CNO Sees Future of Navy at Coastal Systems Station

Since 12-19-02

 By Steve Applegate, Coastal Systems Station Public Affairs

 PANAMA CITY, Fla. (NNS) -- Coastal Systems Station (CSS) here is making things happen for the Navy, and Chief of  Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark wants to make sure  programs underway there make it to the fleet as soon as  possible. "What is going on at this base is the development of tomorrow's  Navy," Clark said. "Specifically in the areas where we will  perform combat tomorrow - in the near-land areas, in the  littorals and where the threat of tomorrow will appear. CSS is  helping us transform our Navy."

 Clark visited the base recently to get a firsthand look at some of  the new technologies being explored at the Naval Surface  Warfare Center's premier research and development laboratory  for a variety of mission areas. "What CSS does for us every day is make sure that this nation is  investing in the capability to keep our military ready," the CNO  said. CSS is responsible for practically every piece of mine  countermeasures gear currently in the fleet, and they continue to  tackle the most persistent threats Navy ships face. CSS showed the admiral some of the systems that promise to  make mines easier to find for the dedicated forces.

 "The number one thing I saw here today was the tremendous  potential to deploy unmanned vehicles in the air, on the surface  of the sea and under the sea," Clark said. "What I saw is what  my Navy needs as fast as we can get it. The marriage of today's  technology with tomorrow's technology -- and I'm talking about  unmanned systems that have the capability to go in places where  we don't want to subject human beings." Clark noted that CSS is playing an important role in the  development of the Navy's future Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).  LCS will provide an affordable combat platform that exhibits the  speed, agility, modularity and flexibility to be configured and  re-configured for multiple missions.

 Researchers showed the CNO a number of unmanned vehicles that swim and crawl to perform a wide variety of tasks, but the  key to practical use of unmanned systems is commonality. Coastal Systems Station is pursuing several technologies that are  critical to the LCS, including joint unmanned system common  control, common launch and recovery, and common handling.  CSS will demonstrate this approach on the High Speed Vessel in  FY04.

 The CNO also reviewed CSS's concepts for common launch and recovery, and common deck handling of multiple unmanned  systems. These commonality approaches are already being  pursued in organic air mine countermeasures developmental  efforts. But, once you find the mines, you have to get rid of them. The Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System, or RAMICS, fires a high-velocity round from a H-60 helicopter-mounted cannon,  striking a lethal blow to a mine even if it is submerged.

 CSS scientists showed the CNO the value of having a common  tactical picture of Navy/Marine Corps joint mission execution  using the Expeditionary Warfare Testbed, an operations center  that integrates new and legacy systems. It coordinates all the  information available from combat systems for fire support,  mission planning sensor management surveillance and  reconnaissance in an expeditionary maneuver. They also demonstrated the Virtual At-Sea Testing system that  provides the capability to conduct actual weapon system tests  while firing at simulated targets on land or water.

 Clark recognized the importance of the work being done at the  base, a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command. "The products of CSS are important, and in the next decade,  and the decade after that, will continue to be even more  important," he said, noting that the scientists and engineers here  are creating the capability for the Navy to take on the  asymmetric threat of terrorism. "In order to have what it needs to  combat global terrorism, the Navy/Marine Corps team needs to  be out and about.

 "We are turning this thing tighter than it's ever been before,"  Clark continued. "The President said, 'Be ready', and we are  ready. The young men and women are ready."

C. Michael Garverick
Executive Director
Naval Submarine League  www.navalsubleague.com
(703) 256-0891(V) - (703) 642-5815 (FAX)