Download PDF - Department of Navy Chief Information Officer - U.S. ...

It is clear that spectrum is a keycomponent in achievinginformation dominance forfuture U.S. military operations.The DON spectrummanagement process, if adheredto, will greatly enhance thewarfighter’s ability to haveseamless and transparent accessto spectrum’s extraordinarycapabilities for transmittinginformation.The 22-screen multiplex cinema down thestreet from Ray Willis’ office in Alexandria,Va.,does a brisk business on most days,butRay rarely has time to catch Hollywood’shottest new flicks. He and his colleaguesare too busy working on a blockbuster oftheir own that has real-world implicationsfor Department of the Navy (DON)warfighters afloat and ashore.Ray is part of a team of dedicated professionalsat the Navy and Marine Corps SpectrumCenter (NMSC), formerly NAVEMSCEN, focusedon managing the DON’s use of theelectromagnetic spectrum — a class of radiowaves propagated by a system of electricand magnetic fields that include the fullrange of radiant energy from radio andlight waves to gamma and cosmic rays. Atmosphericinteraction with these wavesprovides characteristics that can be harnessed,using electronic systems and devices,totransmit information.Supporting the management and use ofthe radio spectrum from the NMSC perspectivemeans planning and coordinatingjoint use of required frequencies throughoperational, engineering and administrativeprocedures. The objective is to enableDON spectrum-dependent systems anddevices, such as radios that support voicecommunications or digital data links, GlobalPositioning Systems, and systems fordetecting and suppressing enemy radarand communication sites,to perform theirfunctions in the intended environmentswithout causing or suffering,unacceptableinterference.Spectrum management is a high-stakesproposition. DON command and controlcenters are afloat assets with no direct accessto commercial or military communicationssystems via landline, which putscommanders in the position of beingsolely dependent upon wireless technologiesthat use spectrum to perform missionessentialtasks. Comprehensive spectrumcoordination in this environment is morethan just good policy — it is crucial to theDON’s ability to remain highly maneuverable,flexible and tactically effective.Spectrum’s CrowdedNeighborhoodAn NMSC spectrum certification engineer,Ray Willis has devoted more than 15 yearsof his career to managing and supportingUnited States military spectrum activities.In that time, he has seen up-close the extraordinarygrowth in the number of militaryand commercial systems and devicesusing spectrum, from high-powered mobileradar and ship/air early warning systemsto cellular telephones and personalcommunication system (PCS) devices suchas Blackberries.“The biggest change I’ve seen is that, coincidentwith the rapid technological advancesin spectrum usage, the critical importanceof spectrum in mission performancehas become more and more evident,”said Willis. “You see it talked abouteverywhere. At congressional levels,at theFCC.”Like rapidly expanding suburbs near largecities, however, the crowded spectrumneighborhood is vulnerable to its own trafficjams. When individuals and organizationsforget or ignore the necessary basicsfor operating a piece of equipment harmoniouslyin the electromagnetic spectrumwith its finite number of frequencies,therecan be serious consequences.“The fact is you want the piece of equipmentto successfully operate to achieve the34 CHIPS Dedicated to Sharing Information*Technology*Experience