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Th
ne Mk-l Human is the key element in any c°mbat system. Tacticians, not theoreti- a»s, need to express their requirements ** stay intimately involved in the develop- ent of the systems they will be operating.
A scientist and an engineer were put in a room across from a bag of gold. They were told they could have v the bag when they moved across the room. They a 8° as fast as they wanted provided they went no ^re than half the remaining distance with each move, tj 6 Scicntist, recognizing the impossibility of the situa- n’ left the room. The engineer, on the other hand, tlj across the room until he was within arm’s reach of en °ag- At this point, he declared that he had gone far b °u§h for an engineering approximation, grabbed the §> and left.
is f11 ^evel°ping its weapons, the Navy’s goal frequently tech a state-of-the-art system on the cutting edge of noi°gy, rather than a simpler system that is good tai to 8et the job done. The result is that developments. js alwayS halfway finished, and its goals are
er reached.
and °W ^ this happen? The advent of high-speed aircraft f0r ®uided weapons drastically reduced reaction times and fire WeaPons to be programmed and controlled. Thus, djg Contr°l systems became weapon control systems, and pro*1^ ComPuters replaced analog devices and people. The to C£Ss w°rked well as long as it was confined primarily ^Umber-crunching. The computers were tools providing aid L'kate numf)ers to support engineers and fast answers to aHal tact'ca' decision makers. To achieve this, systems eno-^Sts ar)d computer scientists took over the lead from thr neers ar|d operators. Tactical operators identified the vI(JCat and the desired capabilities while engineers proelectromechanical equations for operating the weapon. The systems analysts determined what had to be done to complete an engagement. This information was then translated to functional flow diagrams, which in turn became computer algorithms and, finally, computer programs.
Slowly, in response to requirements for even faster reaction times, longer range, and greater firepower, the computers were converted from stand-alone weapon control and decision aids to integrated decision makers. For example, the Navy Tactical Data System (NTDS) became a Combat Direction System (CDS), and the Mk-l 16 Underwater Battery Fire Control System is becoming the Antisubmarine Warfare Control System.
Although the goals have changed, the process has not. Working from initial operator-defined requirements, the analysts still decide what has to be done, and the programmers still write the programs. Modern technology makes it appear that it is simply a matter of providing enough memory and processing capability to do the required task.
Unfortunately, this line of reasoning is flawed:
► The decision maker must account for all possible contingencies.
► The unique capabilities of the operators and real-world limitations are not incorporated into the design.
► No one person is in charge to settle arguments or coordinate requirements among the sectors.
Dealing With All Possible Contingencies: The ability to handle all possible contingencies has increased the complexity of the Navy’s weapon systems. Computer scientists have held up artificial intelligence (AI) as the solution to this dilemma. Their efforts in AI are producing “expert” systems. All this means is that a human expert writes down all possible courses of action and the programmers implement them.
An examination of the Tomahawk missile illustrates the problem. The land-attack version is simple. All it needs to- land is a flight path, after which it follows a predetermined
and
each planned to provide the operators, equipment,
complex computer programs while retaining the capal
biW
Checking all these features, both automatic and manual,^
quired product. Lengthy tests must be developed to c
0vsr
fld
limited availability of fleet assets, and the need to rep1
ieat
testing and simulation. This saves time and money, but |!
taking possible actions at incorrect times. Freque
ntiy
iens
but'
features provided by the developer, pushes the wrong
ton at the wrong time. Laboratory testers often fail to
In one potential scenario, an already operational mis:
sde
system launched a missile and did not know it. The sy
•leaf
route to the target. The antishipping version, however, is more complex.
A simple scenario involves an isolated, known target located by external sensors. In this example, the uncertainty area is assigned a 7 nautical mile X 10 nautical mile ellipse and the target is moving at 20 knots. The contact report is received by the firing ship 15 minutes after the target is detected. It will take ten more minutes to prepare the attack, and time of flight is 20 minutes. These are not worst-case values, but they still cause the uncertainty area to grow to 37 nautical miles x 40 nautical miles. To cope with this, the analysts have developed several search patterns. The system, with operator input, proposes the search pattern that optimizes the chances of target acquisition and kill. Given the high kill probability, the commanding officer orders the launch. The Tomahawk flies out at a low level with a dogleg to avoid detection and disclosure of the attacker’s location. Upon reaching the attack area, it pops up and begins its search. Thirty seconds later, a Soviet surface-to-air missile destroys it.
