NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The introduction of open architecture systems accompanied by “refresh” upgrades cannot outpace the ability of the crew to keep up with the systems and the training required to operate them, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said yesterday.
“We have had a tendency recently to not allow the crew to understand just what the heck (is) put on board,” Greenert said. “And when they finally get a grip on it” along comes new updates to the system before the crew was even able “to understand the last one,” he added.
“Moderation in anything is good. You can’t have open architecture run wild,” Greenert told an audience at the Navy League’s Sea Air Space Exposition just outside of Washington. Instead there needs to be a focus on “wholeness” that accounts for capabilities, operations, support and training, he said.
Greenert, a submariner before assuming leadership positions in the Navy, said the undersea community has historically done well in regulating what is installed on vessels. He said it is critical for the rest of the fleet to carefully consider the pace at which new and upgraded systems are brought on line.
“It’s incumbent upon us to work with the PEO, the program office, on what we’ve signed up to and how often we’re going to do the refresh,” he said.
The Navy’s acquisition community has increasingly emphasized the development of open architecture (OA) systems as a top priority. OA is seen as a way to allow for easier and more rapid technology insertion into existing systems, in part through use of commercially available technology, to reduce total ownerships costs and phase out legacy systems that become expensive to maintain and upgrade.
One of Greenert’s predecessors, the now retired Adm. Michael Mullen, sought to bring OA to the forefront of Navy acquisition during his 2005-2007 tenure, but the service has been nevertheless criticized for not moving more quickly.
Greenert seems to be taking a more tempered approach to OA systems. In October, he said in a conference call with reporters that OA systems embracing commercial technology need to be certified to ensure they are sufficiently rigorous to operate in a military environment (Defense Daily, Oct. 20, 2011).
Meanwhile, the Navy is moving forward in a key aspect of its open architecture agenda. The service in February awarded Northrop Grumman [NOC] a $36.6-million contract for the first phase of the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) program.
CANES is designed to eliminate multiple legacy information technology systems in ships and submarines and integrate their functions into a common platform. It will effectively merge five stand-alone legacy networks for command, control, computers, communications, and intelligence (C4I) systems into a common shipboard computing environment.
Northrop Grumman was selected over Lockheed Martin [LMT].