rehearsal and train-ing. Imagine recording this whole sequence, and then sending it back by e-mail to Fort Polk, Fort Lewis, Twentynine Palms or anywhere else it can be used to train other warfighters preparing to deploy.

This scenario is becoming a reality thanks to a software tool called RealWorld, which is being developed under the auspices of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

SSC Atlantic is one of four RealWorld beta test sites, and last summer eight SSC Atlantic Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) employees were engaged as users and evaluators of the RealWorld tools.

The RealWorld PC-based platform is designed to allow nonprogrammers -- field commanders, warfighters, coun-terterrorism professionals, first responders and pilots -- to rapidly build 2D/3D, geospecific simulations. This enables them to virtually train and practice complex scenarios. For example, RealWorld users can generate one city block of geo-specific building interiors and exteriors from a wide range of sources, including photographs, lidar, CAD draw-ings or even drawings hand drawn in the field.

Since simulation programmers rarely know the situation and needs of the team the way the expert does, RealWorld puts the power of virtual reality directly in the hands of the user. Users are no longer required to spend valuable train-ing dollars and time waiting for simulations to be specified, built, tested and delivered.

Giving warfighters the power of virtual reality

Instructors from Total Immersion Software help new RealWorld software suite users create their own virtual reality during training held at SSC Atlantic in February.

Photos by Susan Piedfort


As a beta test site SSC Atlantic led the way in the col-laborative 3D effort, thanks to the accomplishments of the eager STEPS, who are naturals for using software similar to gaming technology to create virtual environments. They re-ported bugs and complications to the DARPA developers and even found ways to push the application beyond its perceived limits. After being told that one of the RealWorld applications could be used only to create buildings, they overcame this limitation and successfully built virtual ships. This opened up the possibility to create highly sought after ship-boarding scenarios. The possibilities for Navy uses of this capability are virtually endless.

The STEPs’ success with Real World last summer contin-ues this year with special training hosted at SSC Atlantic in February for more than a dozen new users. Representatives from SPAWAR, Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the Army, and new STEP and co-op hires, were among those tak-ing part in the training.

“The training was extremely successful,” said Ken Mc-Cullough of Code 56150, the Agreement Officer’s Represen-tative on the DARPA Real World program, “and puts us in a position to leverage this program for future integration into existing programs here at SPAWAR to aid in training and simulation of the products we deliver to the warfighter.”

Code 56150’s Advanced Technology Transition team leapt ahead of the other beta sites in productivity, and McCullough expects even greater outcomes as the program continues this year.

Any SPAWARrior interested in using this technology in their programs or projects should contact Ken McCullough Code 56150.


Representatives from SPAWAR, Special Operations Com-mand (USSOCOM), SAIC and the Army, in addition to new SSC Atlantic STEP and coop hires, take part in the training session hosted at SSC Atlantic in February.


Forty-two Department of Defense civilians employed by SSC Atlantic have become the first to receive the Secre-tary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism.

SSC Atlantic employees earning the medal are:

SPAWARriors receive SECDEF medals

TruxtonContinued from page 3

Carl AgrenBrenda AngerhoferMark Angerhofer

John AtwoodKenneth Ayers

Frederick BellamyDaniel Bryan

James ClarksonFrancis CoarrRandy Corbitt

Frank CrumplerRaymond DeGuzman

Michael EdwardsAdam EmanuelAndrew FisherSalvador Garcia

Andrew HassingerMelissa HaymonTimothy HinesRobert JamesCharles Kann

Timothy KimesPhilip Lien

Susan MarshMitchel Mascoe

Brandon NaughtonJames NettlesTanzeel RanaTed RickensGlenn Rose

Michael RuggCarl Sellers

Lauren ShoemakerJames Spivey

Herbert SteermanMark SzaniszloWilliam Terrell

Mark TuellThomas WallaceJames WatsonDavid Whitley

Bradley Whitmore

The medal recognizes the service and sac-rifice of DoD civilian employ-ees who have served in a com-bat zone sup-porting military operations since Sept. 11, 2001.

The medal is authorized for civilian employees who provide direct support to military operations in locations designated a combat zone for 30 consecutive days; 60 nonconsecutive days; or were killed or medically evacu-ated, regardless of time.

The area of eligibility encompasses the U.S. Central Command area, excluding the lower Horn of Africa; Middle East; eastern Turkey; Republic of Philippines; Diego Garcia; and all air spaces above the land and ad-jacent water areas, according to DoD.

DoD civilians are working in provincial reconstruc-tion teams, rebuilding Afghan and Iraqi infrastructure, building institutions, and helping run cities.

“We are asking more of our civilian employees in this war than in the past,” said David S. C. Chu, under-secretary of defense for personnel and readiness when announcing the award. “We are asking them to be part of an expeditionary force.”

Meddick named Minority Small Business Champion by SC SBA

SSC Atlantic’s Bob Meddick has been named 2009 Mi-nority Small Business Champion by the S.C. Small Business Administration.

Meddick, deputy director of small business programs at SSC Atlantic, oversaw $242 million in contracts to small, minority-owned businesses near the end of fiscal 2008.That represents 10.6 percent of all contracts awarded by SSC Atlantic and double the Department of Defense’s 5 percent goal.