The Tomahawk had popped up on a search path perpendicular to the target line and was cruising at altitude at subsonic speed looking for the enemy ship. This occurred without further restrictions imposed by multiple targets, friendly or neutral units in the area, or coordinating attacks with other firing units. The ability is there to compute all the possible variations of this attack. Also included are several tricks to avoid destruction during the fly-out and attack phases. Yet the search plan development logic did not account for survivability during the search phase of flight. In pursuit of perfect acquisition, a great deal of effort has been spent in developing a capability of questionable value.
Operator Capabilities and Real-World Limitations: In dealing with all possible contingencies, the designer also failed to account for the operator’s capabilities and other equipment available to him that could have significantly reduced the area of uncertainty and provided a more accurate attack plan. The computer scientist knows algorithm optimization and the logic that follows, but rarely understands engineering, physics, or tactics.
While developing a surface antisubmarine warfare system, the designer proposed an algorithm that, after approximately an hour of passive tracking and maneuvering, would permit a LAMPS helicopter to be launched, fly to a point, and drop a torpedo. He had all the equations for the fire control solution of an aircraft-carried torpedo. But he had no concept for using lower quality data and vectoring the LAMPS for a magnetic anomaly detection or sono- buoy-based attack that would probably have been over before his passive-only method was ready to recommend launch. His perfect stand-alone solution called for greater accuracy than the planned sensors currently provided, which he paid for in development time and costs. His solution also took longer—which he paid for in casualties— than the results obtainable through the synergistic use of multiple assets.
One Person in Charge: Obtaining the synergistic benefits of multiple assets requires someone to be in charge.
He must ensure that duplication is avoided and no gaps are left—problems that even perfect subsystems can cause. In the late 1970s, the gunnery, ASW, and over-the-horizon- targeting (OTH-T) communities were designing the systems they would provide for the first major Spruance (P®' 963)-class upgrade. Each quickly identified a need f°r a surface or a surf ace/subsurf ace warfare coordinator, an computers to support this requirement. Luckily, someone identified early on that there was already an NTDS opera tor doing this job and, almost as important, that there was no room in the combat information center for all the extra consoles.
This particular evolution provided gaps as well as ovef' laps. The towed-array developers could see no utility >n passing hostile surface contacts to the fire control system From the ASW point of view, it tied up limited track fd£S with useless data. On the other hand, the OTH-T cornrnn nity was faced with a long-range missile but medium range electronic warfare (EW) sensors looking for targets under electronic emission control (EmCon) condition^ They had no idea that long-range acoustic data was aval able. By requiring the surface contact data to pass to t 1 fire control system, and from there to the CDS, valuau data was made available to contribute to the solving of1 OTH-T problem.
In the area of evaluation and exchange of data, the capa bilities of today’s systems still rely mostly on human juuf ment. This creates a need for tight interface protocols a for operator intervention at all points in the engagemen|;
extremely difficult. This search for the perfect blend man and machine is a major factor in the ever-increasi & time between recognizing the need and providing the m
all contingencies. The complexity of the tests, the cost a tests drives the developers to rely heavily on laborat01^ frequently has two drawbacks:
► The developers fail to test illogically.
► The exact shipboard configuration is not used.
Illogical Testing: This type of testing is conducted W called Murphy testing, the goal is to find out what happ1 ^ when the young sailor, baffled by the wide assortment
test
results illogically during the development stage beca they work so closely with the designers. When proble crop up, they tend to note them, work around them, a ^ proceed with the test. This procedure becomes routine- the problem is finally fixed, it frequently turns out to masking another problem. Also, testing all the loglC‘ paths leaves little time to test illogical ones.
ste111 looked for the firing order signal and then the rail
iabtory .
Co °ratory system worked fine, the test ship, with two tiIais°*es> failed repeatedly. The ship spent a great deal of trying to convince the developers at the laboratory lhe S°mething was wrong with the system and not with termors. The laboratory finally reconfigured its sys- tim-*° ernpl°y two consoles and quickly discovered the Problem.
the ? ^Urther reduce the possibility of problems caused by site. ^oratory, the Navy has developed integration test s I°r the Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7), Ticonderoga
to indicate missile launch. Both signals were held ^.a short period to allow other events to occur, after In h'1 l*le system evaluated the status of the missile firing. a lllis particular instance, the test “rail-clear” button was c,dently pressed just prior to the time the firing key was Sed. As a result, the missile fired but the hold period Ptfed before the system was ready to process it. The c Cttl evaluated the firing as incomplete and stopped pro- s,rig the engagement, which wasted the missile. The raj?^ners hacl not foreseen the illogical possibility that the cIear signal could be received before the missile was °rdered launched.
