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USS Nimitz Battle Group Successfully Tests Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) for Readiness

By Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs

After several recent test events, the first west coast battle group to include Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), the USS Nimitz Battle Group, has been declared fully capable. A final flag panel was convened in Washington D.C. on January 28th and certified the effectiveness of the group's self-defense and detect-control-engage capabilities.

CEC is a unique sensor networking system that helps war fighters detect, target and kill fast-moving airborne weapons, such as cruise missiles, with extreme speed and accuracy. Considered an enabler of network-centric warfare, CEC extracts data from sensors, turns the data into meaningful information and imparts knowledge to commanders. Armed with this knowledge, commanders can make faster, more confident weapon-firing decisions.

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is the first ship outfitted with Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) Mk 2. The battle group's equipped cruisers, USS Princeton and USS Chosin recently completed the final round of testing in preparation for deployment. The SSDS suite includes, SPS-49A(V)1 radar; the SPS-48E radar; the SPQ-9B radar; the SLQ-32 electronic countermeasures system; identification friend or foe (IFF); the rolling airframe missile (RAM); and, the re-architectured NATO Sea Sparrow missile system (RNSSMS).

Testing for the battle group was coordinated by an action team headed by Cdr. Mark Kavanaugh, from NAVSEA's Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems. The tests were conducted in 13 events over the span of 18 months, on both coasts, and during transit around the South American continent.

The final test event was then followed by a compressed three week training exercise which combined the Composite Training Unit Exercise, designed to combine the many elements of a U.S. Navy battle group as a cohesive fighting unit, and the Joint Task Force Exercise, designed to provide realistic training to prepare U.S. forces for joint and combined operations.