Outside of work, Meddick also counsels and mentors the small-business community. With the Charleston Defense Contractors Association, he hosts a symposium for more than 150 individuals on contracting with SSC Atlantic. He also partners with the Small Business Development Center, Service Corps of Retired Executives and the S.C. Women’s Business Center to mentor clients.

and [USS] Fitzgerald that tracked the North Korean ballistic missile and last year it was the Aegis destroyer [USS] McFaul that first docked in Georgia after it was invaded by Russian forces,” Roughead said.

Roughead said the spirit of the ship’s namesake, Commodore Thomas Truxtun is alive and well in the Navy today.

“We continue to span the globe in support of our nation’s interests, and we continue to fight the scourge of piracy. But most of all, we believe, like Commodore Truxtun, that while we must endeavor to maintain peace, we must be prepared for war in every respect,” Roughead said.

The ship has returned to Norfolk, Va., where it is homeported, to resume training exercises for her crew.

HonorsHonors


An SSC Atlantic computer scientist was featured as a “Role Model of the Week” on a Web site that pays trib-ute to world class His-

panic engineers, scientists and technology professionals.Michelle Crosby, of SSC Atlantic Code 5335, was fea-

tured as a Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC) “Role Model of the Week” at www.henaac.org March 15 through 21, and she is currently highlighted on the Web site as a former role model. The weekly feature pays tribute to the Hispanic professionals from among national corporations, academic institutions, government entities and the military. Crosby had been nominated for the 2008 Most Promising Scientist or Engi-neer of the Year, Undergraduate Degree award. In addition to being chosen as a role model, she was also the runner-up for this award.

Crosby is the second SSC Atlantic employee to be hon-ored by HENAAC. Electrical Engineer Guillermo Leiva of Code 5617 was featured as Role Model of the Week in February of 2008.

Born in Puerto Rico, Crosby came to Charleston with her family at an early age when her father was assigned here in the Air Force. Crosby has been an avid Tae Kwon Do com-petitor since high school, and earned a brown belt, winning first place in a 2000 competition at the University of South Carolina. As a member of the U.S. Hido Kwan Association in Summerville, she participated in her first tournament in April, winning first place in forms in her division.

While still at the College of Charleston earning a bach-elor of science degree in computer science, Crosby began working at then-SSC Charleston as a cooperative education program participant in 2002 and came onboard full time in 2005.

She now works in the modeling, simulation and assess-ment branch, where a team of computer scientists and engi-neers use modeling and simulation tools to provide analysis of naval communications and computer networks.

Crosby has recently been working on a project for the Marine Corps Combat Operations Center (COC) to test the performance of virtual machine (VM) server configura-tions. She works with James Stambaugh and Jessica Staats

to ensure each test is performed smoothly with the correct configurations. As part of the modeling and simulation team, she monitored network performance and provided an analysis.

When Crosby’s nomination was sent to HENAAC for the 2008 award, she was part of a team tasked with determining the best way to implement the Armed Forces Health Systems Latitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA) for the Coast Guard. AHLTA is a DoD enterprise-wide electronic health records system distributed over a wide area network to con-nect multiple health care providers and patient information in a consolidated databank. The AHLTA model required evaluation in a controlled environment to determine optimal performance. To collect AHLTA traffic simulated through various scenarios, Crosby and coworker Mark Henry trav-eled to a Northrop Grumman technology lab in Chantilly, Va., which mimics the lab at the U.S. Coast Guard Opera-tions Systems Center.

They researched various elements of the existing Coast Guard health care information flow there and were able to capture realistic network traffic.

Using a commercial off-the-shelf modeling software tool, Michelle was able to create a network model for each network schema. The network data gathered from the test lab in Chantilly was injected into the model to simulate the existing network traffic for analysis under a variety of scenarios. The team also created cost estimates (contrac-tor cost, equipment cost, software cost, license cost) to be considered for system conversion and network diagrams for each connection scheme.

In 2005 Crosby was awarded a SPAWAR Lightning Bolt Award as part of the Virtual SYSCOM PR07 FORCEnet Naval Capabilities Development Process (NCDP) Assess-ment Team. Crosby is active in her community and currently is a leader at her church.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to showcase her story, as part of HENAAC’s vision to keep America techno-logically strong by promoting careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),” said Bertha Haro, manager of development administration for HENAAC. “This is a great tool to share the personal stories of the talented and innovative people working behind the scenes in America’s top organizations.”

Michelle Crosby is ‘Role Model of Week’on HENAAC Web site

Tribute to Hispanic STEM professionals


LeadershipTraining is tailor-made for SSC Atlantic

“ To become a leader, you must become yourself, become the maker of your own life. Knowing thyself is the most dif-ficult task any of us faces. But until you truly know yourself, strengths and weaknesses, know what you want to do and why you want to do it, you cannot succeed in any but the most superficial sense of the word.” -Warren Bennis

We can’t get better without first looking at ourselves. That’s the focus behind a new leadership training program

now underway at SSC Atlantic.Department Head Charlie Adams sought out the training

to enable his Code 55 Branch managers to develop leadership

competencies specified in the command’s Competency De-velopment Model. SSC Atlantic’s Karen Quasny developed, organized and is conducting the training based on similar classes she presented when working for the Army Staff Management College. A human resources specialist in Code 8111, Quasny has an extensive background in education, course development and facilitating leadership training.