Jtyboard Configurations: Illogical testing is possible u lfl the laboratory environment, but using the ship- e ^ configuration frequently is not. The laboratory gen- y has functional equivalents because of the need for an(fns*Ve data extraction and reconfiguration capabilities ^ fact that the equipment used is the developmental Ian ^rom wh*ch production units are copied. To use a 0 d'hased test site for proof-of-concept and initial devel- l|lement is valid. But a system cannot move directly from ab to operational use.
ac(:his concept fails because of the intricate timing inter- pro°n rea* un*ts as °PPosed to the nominal responses WeVlded by laboratory simulators. As an example, a t0 aP°n control system under development was designed lat}USe tWo consoles. Yet only one was available at the mw.. because of production limitations. While the (CG-47), and Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) classes. They built a physical mock-up of the major combat system spaces at these sites. Enlisted personnel man the mock-ups, which the developers can monitor while they operate the combat system. The benefit is that they can carry out many runs under controlled or semicontrolled conditions, and they can note problems in the developmental, not the operational, cycle. At the FFG-7 site, a problem occurred that stopped one of the CDS computers. The weapons control officer (WCO) had to have three Harpoon missiles in flight. At the same time the air tactical control officer had to request that the LAMPS shipboard computer update the LAMPS-III position and repeat the request before the first update finished. The ASW officer had to examine his contacts simultaneously by computer sequencing. If the WCO now launched an off-axis, and not a direct Harpoon shot, the computer would stop. The problem, which was the result of the interaction of four independently developed computer programs, would have been untraceable at any other location.
To reduce the number of problems once the system reaches the fleet and to meet the desired goal of a perfect combat system, the Navy needs to get the people, the tactical end-users of the provided equipment, back into the process. Three steps would go a long way toward meeting this goal:
► Get more participation from users during the development process.
► Keep developers more aware of the tactical situation.
► Strengthen the combat system (as opposed to weapon system) engineering concept.
Participation from the Users: This is vital. Since developers are pursuing such a high level of automation, they are fixing tactical options in the computer programs. This limits what the end user can do, and these decisions are frequently made without the user’s input. Several procedures could ease this situation. One would be to nominate several fleet units that will ultimately use the systems as participating members of the development team. They would participate from the beginning of the project through selection of the test unit. They would review the function design documents (Program Performance Specifications, Interface Design Specifications, etc.) and attend appropriate design review meetings.
Since this participation may be difficult to achieve with the operational requirements these units face, the various tactical training commands (Fleet ASW Schools, Fleet Training Group, Surface Warfare Officers School, Submarine School, Navy Fighter Weapons School, etc.) could fulfill this role. The initiative by the Surface Warfare Development Group in the area is promising, but its assets are limited and its current focus is principally on single
surface ship tactics with some battle group considerations. The tactical community must be brought in at the outset and kept actively involved in the preliminary design as well as the final testing. Given the long lead time of today’s systems, it is no longer acceptable to receive user requirements, then five to ten years later, hand a system over to the fleet operators and tell them to figure out how it works.
Keeping Developers Current: Keeping the developers current with the tactical situation goes hand in hand with active fleet participation. This means getting them to sea. With today’s career path, a weapon/combat system engineering duty officer (EDO) conceivably will not see a ship tour after his lieutenant/division officer tour. This hardly provides the broad scope needed to understand fleet operations ten years later as a junior program manager or when leading the system design area of a major program. Unrestricted line material professionals (MPs) are better off but still are not current when they are selected several years later to manage major programs. The Navy needs middle- grade billets in which fleet experience can be obtained while using the EDO/MP expertise. There currently are no middle-grade at-sea billets for combat systems EDOs. The last was combat system officer in the recently decommissioned USS Norton Sound (AVM-1). Filling a billet such as a combat system maintenance officer on a Ticonderoga- class cruiser would make use of the EDO’s expertise and provide him with valuable insight into the difficulties and realities of managing the tactical situation. Similarly, billets such as surface operations or combat systems officer on cruiser and carrier group staffs would benefit both the staff and the MP assigned to fill it.
