Its role providing military assistance to civilian authorities means it must exchange data with a host of federal, state and local emergency response agencies. As a result, the command faces a unique set of communications interoperability and information-sharing issues.

“When we talk about taking measures to protect the Defense Department’s network, we have to be very careful in how we go about implementing those things because it automatically reduces our ability to share information with our domestic mission partners,” says Navy Rear Adm. Nancy Brown, NORTHCOM’s director of architectures and integration. “In addition, because our mission partners are often unanticipated, our network has to be able to react quickly and dynamically based on the situation and with whom we need to share information.”

Improving interoperability among the disparate radios and communications devices used by domestic agencies has been a priority. That’s why several of the new technologies the command is pursuing involve systems to bridge multiple types of radios.

“There’s a lot of technology and equipment out there, and it varies significantly,” Brown says. “Just take New Orleans, for example. From parish to parish, there’s a big difference in what equipment is available and how much money has been spent on radio networks for first responders.”

NORTHCOM sponsors many exercises each year to identify and resolve interoperability issues. “One of the things we’ve emphasized,” she says, “is developing standards and procedures through rehearsals, particularly bringing the National Guard, Homeland Security Department and local responders together.”

Most recently, the command invited the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Guard, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Air Force units, local police and fire departments to Fort Monroe, Va., to discuss ways to capitalize on one another’s strengths.

In May, NORTHCOM conducted its annual two-week Ardent Century exercise, simulating terrorist activities in different areas of the United States as well as a hurricane headed for the southeast coast. The goal was to work “through some of the lessons we learned and put into place after Hurricane Katrina last year,” Brown says.

NORTHCOM, the National Guard and DHS have also sponsored technology evaluations during the annual Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration. At this year’s CWID, those evaluations included a simulated terrorist incident at a Colorado airport.

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