“This is something I wanted to do for a long time,” Adams said. “The key to bringing it to fruition has been Karen.

“We already have great supervisor training in place now that teaches the mechanics of being a supervisor -- respon-sibilities, ethics, how to approve time and travel, how to handle grievances and discipline problems. We do a good job with that,” Adams continued. “But I thought there was a need for more on the ‘soft’ skills of leadership -- how to develop someone to lead and how to inspire others to ac-complish their jobs. And I wanted it to be specific to SSC Atlantic.”

The course provides an opportunity for reflection and self examination, according to Quasny. “We begin with the leadership foundational pieces of increased self awareness, our personal values, and how values impact our decision-making process,” she explained.

“Through the Leadership Practices Inventory, a 360-de-gree feedback, participants gain insights into how they see themselves versus how others view them as leaders. We also

At right, Mike Smith writes responses during one of the group exercises un-dertaken in the leader-ship course. Below, Arnel Castillo fills in his group’s answers as, from left, Stu-art Shoup, Lori Thompson, Tao Rocha and George Anderson look on.

Photos by Joe Bullinger


look at personality preferences through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a personality inventory as a means of understanding our own preferences and behaviors, and how this impacts people around us. Finally, we look at how com-munication is impacted by the four different generations in the workplace today, and effective ways to manage change, manage time and lead teams. We wrap up with information on developing leadership competencies, career planning and preparation for increased challenges,” she said.

The MBTI tool has proven to be valid and reliable for more than 40 years for a variety of purposes. Understanding the 16 personality types gives each leader valuable insights into how different people interact and make decisions.

“This can be truly enlightening,” said Quasny. “Discov-ering their personality types gives a framework for under-standing individual differences, and it shows them how to approach their work and be more effective in dealing with others based on awareness of their preferred style.”

Another component of the course that attendees find especially valuable is the 360-degree feedback. These are “full circle” evaluations that allow the individual to receive feedback from 10 to 20 seniors, subordinates and peers. By filling out anonymous questionnaires they rate the manager on leadership criteria such as the ability to build consensus or make timely decisions. The leader also rates himself, and then all responses are tabulated by an automated system. The feedback is categorized so the leader can see how seniors, subordinates and peers see his strengths and weaknesses, and compare those responses to his own self assessment.

“The feedback shows specifically what they need to work on. Those who have completed the leadership class can

take the 360-degree assessment again in 11 months to see if they’ve successfully changed those behaviors,” Quasny said. “This exercise really increases their self awareness as leaders.”

For Lori Thompson of Code 55360, this was the most eye-opening aspect of the training. “We were given the tools to look at how others see us and how we see ourselves, which is critical because unless you truly know yourself, are aware of your own actions and their impacts on others, you cannot know what you need to strengthen or change to become not only a better leader professionally, but person-ally as well.”

Thompson also found the module on generational dif-ferences in communication styles particularly useful. “Un-derstanding the generational differences in communication styles will help me to communicate better with individuals. The coaching for high performance session provided good information and tools,” she said.

The training was supported by Code 553 Technical Opera-tions Officer Mike Davis, as well as by Gail Silverman and JimYohn from the SSC Atlantic legal department, and Brad Hoisington, Code 55 logistics management specialist. “A program like this has to be a team effort, and these adjunct faculty shared their expertise in coaching for high perfor-mance, ethical decision-making and leading teams,” Quasny said. “Davis fielded the subtleties of technical questions on Capability Maturity Model Integration® (CMMI®), Project Initiation Request (PIR), Competency Aligned Organization (CAO) and other change initiatives that are challenging today’s leadership.”

Quasny facilitates the leadership class, using a combina-tion of lectures, class interaction and case studies which

incorporated different styles of learning and ensured that everyone participated.

Continued on next page


Leadership....

Freddie Hicks, Capt. Bruce Urbon, William Paggi and other SSC Atlantic leaders take part in a panel discussion held at the end of the first training session. The one-on-one exchange

The attendees found a panel discussion with SSC At-lantic leadership at the conclusion of the course to be of value. Sitting down with SSC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce Urbon and department heads for a one-on-one exchange of ideas gives the leaders a better overall under-standing of the current policy and decisions made by SSC Atlantic leadership.

The value of having the course in-house is that it is de-signed specifically around the SSC Atlantic environment. Case studies and examples are directly related to our core operations, systems and situations. Discussions center around the sharing of experiences and ‘lessons learned’ by others. A commercial course would not be as relevant to the SPAWAR supervisor, Quasny noted.

For Mike Smith, a branch head from Code 55540, the training was exactly what he had been actively looking for in the commercial sector but couldn’t find. “Not only did this training turn out better and more SPAWAR-relevant than any independent commercial training, it also acted as a great team building experience for Code 55. Having only our peers in the class was an effective targeted grouping. Some of the training time was devoted to relevant but off-topic discus-sions that I believe helped everyone gain new perspectives to common issues,” Smith said. “As an employee based at St. Juliens Creek, I now definitely feel I have a closer relationship to the Charleston, New Orleans and Pensacola branch heads and feel that those lines of communication are better established.”