Even if long-term billets cannot be assigned to combat system EDOs and MPs, ample opportunities exist to return them to sea for short, useful periods. Two- to four-month assignments to deployed units would provide extra manpower and focus experience on the critical time frame. In the short term, EDOs and MPs could act as umpires for fleet exercises and similar events.
Strengthen Combat Systems: Finally, alert program managers must guide combat systems design from the top down. The development of the Space and Warfare Command is a big step in this direction. A major initiative of this command is battle group engineering. For the first time, this will attempt to identify how the battle group operates so that needs and limitations can be translated across warfare communities to develop the systems cooperatively that will support the battle group operators.
In conjunction with the development of the battle group combat system, the Navy needs to move to a generic ship combat system and away from the “class” concept. For instance, the Ticonderoga, Spruance, Kidd (DDG-993),
Integration test sites, such as this one for the Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7) class, are one way to reduce laboratory-induced difficulties. They allow designers to isolate problems during the developmental cycle, precluding costly failures during the operational cycle.
^ AAW Missile1 | Guns | ASW | EW | C2 | Radar | ---------------------- ^ Cruise Weapon |
^SM-2 | Mk-86 CCS | SQS-53 | SLQ-32 | OTCIXS | SPG-601 | Harpoon |
■"^■^k-26 Launcher | Mk-45 Mount | SQR-192 | Mk-36 DLS | LINK-II | SPQ-9 | Tomahawk4 |
____ | Mk-15 CIWS | LAMPS-I |
| TWCS4 | SPS-55 |
|
-— |
| LAMPS-III2 |
|
| SPS-49 |
|
—___ |
| ASWCS |
|
| Mk-XIl IFF |
|
—___ |
| ASROC3 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Mk-32 SVTT |
|
|
|
|
snd'r1 '' ^xceP* *^e Spruance (DD-963) class 2. Except Virginia (CGN-38) class 3. Except Mk-41 vertical launch system (VLSI-equipped ships of the Spruance lc°nderoga classes 4. Except the Spruance class and CGs 47-51 5. Except the Ticonderoga class
Table 2
Combat System Differences
Class | AAW Missile | Gun | ASW | EW | C2 | Radar | Cruise Weapon |
fl'Uince (DD-963) | Target Acquisition System Mk-57 NATO SeaSparrow Missile System RIM-7 SeaSparrow |
| Mk-16 Launcher2 VLA3 | Outboard/Combat Direction Finding | CDS Mk-4/5 |
| Mk-44 ABL2 |
r'"")deroga (CG-47) | WCS Mk-1 Missile Fire Control System Mk-99 Mk-41 Vertical Launch System1 |
| VLA3 |
| Mk-1 Cover & Deception | SPY-1 |
|
V&PDC-993) fR"»a (CGN-38) | Weapon Direction System Mk-14 Missile Fire Control System Mk-74 |
|
| Outboard4 | CDS Mk-4/5 | SPS-48 SYS-2 Integrated Automatic Direction System SPG-51 |
|
4 I ■ Except for CGs 47—51 (Mk-26 Launcher) 2. For ships not equipped with Mk-41 3. For ships with the Mk-41 vertical launch system r®,n,a class only
'Qlifornia
(CGN-36), and Virginia (CGN-38) classes are
minor variations of one combat system (see Tables
Vara^°n or ^re contr°l system has an expert for each class Hot'3”1- This is preferable to no one doing the job, but it is
u!i,? best system-
de; m top-down battle group design, weapon system
^erely _____ __________ _ ____________ ^........ ^_________
i„a^ 2). Despite this commonality, almost every element ■H- e system is in some way unique to its particular class. sjjj,s 'n turn is paralleled by the design organization. Each 4 class has its own combat system engineer, concerned *J>°w the elements on his ship work together, and each
re| 'l?ners will know what is expected of their systems in kno l0n other systems. Equally important, they will •he fi Wbat not 10 build. With better defined bounds and dev exibility allowed by computer programs, they can h0vve °P generic interfaces. They would need to determine many basic weapons a new ship needs, account for sPecial weapons, and build a hull to carry them. Al- V/j j 't sounds simplistic, it is achievable. During World bjjtti ’ destroyers, destroyer escorts, aircraft carriers, and eships were built this way. They all used five-inch, ted111111' ’ anc* 20-mm. guns. The destroyers were also fit- g0{ ^.'tlt torpedoes and ASW weapons, and the battleships dec-j!§8er main batteries. But the ship was designed by lng how many weapons it would get, not by what
weapons might work with other weapons.
