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USS Abraham Lincoln Helps Prepare to Send News to the World

Story Number: NNS030228-04
2/28/2003

By Lt. Suzanna G. Cigna, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs

ABOARD USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) recently invited several news organizations to participate in a cooperative "tech assist visit," which saw media bringing aboard their state-of-the-art communications equipment for an initial installation and trial run, before official embedding begins in the event the United States goes to war with Iraq.

Media representatives from Cable News Network (CNN), Reuters and Associated Press TV participated in the innovative visit. The highly successful tech assist was a landmark of cooperation between the Navy and the media.

In a recent message to combatant commanders regarding support of public affairs activities in potential future military operations, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld outlined his expectations for media coverage and information flow:

"Media coverage of potential future military operations will, to a large extent, shape public perception of the national security environment now and in the years ahead . . . Therefore, we must organize for and facilitate access of national and international media to our forces . . . These plans should also support the expeditious movement of media products that tell our story - both good and bad - from the front lines."

Chief Electronics Technician (SW/AW) Brian K. O'Kelley, combat systems maintenance manager, could not agree more.

"I think it's always beneficial when we can get out our side of the story. And to facilitate the media, it keeps them in better spirits."

The tall, brawny O'Kelley clearly enjoys assisting media set-up their high-tech equipment, to include helping them haul monstrous cases of equipment all the way up to the O-10 level, six floors above the carrier's flight deck.

"I like playing with cool media toys the Navy doesn't have."

O'Kelley, a master in electronics communication aboard Lincoln, is a veteran in helping the media install their equipment aboard. This is his third time assisting CNN alone, after they made visits requiring equipment installs in both October and November 2002, and he says each time, it gets easier and easier to get the gear up and running.

CNN field engineer Paul Unger was thrilled with the assistance he received during the most recent visit. "We've had a lot of great help from the public affairs staff and the engineering staff (Electronics Technicians and Interior Communications Electricians) on both Connie and Lincoln. Without their help, we wouldn't have been able to get this equipment set-up done."

Unger went on to describe the differences between USS Constellation (CV 64), "Connie," and Lincoln's equipment installs. The fixed, satellite-signaling raydome, or Fleet 77, also known as R2-D2, was installed aft of the signal bridge on Lincoln's O-10 level.

On Connie, because of its older conventional ship design with lower radar placement, the raydome was installed on a platform located on the starboard side of the fantail. This imposes potential limitations aboard Connie, creating an added need for extensive cables. Fortunately, there is a quick fix to this problem with the use of easy to maneuver flat panels.

Besides CNN, this tech assist marked the fourth visit for Reuters producer Pilar Wolfsteller. In addition to producing, Wolfsteller also assumes roles as reporter and engineer, and received only a few weeks' technical training before coming to Lincoln for the assist visit.

"As you can imagine, I am very happy to have the opportunity to test the equipment out, and I'm also very appreciative of all the help I've received aboard Lincoln," said Wolfsteller.

"Using the installed equipment will allow us to get the pictures out with a lot more immediacy. We'll be sending pictures out to the world as soon as they happen, and that's precisely what we're here for."

Wall Street Journal writer Harold Evans wrote in his article "War Stories," published Feb. 21, "The relationship of journalism to government is complex, one of dependence and antagonism. Without the cooperation of the armed services, the press cannot hope to cover a war. The trade-off is a measure of access for a measure of official control."

In contrast, the tech assist visit aboard Lincoln painted a very different picture of the relationship between the armed services and press.

Perhaps O'Kelley described the relationship best when he observed, "We saw in Vietnam, when the media's opinion of our forces turn, the nation's also turns. Our military mission hasn't changed, but our media relations have. In the long run, we must work together in order to accomplish both our missions."