The leadership training pilot began in March and in-cluded SSC Atlantic employees from Charleston, Tampa and Tidewater. A second offering in late April included branch heads from Charleston, Tidewater, New Orleans, Pensacola and Germany. Demand for the course is growing and future offerings to other leadership groups in the command will be offered.

Thompson thinks all supervisors and senior leaders would benefit from the class. “I would also encourage this training to be expanded to quarterly, one-day seminars on specific topics that complement the initial training. This allows us as leaders to continue to develop and to challenge ourselves to become better leaders not only for our workforce but for ourselves as well,” she said.

“This training focuses on personal development, becom-ing more self aware,” Quasny said, adding that the real value of the class is dependent on each attendee.

Smith has little doubt about the value the class. “You know you’ve had interesting training when you are excited to come home and tell others about it, as I did,” he said, adding that he thinks division heads and project leaders should also take the class. “Project leads will be able to put this knowledge to work in the field where our customers can see the immediate impact,” he said.

“This class truly exceeded my objectives,” Thompson said. “I was sure this was going to be another week of training that would provide no benefit other than ‘checking a box.’ I was glad to find out my initial thoughts were dead wrong. I thought the class was extremely beneficial in that it provided much needed leadership development training in a relevant environment.”

Course feedback indicates all of the leadership class attendees came away with a better understanding of them-selves as leaders. Adams believes that people will notice a difference in their behavior and actions when they return to their work sites after completing the training. But, he adds, all the dividends from this training are not immediate.

“This training will help them build confidence as lead-ers, and it’s those skills that take time to fully develop. The end result is a highly motivated and inspired workforce enfranchised to do their best for SSC Atlantic, the Navy and the country.”


of ideas gives the class attendees a better understanding of the current policy and decisions made by SSC Atlantic leadership.

Photo by Susan Piedfort

Continued from previous page


SSC Atlantic was one of 12 dy-namic businesses and industries in the Charleston region receiving 1773 awards from the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. SSC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce Ur-bon accepted the award during a May 13 chamber luncheon.

Awardees “best reflect the core values of the chamber: Leadership, relevance, integrity, diversity and in-novation,” according to the chamber.

The awards are named for the found-ing year of the chamber. SSC Atlantic was honored in the scientific/technical services category, and was lauded as a major area employer constantly looking to improve processes and solutions to meet the Navy’s mission.

A grand winner for the 1773 award will be announced at the chamber’s upcoming annual meeting.

Photo by Joe BullingerSSC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce Urbon displays the 1773 award and is pictured with, from left, Bobby Collins Sr., vice president and South Carolina general manager of Pure

and board chairman of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce; Jeff Messick of Johnson Controls; and Dean Stephens of WCIV News 4, the local ABC affiliate, right.

Help tell the SSC Atlantic story in The Chronicle

SSC Atlantic among 12 local honorees

Chamber of Commerce presents 1773 awards

The SSC Atlantic team has many good stories to tell, from Tidewater, Va.; Charleston, S.C.; New Orleans, La.; Washington, D.C.; Pensacola and Tampa, Fla.; Pax River, Md.; Europe and the Middle East.

Don’t miss the opportunity for valuable recognition for yourself, SSC Atlantic and our many products and services!

You can help us keep all SSC Atlan-tic employees, customers, contractors, sponsors and retirees current on the com-mand’s accomplishments.

If you have an article or story idea, sub-mit it to The Chronicle. To discuss a story idea or for assistance writing an article, call (843) 218-4973 or DSN 588-4973.

If you would like to have a customer or sponsor added to The Chronicle distribution list, send the name and address by e-mail to [email protected] or U.S. mail to: Chronicle Editor

(Code 851), P.O. Box 190022, North Charleston, S.C., 29419-9022.

The Chronicle is published quarterly to inform, educate, entertain and generate new ideas. Articles will be accepted at any time.

Articles of any length will be consid-ered, but those with 300 to 500 words are preferred. Photos or illustrations should be sent as separate files, rather than embedded in a document.

A full color version of The Chronicle can be viewed on the Internet at http://sscc.spawar.navy.mil. Employees can browse

current and back issues of The Chronicle and Chronicle Lite on the Col-

laboration and Execution Web site under “Command Information,” then “ePublications.”


In April 2009 SSC Atlantic leadership was notified that Travis Axtell, Scott Buscemi and Adam Tyson were awarded educational scholarships through the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarships program.

Axtell, a Code 5833 electrical engineer, will attend the Naval Post Graduate School in pursuit of a PhD in electri-cal engineering in space systems engineering. Buscemi, a Code 5521 electrical engineer, will attend either the Univer-sity of South Carolina or University of North Carolina at Charlotte in pursuit of a doctorate in computer engineering. Tyson, a 5633 computer scientist, will attend The Citadel and College of Charleston in pursuit of a master of science degree in computer science with a software engineering specialization, as well as a technical project management graduate certificate.

“The SMART program significantly augments our current education and training programs and is flexible enough to allow for individual educational requirements and lifestyles. You can see the spectrum of opportunities offered by the SMART program through each of this year’s candidates,” said SSC Atlantic Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Dr. Al Emondi, who serves as the SSC Atlantic SMART program manager regarding this pilot effort.

“Adam is able to complete his masters course work lo-cally, Scott is planning a one year residency then returning

to complete his doctoral research at SPAWAR, while Travis is planning a multiyear stint in Monterey in one of the best space programs available,” Emondi said.