An additional benefit of this approach is that the ship would regain the ability to locally load, aim, and fire weapons. In their search for the perfect solution, the designers are building weapons that cannot work without their complex, integrated, centrally located computers. World War II is filled with stories of ships heavily damaged but still firing their weapons effectively. Today’s ships, as so clearly evidenced by the USS Stark (FFG-31), can be put out of action by a single hit in the computer room. The designers have produced a reliable, maintainable system with redundancy and graceful degradation in the event of casualties. But their concept of a casualty is the loss of a piece of equipment because of inherent, predictable, periodic failure through use. The operators know that equipment casualties are measured in terms of compartments destroyed by battle damage. The developers need to accept this fact and provide weapon systems that continue to function when cut off from central control systems of the sensor. They need to provide a modular system that works better as part of the larger system but that continues to function at reduced capacity, using the operator for control.
The drive for weapon systems perfection has driven the Navy away from this flexible approach. The result is ex-
The Stark's burned-out CIC consoles offer mute testimony that today’s combatant can suffer a “mission kill” from a single hit in her computer complex. Searching for the perfect solution, designers too often come up with weapons that cannot function without complex, integrated, centrally located computers.
tremely complex, costly, multiversion systems that take forever to develop and baffle the fleet when they are introduced. What is needed is firm application of the KISS
Arming the Software Warrior
^ hether they are called §ls, CDC (combat direction nter), TWCS (Tomahawk (TeaPon Control System), TFCC ^achcal Flag Control Center), batti0rne other acronym, Navy
Management systems are
Port ^ a'one or quietly in sup a battle group, cannot
°attle
for^ 111081 heavi|y by surface „ .es- The systems fight many ^ against many other units sen$ VC extens've manning,
„ . °r, and communications re- erm'CrnentS' ^he submarine, op-
Sq the communications expo- get) ,0 Participate fully and is areeral*y focusing on a limited ajra ar,d number of targets. The itiili • are intensely involved in fa v,hual combat and are, in lau ’ s°nie of the projectiles q^nched by the battle manage- Craj. system. Even on board air- •he Carriers, the operators in rect'COnibat information (or di- sUrf'0tl) center come from the the aCe C0|ntnunity rather than eS( av'ation one. With the wid- fqCeVariety to choose from, and it, tyith budget cuts and an \yarj?as'ng threat, the surface itiin 316 community must deter- atatv t0 ci° w'th battle C(js. §ernent systems, how to train°rT'iZe tbem’ anci how to eje effectively to become profi- I 'n their use.
Che days of knighthood, the cien l0r developed his profi- and l'y ‘hrough service as a page |earnSqf,Ulre- As a Pa8e’ he bec, ed the rules of behavior and dlTle acquainted with his leader’s weapons. As a squire, he improved his weapon skills and accompanied his leader to battle. Finally, having proved himself, he was knighted. The submarine and air communities have held true to the warrior cycle. The division officer familiarizes himself with his aircraft or submarine. As a department head, he will use the same or nearly the same equipment but will be called on as an experienced warrior to lead and train others in battle. As executive officer, the warrior is groomed for command, again in virtually the same suit of armor he put on as a division officer. Finally, fully qualified, he is given his own command of a system he has grown up with for 15 years.
The surface warrior is not given this opportunity to train and grow. Frequently, he is not even assigned to a battle management-equipped ship until he is in his second department head tour on board a major combatant. Fie does not have time to become proficient. He must struggle to survive by relying on the system’s basic capabilities.
To overcome this lack of skill, the surface community must take three steps:
► Provide consistency in the career path.
► Control the variety of weapons.
► Improve the developer’s explanation of battle management system capabilities to the user.
The surface community has taken the first step in providing a more consistent career path by designating engineering and combat systems/operations paths at the department head level.
