By Geoff Fein
The Navy’s software, Hardware Asset Re-use Enterprise (SHARE) library could move under the auspices of the Naval Surface Warfare Centers (NSWC) under a plan being examined by the NSWC commander.
“I am looking at…controlling the SHARE library and having (NSWC) Dahlgren take on a different role, in the sense that I think that is part of our business to maintain the library like that,” Rear Adm. James Shannon, commander, NSWC, told Defense Daily in a recent interview. “[SHARE] should not be unique to any one PEO.”
The SHARE library stood up in mid 2006 at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, Va.
Since assuming command of NSWC in October 2008, Shannon has spoken with personnel at all the warfare centers on open architecture. Before taking the helm for the warfare centers, Shannon commanded the Future Combat Systems Open Architecture program (Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems 7.0).
He acknowledges the Navy still has a ways to go when it comes to getting people to understand about data rights and what data rights mean.
“The workforce understands what data rights are but [they] still don’t understand the strategic implications of how to share data and control data, that’s something that I think can evolve over time,” Shannon said. “We have to continue to do a better job in maintaining our government rights to the things we buy, and the way to do that is to have the workforce exercise those rights. I am in the process now of working with the captains across the warfare centers on how I want them to do that.”
In his role as commander of the warfare centers, Shannon is also the chief technology officer (CTO) for the surface warfare enterprise.
“In that role, my job is to look at how do you tie together the business part of the enterprise to the engineering part. That means looking out into the future,” he said. “Recently we created a S&T strategy for the surface warfare enterprise and I am in the process of getting that available to make it part of the public domain. Hopefully, by end of summer, we will get that out.”
That effort is all about the warfare centers trying to be transparent and letting everyone know where the centers want to take technology, Shannon said. “I think that’s the right step.”
The warfare centers themselves are busy places, working on a variety of issues and programs including defeating improvised explosive devices (IED) and explosively formed projectiles (EFP), Shannon said.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technical Division, located at Indian Head, Md., worked hard on coming up with better armor protection to counter EFPs, Shannon added.
“When you look at IEDs, the gang out at [NSWC] Crane Indiana is working very closely with the program office building the CREW [Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device] systems to come up with the right software development to build those systems as well as the right hardware development,” he said. “Because of the terrorism threat out there, NSWC Panama City [Florida] came up with a lot of the anti swimmer detection capability.”
And each one of those programs entailed the efforts of a number of the warfare centers, Shannon noted.
“When EOD tech was coming up with armor protection they were working with [NSWC] Carderock to do a lot with hull designs…metallurgy….The EW (electronic warfare personnel) at Crane working IED were working very closely with the people in Dahlgren on biometrics and that type of science,” Shannon said. “The anti-swimmer folks worked closely with the [Naval Undersea Warfare Center] Newport team to come up with that kind of system.”
And there are warfare center people working on the Littoral Combat Ship and DDG-1000, he added. “There are warfare center people working on everyone of those new designs, but we are also doing things with counter narcotics, working closely with [federal] agencies there. Dahlgren has a lot of work going on in that area.”
And the warfare centers also work with the Department of Homeland Security, including the Coast Guard, Shannon added.
“[We do] lots of work with the Marine Corps, we worked with the Army, and then when you look at the Special Operations Forces, they have their own Title X and their own money flow. They do a lot with Crane for their special systems,” he said.
“Whatever the need is we will work on it. We are a supporting command and we will do whatever we are asked to do…,” Shannon said.