“Next year, in addition to our retention candidates, we plan to recruit new employees from the SMART program to build upon our science and technology base across the command. Engaging with candidates early in their studies allows us to shape their research proposal toward emerging technologies which align well to our future business needs – it’s truly a win-win for the student and for the command,” he added.

The SMART Scholarship for Service Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laborato-ries and provides an opportunity for students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in STEM disciplines to receive a full scholarship and be gainfully employed upon degree completion.

Students pursuing degrees related to the following dis-ciplines are encouraged to apply: mechanical engineering, naval architecture/ocean engineering, nuclear engineering, oceanography, operations research (technical tracks only),

SMART:SSC Atlantic engineers awarded scholarships

From left, Travis Axtell, Scott Buscemi and Adam Tyson.

Photo by Diane Owens

Continued on next page


physics, electrical engineering, geosci-ences, industrial/systems engineering (technical tracks only), information sciences, materials science/engineer-ing, mathematics, aeronautical and astronautical engineering, biosciences, chemical engineering, chemistry, civil engineering, cognitive/neural/behav-ioral sciences and computer/computa-tional sciences.

To be eligible, retention (current employees) and recruitment (future em-ployees) must be U.S. citizens; 18 years of age or older as of Aug. 1, 2009; able to participate in summer internships at DoD laboratories; willing to accept post-graduate employment with the DoD; a student in good standing with

a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (as calculated by the SMART application); and pursuing an under-graduate or graduate degree in one of the aforementioned disciplines.

“SSC Atlantic’s involvement in the SMART Program will only strengthen our alignment to the TEAM SPAWAR Chief Engineer’s Guidance 2009, which states that recruiting talent is our chal-lenge and our success at building and mentoring the workforce of the future at SPAWAR will be our legacy,” said Total Force Management’s Gary Scott, who is collaborating with Emondi on this initiative.

“Any time the command can lever-age DoD funding to both off-set edu-

cational costs for current employees and develop a conduit for the recruit-ment of tomorrow’s workforce today, that’s a win-win scenario for all,” Scott added.

Participants in the SMART Scholar-ship for Service Program receive full tuition and education-related fees (does not include items such as meal plans, housing or parking); a cash award paid at a rate of $25,000 to $41,000 depend-ing on prior educational experience (may be prorated depending on award length); paid summer internships; health insurance; book allowances of $1,000 per academic year; mentor-ing and employment placement after graduation.

Axtell, Buscemi and Tyson selected for SMART scholarshipsContinued from previous page

Rich Hooks reported to SSC Atlantic as human resources director April 27.

The human resources (HR) office is responsible for planning and administering HR management programs and providing management advisory services for a popula-tion of more than 3,000 civilian employees widely dispersed across approximately 75 CONUS and OCONUS duty stations.

Prior to his selection for the SSC Atlantic position, Hooks served as the director of the Civilian Human Resources Office Southeast (CHRO SE), Marine Corps Installations East in Albany, Ga., for nearly five years. At CHRO SE he was responsible for providing HR services and training programs supported through regionalized and automated processes to more than 3,000 civilian Marines at eight Marine Corps commands and activities in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

During his tenure with the Marine Corps the CHRO SE was recognized by the Department of Navy for its alterna-tive dispute resolution programs for two years in a row, and received the HR Community of Excellence Award in staffing and workforce planning.

Between July 2000 through June 2004, Rich worked in several leadership positions at the Human Resources Ser-vice Center Southeast (HRSC SE). Initially selected as the regional training director, he also served as the director of the resources management department, internal consultant for the director and as HRSC SE’s deputy director.

Hooks began his federal career as a HR intern at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), Dahlgren, Va., where he worked in all functional areas of HR from 1992 to 1994. Upon comple-tion of the two-year intern program, he was selected to work as an EEO specialist handling complaints and special projects.

Hooks transferred to NSWCDD’s Pana-ma City, Fla., site to serve as the command’s EEO program manager. After his tour in Panama City, he returned to Dahlgren as an HR advisor servicing the Aegis Train-ing Center and working in the Personnel

Demonstration Project Office. After working for the NSWCDD six years he accepted a

position with the newly created Human Resources Opera-tions Center to work in the Regional Operations Division, overseeing the standup of the regional HR service centers within the Navy. He then completed an overseas tour as Human Resources Site Manager at Naval Support Activity, La Maddalena, Italy.

Hooks has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and human resources management, and a master’s degree in public administration. Hooks is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and a recipient of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

He served over eight years of active duty service in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman and retired from the Naval Reserves.

Hooks is new human resources director

Rich Hooks


Atlantic teams earn Lightning BoltsTwo SSC Atlantic teams have been selected to receive

Lightning Bolt awards.The SPAWAR Acquisition Visibility Transforma-

tion Project Team (Code 531) and the C4I Open House Planning Team (Code 533) were approved for

the awards for the first quarter of calendar year 2009.

Both teams will be recognized by SPAWARSYSCOM Commander Rear Adm. Michael Bachmann at the next All Hands.

The SPAWAR Acquisition Vis-ibility (AV) Transformation Project Team was formed to develop DoD Net-Centric technology to support all DoD services and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs), which constitute 75

percent of the DoD budget. The team was given the task of

developing and demonstrating a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) capability, requiring significant interagency and cross-department coordination.