But it needs to start earlier and follow through to the command level. It is well and good to detail an officer on the combat systems/operations path, but what does it really mean? As a department head, he serves as combat systems officer on a frigate and then as an operations officer on a large amphibious ship. His executive officer tour is in a cruiser and then he commands a destroyer. He has gone from antisubmarine warfare to amphibious operations to antiair warfare (AAW) and back to ASW and has not mastered any of these warfare areas. To achieve proficiency, he must maintain consistency. It is possible to do so. Table 1 shows career progressions for an engi- neering/amphibious ship, an ASW/escort, and an AAW/strike warfare/battle group specialist. These paths would provide a consistent progression in a principal warfare area while allowing the opportunity to gain experience in the others. This would be particularly true for billets on the destroyers and guided-missile destroyers that can be assigned to either combatant group.
Initiating this career path has its drawbacks as well as its benefits. In particular, the officer must select his career path much earlier, during or before the first division officer tour. This early
(keep it simple, stupid) principle. The Navy should go back to using its computers for number-crunching, for handling large quantities of tracks, and for processing sensor data. Let the tacticians, not the theoreticians, say what they need and keep them intimately involved in developing it. In so doing, the Navy needs to reaffirm that for many years to come the key element in any system is the Mk-1 Human. His capabilities, using partial data to make a judgment, anticipating an action, operating in harsh environments, and without power, must be fully exploited.
Commander Johns is currently officer-in-charge of the FFG-7-cl®* Combat System Test Center. Selected as EDO, he graduated from 1 Naval Postgraduate School in 1982 with a master’s degree in weap0 systems engineering. His next tour was at the Naval Ship Weapon Sys terns Engineering Station as a Terrier Combat Systems Ships Quahtic tion Trials Officer-in-Charge, USS Norton Sound Aegis/Vertical Launc System (VLS)/Tomahawk Project Officer, and the Spruance VLS insta lation planning officer. Commander Johns also served a tour in the Coit^ bat Systems Department at the Naval Surface Weapons Center Dahlgren, Virginia. Prior to that tour, he served tours as Boilers Off*6® Main Propulsion Assistant and ASW officer in the USS Hoel (DDG-‘-
selection forces a heavier burden on command and recruiting to identify abilities earlier and to allow flexibility in obtaining training early in an officer’s career. The aviation community already employs this type of selection. Early in flight training, a choice is made among helicopter, multiengine, and jet aircraft. After earning their wings, the pilots are further specialized into the various communities (attack, patrol, ASW, etc.) with little expectation of changing. In the past, surface officers optimally served in all three departments throughout their careers. However, the transfer between battle group and support/amphibious ships began rather recently to enhance the concept of a single surface community. This “new” career path would return to a previous concept that served the Navy well.
To support this concept, the surface fleets would have to undergo a minor reorganization as well. This would basically require expansion of the tac- tical/administrative squadron practice currently in use. The tactical squadrons would merely specialize into escort and battle group squadrons.
With better defined roles for the ships, their battle management systems can also be more effectively planned. The major combatant combat system would obviously serve as an excellent basis for the battle group ships. Similarly, the Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7) battle management system would serve as the basis for the escorts. It is relatively small and optimized for
other steps. With today’s methods, the warrior cannot use the system improvements, because the descriptions are buried in the documentation. He is not famil' iar enough with them to recognize them, and, at any rate, does not have time to read them. A weapon thus lost in paperwork is as worthless as one dropped over the side.
An equipment installer would not think of putting a new system on board a ship without a complete set of technical and operating manuals. Computer programs can change the operational characteristics and capabn' ities as much as an equipment change can. These changes may be subtle in their implementation, but they have a significant
minimum manning in light to moderate AAW/antisurface warfare threat levels, but fully capable of conducting ASW operations. Figure 1 shows how the FFG-7 battle management system could be readily adapted to support the Knox (FF-1052) class. It would be an outstanding candidate for the class that replaces them. This consolidation of systems would serve two goals. It would limit the developers while giving them a more clearly defined set of requirements and would provide stability to the users as they progress toward command.
