Naval Postgraduate School

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Naval Postgraduate School

Joint Task Force Katrina Relief Effort
Unclassified Information Brief
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Purpose/Objective

• Purpose To provide NCOIC with a sketch of NPSs
  Hastily Formed Networks deployed in support of
  the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina.
• Objective To show relevance of Hastily Formed
  Networks and NPSs Humanitarian
  Assistance/Disaster Relief work to the global
  humanitarian assistance community.

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HFN Defined..

• Skills to Learn
• Interagency / coalition ops (civ-mil boundary)
• Collaborative coordination tool set
• Capacity to Improvise
• Leadership in a network

HFN Concept by Dr Peter Denning, NPS Cebrowski
Institute Executive Director
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Conversation Space..

• Medium in which all communications take place
• A set of interaction rules for effective
  coordination among all participants

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Aspects of Conversation Space

• Physical
• communication systems
• meeting places
• distribution systems
• Community
• players and organizations
• Practices
• rules of interaction and coordination

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Physical Aspects..

• mobile networks
• telephony
• Internet
• satellite
• power
• fast configurability
• meeting places
• pre-positioning essential equipment
• distribution systems

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Community Aspects..

• including all players
• transcending turf issues
• civil-military boundaries
• sharing information
• situation awareness
• planning
• coordinating (action, OODA loops)
• building trust

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Practices Aspects..

• rules of engagement for multiple, autonomous
  organizations
• must be embodied -- not a step-by-step process
• getting buy-in on the rules
• decentralized control and decision making
• collaboration without hierarchy

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Instructive Examples..

• NYC after 9/11
• open, included all NY conditioned tendency to
  stovepipe
• SE Asian Tsunami Dec 26 04
• collaboration w/out hierarchy, ad hoc, no common
  conversation space
• US Gulf Coast after Katrina Aug 29 05
• partitioned, protecting turf, finger pointing,
  red tape, citizens initially not included

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Claim

• Doing HFN well means mastery of conversation
  space
• What are the rules of the most productive
  game?
• What are the skills for successful play?
• Where does technology fit in (HFN is the key to
  the kingdom)?

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Hastily Formed Networks

NPSs Katrina Relief Effort
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The Storm Surge..
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Areas of Operation
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Network Infrastructure
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The Images..
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The Images..
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The Images
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The Images..
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The Problem..

• No power
• No fiber/copper infrastructure
• No push-to-talk comms to speak of
• Cellular services totally jammed
• Satellite phone service totally jammed
• Not enough satellite eqpt suites available
• No Internet access (web, email, VOIP)

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THE PUZZLE..
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Surrounded by the Civil-Military Boundary. and
Improvisation
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One Viable Comms Solution..

• SATCOM Internet Reachback
• 802.11 (WiFi) and 802.16 (WiMax)
• Broadband Internet, Web, Email
• Voice Over IP (basic dial-tone)
• Skype (free internet phone)
• Groove (collaboration solution)

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Tie-in to Earlier HFN Definition..

• Skills to Learn
• Interagency / coalition ops (civ-mil boundary)
• Collaborative coordination tool set
• Capacity to Improvise
• Leadership in a network

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Employed Technologies
2 Mbps Down 512Kbps Up
Long Haul Wide Area Network Connection 54 Mbps
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The Team

• NPS Faculty Members (2)
• NPS Students (19)
• Information Warfare, Information Systems and
  Technology, Joint C4I Systems, Space Systems
  Operations, Space Systems Engineering
• Multi-service, Multi-designator
• Others
• Naval Reservists (5)
• Naval Security Group Reserve
• OSD NII Observer
• Active Duty Commander, USN
• Corporate Partners
• Cisco, Microsoft, Redline, Tachyon, Mercury Data
  Systems, Rajant Corp.

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Accomplishments

• Created and extended full scale, timely, and self
  contained wide area network in an austere
  environment expanded from Tsunami work
• First comms capability for many
• Learned about civ-mil boundary issues CONUS vs
  International from Tsunami work
• Valuable student real world application of
  technology (learned by doing live lab work)

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Benefits / Observations

• NPS
• TCP/IP glue that binds
• Practical value for students and faculty
• Enhanced research opportunities and theses
  insights
• New connections for collaboration (like with
  NCOIC)
• Navy
• Network Capability is a first responder necessity
• Time Matters
• Learned about adaptability in austere
  environments (improvisation)
• Reconfirmed applicability of wireless to disaster
  relief (ship/shore comms)
• Joint
• JTF Operations - collaborative environment using
  Internet technologies
• Comms interoperability one of biggest HA/DR
  issues
• Social/Political/Economic (soft science) as
  challenging as technical
• Civil/Military Boundary is a key with much work
  to be done

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Lessons Learned

• Effect of No Common Situational Awareness
• VoIP Was HUGE Benefit
• Physical Access Was a Challenge
• PTT Radio Interoperability a Growing Concern
• Creature Comforts Youre on Your Own
• Pre-Positioning Assets and Contracts
• Cant Negotiate in the Chaos !
• Force Protection
• Active Military vs Natl Guard (or both)?
• Providing Internet Access to the Public

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Current NPS Research

• PTT Radio Interoperability
• More International HA/DR Issues
• Hastily Formed Networks that Enable..
• Noncombatant Evacuation Ops (NEO) Tracking
  Systems
• Patient / Victim Tracking Systems
• Ship-to-Shore Wireless for HA/DR and Hospital
  Ships
• Airline Luggage Capable Flyaway Kits
• Smaller Form Factor VSAT
• NCOIC CHD Case Study
• Strong Angel III (Aug 20-26 San Diego)

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Conclusion and Challenges..

• We must do better !
• Who are We ?
• How do We proceed ?
• Are We ready for the next hurricane season,
  international disaster, Japans big one, Global
  Avian Flu Pandemic, etc ?
• Need scalable, robust, interoperable comms !!
• Intl Community, Private Sector, DoD all have
  roles !!
• Brian Steckler, Associate Chair for Special
  Programs,
• Naval Postgraduate School
• steckler_at_nps.edu 831.402.1584
• http//www.nps.navy.mil/disasterrelief

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Bottom Line No Way To Run A Railroad !!