The SPAWAR AV Transformation Project Team provided critical support under challenging circumstances to enable the project to be selected for full implementation in order to sup-

port the entire DoD acquisition com-munity during the FY 2011 Off-Year

Joint Program Guidance budget cycle in September 2009.

The team’s achievements led to SPAWAR recognition by the Under Secre-

tary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics (ATL) and increased efforts

from $2 million to $15 million over the next three years.

The delivered capability impacts the management of $1.7 trillion across all

of the MDAPS for FY2010, with the intent to expand across all

DoD acquisition programs. The Under Secretary of

Defense (AT&L) can now provide timely alerts to se-nior leaders and decision

makers to allow for quick reactions in preventing MDAP Nunn-McCurdy unit cost breaches, which would require Congressional testimony.

The innovative, SOA-based technology directly imple-ments the DoD Net-Centric Strategy by compiling informa-tion from five authoritative sources (Army, Navy, Air Force, Central Repository and DAMIR), conducting analysis, and providing results, reports and alerts to senior leaders across OSD and DoD.

Led by David Howard, the team includes 23 SSC Atlantic government employees and industry partners.

The Team SPAWAR Lightning Bolt was awarded to the C4I Open House Planning Team for its efforts in overall coordination and execution of the recent C4I Open House at SSC Atlantic. The event exceeded all expectations of maximizing awareness across the community of C4I op-erational capabilities. The collaborate effort illustrated the power of teaming between acquisition and engineer-ing efforts to rapidly deliver innovative joint warfighting capabilities at the right time and at the right cost. The C4I Open House strengthened Team SPAWAR’s position as the C4I engineering, acquisition and technical provider of choice for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and future joint programming efforts.

The team was tasked with organizing this high visibility event after Jan. 1, 2009, and the time constraints for plan-ning posed a significant challenge. Despite this, the team organized a smooth event coordinating detailed logistics for more than 40 flag officers and senior DoD executives, and provided the equipment and manpower to support 24 individual briefings and demonstrations. PEO C4I’s current Net-Centric Programs of Record (PORs) and C4ISR Acqui-sition and Engineering Innovations were showcased.

Program demos and brefings took place in multiple locations on the SSC Atlantic campus. One hundred sixty SPAWAR personnel were on hand to support distinguished visitors at each of these locations.

The open house not only showcased Team SPAWAR’s cutting-edge engineering capabilities and facilities, but visibility of current joint-focused programs and initiatives provided discussions which will lead to future collaborations and synergies.

Led by Terry Simpson, Code 5333, the team included 168 members from SSCs Atlantic and Pacific, the Washing-ton Liaison Office, Program Executive Office C4I, Naval Research Laboratory, National Security Agency, Office of Naval Research and various industry partners.


A late bloomer in sports,Ferris Stewart is

making up for lost timeFerris Stewart, a retired SSC Atlantic government

employee now serving as an industry partner, is what one would call a late bloomer in sports.

“I was 42 years old in my first competitive year of speed skating,” he said.

Now 61, Stewart has made up for lost time as an avid bicyclist, marathon runner and speed skater. In the last seven years he has completed 20 marathons, completing the 20th earlier this year at Myrtle Beach, after com-pleting the Save the Light half-marathon the previous weekend at Folly Beach. He has run 16 half-marathons in an 8-year period.

On his bike, Stewart has completed 10 century (100 mile) rides, three of which were what bicyclists call “The Big One,” the Assault on Mount Mitchell. This annual bi-cycling endurance contest starts in Spartanburg, S.C., and ends at the summit of Mount Mitchell in Yancey County, N.C -- a ride distance of 102 miles with more than 11,000 vertical feet of climbing. Most riders finish in less than 12 hours; the leaders finish in under six hours. At 6,684 feet in elevation, Mount Mitchell is eastern America’s highest point and has a cool climate and ecosystem similar to New Hampshire or Maine. During the ride bicyclists may encounter wildcats and black bears, along with whatever weather Mother Nature sends their way.

If all that wasn’t enough, Stewart has competed in speed skating for the last 19 years, including at the U.S.

Ferris Stewart proudly displays the Donald Duck medal for the half marathon, Mickey Mouse medal for the full marathon and Goofy medal for completing the Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World in January.

Photo by Action Sports International

National competition for inline skates in 1999, Junior Olympic Nationals inlines in 1993 and quads (four wheeled skates) in 1992, and U.S. Quad Skates Nationals from 1999 to 2003. He competed in the first Southeastern regional (1992) and Junior Olympic National (1993) inline events ever held.

In January he completed the Goofy Challenge -- a half marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday -- at Walt Disney World.

Jackie Goff, deputy technical director for SSC Atlantic’s New Orleans site and Lt. Chris Galliano of SSC Atlantic Code 80 received Distinguished Service Awards in their respective categories for the Federal Executive Board’s Distinguished service awards for the New Orleans area.

Goff was named Outstanding Federal Manager, and Gal-liano Outstanding Military Officer (Junior Grade).

Goff was lauded as “the epitome of an outstanding federal manager” in her award nomination. As a key member of the SSC Atlantic transition team, Goff met her goal of minimiz-ing disruptive impacts of the merger on the workforce.