The improvement in transferring the knowledge of the weapon from the developer to the warrior must accompany the
Table 1 Proposed Surface Career Paths
CO Tour | CO Deep-Draft Amphib/CLF | CO Escort Squadron | CO CG/Battle Group Squadron |
CO Tour | CO Small Amphib/ CLF | CO DD/FFG/FF | CO DD/DDG |
PCO |
|
|
|
| Shore | Shore | Shore |
XO | XO Amphib/CLF CO MSO/ATF | XO DD/FFG/FF | XO CG/DDG |
PXO |
|
|
|
| Shore | Shore | Shore |
2nd Dept Head Tour | CG/Large CLF/Amphib- Chief Engineer Staff-Material Off. | DD/FFG-Combat Sys Officer Staff-Chief Staff Off, Combat Systems Off | DDG/CG-OPS, WEPS Staff-Chief Staff Off, Combat Sys Off |
1st Dept Head Tour | Large CLF/Amphib-MPA, 1ST LT„ DCA DD/FFG/Small AUX-Chief Engineer | DD-OPS, WEPS, CICO FFG-CSO, SCO Staff-OPS | DD-CSO DDG-CSO, FCO CG-CICO, FCO Staff-OPS |
| Dept Head School | Dept Head School | Dept Head School |
| Shore | Shore | Shore |
Div Officer Tours | Eng. Division Officer Any Ship Class/IST LT. on Combatants | Any Class-CICO, NTDS, ASWO DD/FFG- FCO, ORDO, Gunnery, Comms, NAV, MSLO | Any Class-CICO, NTDS CG-MSLO, EWO, COMM, NAV DD/DDG-FCO, Comm, Nav Gunnery |
| SWOS Basic | SWOS Basic | SWOS Basic |
tactical impact. Operators must know what the existing program does and must be informed of the changes incorporated in a new program delivery. Users must require computer program development agencies, with their knowledge of the system, to provide proper instructions with the changes. The operators must then read the information and be certain they know what it means. Recently, a program was delivered with the explanation that “under some instances it may be preferable to use this version.” Even after reading all of the documentation provided, the ships’ crews did not know when to use each version.
Keeping the computer program versions straight goes along with keeping the crews properly informed. With the interrelationship of multiple programs, using the wrong combination can do more harm than good. A great deal of effort is put into providing a coordinated set of programs to the ship. This is defeated when the ship keeps the last three or four versions mixed in with the latest delivery “for backup.” This backup requirement indicates the user’s inability to understand the weapon. When something new does not seem to work, the response is to use the backup rather than to find out how the
new system should work. The result is a less capable system.
As the battle management weapons cover a wider range of capabilities and the warriors become more comfortable using them, the last step is to be able to handle the weapon when it is not fully functional. During a tactical action officer training exercise, the Link-11 subsystem failed. The instructor who was acting as battle group commander was at a loss as to how to report contacts not being held by the student’s sensors. When the instructor was advised to use the “red-white-blue-green” grid coordinate system, he was totally unaware of its existence or of how to use it. Rather than being part of an integrated, mutually supportive battle group, the instructor left the student to operate alone when the capability was available to compensate for the casualty.
To cope with such casualty situations, the warrior must practice them. In the 1970s, the Navy faced a major problem in the engineering area. The 1,200 PSI propulsion systems introduced in the 1960s were posing major hazards because the operators did not know how to use them. Operation and casualty control sequence manuals were developed that consolidated the important features of all the var
ious manuals into one source.
All levels of the training and inspection communities then enforced the use of the manuals.
The Navy of the 1990s faces the same problem with its battle management systems. The Oliver Hazard Perry, Spruance (DDG-963), and Ticonderoga (CG-47)-class systems will all be five to 15 years old. No longer manned by crews that received the detailed training new crews receive, a gradual loss of knowledge through repeated incomplete turnovers will occur. As a result, their operators need the equivalent of the engineering sequence manuals. These should have the procedures for setting up a checklist of the various subsystems to meet threat conditions. Additional procedures should provide methods to manage casualty situations, which would then serve as the basis for routine battle management system tactical and casualty control drills. In particular, casualty control drills should be stressed. By routinely using the systems in their casualty modes, the operators are forced to learn to identify and handle unusual occurrences.
This preparation would complete the requirements to upgrade and effectively train the software warrior. He will contim ually grow because he will be operating the same equipment over a long period of time. Knowing his system’s capabilities allows him to make the system meet his needs and not the developers’ theories. This experience and controlled growth can be'passed on to successive generations of warriors through well-defined procedures. The result will be warriors trained as division officers, tested as department heads, and armed as commanding officers and battle group commanders to fully flex the battle management weapon that has been entrusted to them'
Lieutenant Command^
Eric Johns, U. S.