She has been the chief advocate for the command’s process improvement efforts, and has spearheaded efforts to achieve Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level 3, providing a collection of best practices that address the development and maintenance of products and services covering the product life cycle.

Galliano, described as a leader and role model for man-agement excellence in his award nomination, is director of corporate operations for the SSC Atlantic, New Orleans Of-fice. His contributions in helping to establish the new SSC Atlantic command have improved visibility and recognition of the mission-critical products and services that the New Orleans component provides.

Galliano has shepherded to fruition several key initiatives he began while SSC New Orleans executive officer, includ-ing the creation of a state-of-the-art data hosting facility at the New Orleans office in the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park.

When announcing the award recipients the Federal Execu-tive Board and the Public Service Recognition Week Award Committee said the awardees and nominees exemplify the highest standard of dedication and service.

The awards were presented at a ceremony May 6.

Goff, Galliano win Distinguished Service Awards


SSC Atlantic engineers receive BEYA awards

Three of SSC Atlantic’s young professionals were rec-ognized as Future Leaders at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) annual conference in Baltimore, Md., Feb. 20.

Charles Johnson and Deanna Jackson of Code 5512, and Derik Pack of Code 53E were recognized at the Future Leaders luncheon for their leadership in the early stages of their careers. Johnson, Jackson and Pack were the only Team SPAWAR professionals recognized at this year’s BEYA awards.

The SSC Atlantic trio was accompanied to Baltimore by Kenneth Bible, Code 551 Networks Engineering Divi-sion Head, and Andrew Mansfield Code 53 Command and Control Chief Engineer.

Photo by Lt. Rebecca Gale, USN

On April 1, SSC Atlantic Communications and Networks (Code 55) launched a Project Initiation Request (PIR) policy, the department’s primary risk assessment tool for managing the amount of project risk the department and SSC Atlantic are willing and able to accept.

The goal is to ensure adequate resources and capabilities are in place to support the successful performance of work prior to funds acceptance or any formal agreements with sponsors. Project initiation is designed to:

• Provide an applied systems management approach to initiating projects

• Define project opportunities, goals and objectives

• Collaborate with the customer on defining the initial high level customer requirements/capabilities/needs, features, functions, constraints and assumptions

• Define an initial top level WBS and Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimate of time and cost

• Define initial risks to project and• Profile a project and determine which SE and manage-

ment processes the project will use.The two-day course included PIR process training as well

as a practical hands-on working session using a real-life example project request. Certificates of training and achieve-ment were presented to those who attended the course.

SPAWARSYSCOM Commander Rear Adm. Mike Bachmann poses with Pack, Jackson and Johnson.

Code 55 personnel pose with Department Head Charlie Adams, right, after receiving certificates at the completion of Project Initiation training. All Code 55 branch heads (or

designated representatives) were trained in PIR policy March 17 and 18.

Photo by Joe Bullinger

Code 55 launches Project Initiation Request policy


SSC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce Urbon is taking the SSC Atlantic story on the road, giving briefs about the mission and capabilities of the command to a variety of community organizations.

Urbon gave a command brief to members of the Rotary Club of North Charleston during their breakfast meeting March 26. The “early bird” Rotarians’ weekly meeting features a guest speaker from the community. The Rotary Club of North Charleston has been holding the regular breakfast since April of 1987.

Rotary is an international service organiza-tion of business and professional persons who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

On March 19 Urbon spoke to the members of the Charleston, S.C., chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). The private, nonprofit educational organization supports the Army, including active, Na-tional Guard, Reserve, civilians, retirees and family mem-bers. The Rotarians and the Army association are among a number of special interest and civic groups Urbon has addressed as part of an effort to educate members of the community about SSC Atlantic. Through engagements such as these, the captain increases public awareness and understanding of SSC Atlantic, fosters good community relations and maintains the reputation of the command as a good neighbor.

Photos by Sherri Vonbehren

Spreading the word about SSC Atlantic

Photo courtesy of AUSA

Photo courtesy of AUSA

SSC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce Urbon, above, presents a command brief to the Rotary Club of

North Charleston and the Rotarians, above right, give the captain a round of applause after his presentation.

Urbon, right, chats with Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Robb, USARNG, Ret., and Army Capt. Christian Adams at the AUSA meeting.


Rear Admiral John Goodwin, Assistant Chief of Naval Opera-tions, Next Generation Enter-prise Network, right, walks to Bldg. 3146 with SSC Atlantic Code 551 Networks Engineer-ing Division Head Kenneth Bible and Flag Aide Lt. Jeff Margalus, left. During the April 16 visit, Goodwin received a command brief from Capt.(Sel) Scott Heller, SSC Atlantic Chief Engineer, and toured the networks lab, Information Assurance/Computer Network Defense (IA/CND) and SOA Overview Data Centers. Bible and Goodwin are acquainted from working together in previ-ous jobs.Photo by Joe Bullinger

Photos by Susan Piedfort

Above, Dr. Joel Berlinghieri, head of the physics department at The Citadel, tries his hand at the Multi-Touch Multi-User display in the Integrated Products Center (IPC) during a visit March 20. At right, Tom Glaab of Code 531, back to camera, gives a brief about the capabilities of the IPC to the visiting members of academic and administrative departments of The Citadel. Hosted by Bob Miller of Code 5313, The Citadel visitors received a command brief by SSC Atlantic Acting Chief Engineer Capt. (Sel) Scott Heller, and toured the Air Traffic Control Center and MRAP integration facility. An education partnership agreement between SSC Atlantic and The Citadel was recently signed. It provides for the military college’s senior naval instructors to offer training courses to SSC Atlantic employees about the operational Navy aspects of C4ISR, and for SSC Atlantic working professionals to serve as guest lecturers on their areas of expertise and to mentor Citadel Navy ROTC students. On ongoing program of visits to SSC Atlantic by Citadel midshipmen already gives the officer candidates valuable insights into opportunities in the fleet.

Partnering with The Citadel

Goodwin visits

VisitorsVisitors


SSC Atlantic industry partner Kirby Johnson, above, left, shows members of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Com-merce’s Leadership Charleston group equipment in the Air Traffic Control tower at SSC Atlantic. The group also received a command brief from SSC Atlantic Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce Urbon, at right. The chamber group was visiting the center as part of a year-long program for professionals offering an intensive and up-close look at various sectors of the community. The SSC Atlantic visit offered them an op-portunity to examine leadership roles and see firsthand some of the projects underway at SSC Atlantic. Bob Miller of Code 5313 and Steve Harnig of Code 2255 are part of the 2009 Leadership Charleston class and will graduate in June. Photos by Susan Piedfort

SSC Atlantic hostschamber leadership group

SSC Atlantic’s Dwayne Hig-gins of Code 5315 shows Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John W. Bergman, Commander, Marine Forces Reserve, Marine Forces North, prod-ucts being developed in the Marine Corps’ Theater Medical Information Pro-gram (TMIP). Bergman saw a demonstration of the pro-gram when he visited SSC Atlantic industry partners’ TEAM TMIP-USMC Lab April 24. TMIP will facili-tate integration of medical capabilities under a joint concept of operations to provide commanders with integrated, timely and ac-curate information to make critical command and con-trol decisions. Photo by Joe Bullinger

TMIP demo


Showing proper respect for the flagDo you know what to do when you are

on base and hear the music indicating that the reveille or retreat ceremony is about to begin? There’s no need to retreat when the music starts during reveille and taps because you are not sure of the correct protocol.

Whether you are military in uniform, military not in uniform or a civilian, at the first sounds of reveille or retreat, stop where you are and turn to face the flag. If the flag is not visible, turn in the general direction of the flag. If in uniform, when you hear the first note of the national anthem, come to attention and render the salute. All others should place the right hand over the heart. If wearing a hat, remove it with the right hand and hold it at the left shoulder while the right hand is over the heart. Hold the salute or hand over the heart until the national anthem comes to an end.

It is while driving on base during morn-ing or afternoon colors that some people ap-pear to be confused about what to do. Bring your vehicle to a complete stop. Everyone inside the vehicle should remain seated at attention, whether military or civilian.

It is a small amount of time (reveille takes 110 seconds, retreat 122 seconds) set aside to honor our nation’s flag and the sacrifices it symbolizes.

These appropriate honors for the flag are explained in the U.S. Code Title 36, Chapter 10. Paying respect to the flag is a privilege and right of all Americans, one

which should be observed not because the law dictates but out of respect. Reveille and retreat are time-honored tradi-tions that should be respected by actively participating in the proceedings.

Photo by Joe BullingerOld friends, new timesWhen Betty Butler was the CO’s secretary at Naval Elec-tronic Systems Engineering Center (NAVELEX) in the 1960s, you could buy a house for $22,000 and a gallon of gas for 31 cents. While times have changed, the friendships made more than 40 years ago are constant. Now 84, Butler, seated in the front row above, second from right, was one of more than 40 women gathering at the Redbank Club on Naval Weapons Station Charleston April 22 to reminisce, enjoy a meal and catch up with former colleagues. The la-dies in the reunion group were all employed at NAVELEX and SPAWAR from the 1960s to the 1990s. The mood was

happy and upbeat, many said, because they were so happy to see each other again. The last time the group gathered was about 10 years ago, when more than 80 people showed up, according to Carole Moore, organizer of the event. After catching up on old times, looking at old photographs and winning door prizes, the women enjoyed a buffet luncheon. While most of the women are now enjoying the golden years of retirement, some -- including Karen Brewer, Ruth Goddard, Beth Fiddie, Linda Baker, Claudia Mazyck, Mary Bowen and Moore -- are still employed at SSC Atlantic.

The Final WordThe Final Word


We are now soliciting photography submissions from SSC Atlantic employees for the next Chronicle photo contest.

The Employee Services Association will offer the winner a choice of a coffee cup, thermal mug, command coin, cookbook (if available) or $5 credit on another logo item.

MWR will offer a certificate for a free lunch in the Cooper River Cafe to the winner. Send your best shot to [email protected] or drop your print by the Chronicle office.

Send in your best shot

And the winner is...

Thank you to all who submitted photos for the SSC AtlanticChronicle photo contest.

Your submissions will be kept on file for future use.


Documents

Spring 2009 The Chronicle 1 - United States Navy · 2 The Chronicle Spring 2009 Patience and timing paid off for SSC Atlantic industry partner ... The Heliodisplay system is easily