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Trident Warrior 2011 Mid-Planning Conference Kicks Off

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS101209-11
12/9/2010

From U.S. Fleet Forces Public Affairs

DAM NECK, Va. (NNS) -- More than 250 attendees gathered at Combat Direction Systems Activity for the Trident Warrior 2011 (TW11) Mid-Planning Conference (MPC) Dec. 7, to continue strategic planning for the annual event set to begin in March.

Trident Warrior, directed by U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF) and sponsored this year by Commander, Second Fleet and Commander, Fifth Fleet, focuses on at-sea experimentation of approximately 100 initiatives.

Capt. Carl Conti, USFF director of experimentation, kicked off the conference with opening remarks on the purpose of TW11.

"TW11 gives us a venue to test out new ideas and innovations in a real-world environment," Conti said. "In the experiment, we put each of the initiatives into the hands of fleet users and we evaluate them to see if they meet the warfighter's needs. Taking these initiatives directly to the warfighter allows TW to examine their potential and influence the direction of their development and implementation, resulting in enhanced capabilities for the warfighter."

TW11 will be the first time the experiment will be held at two separate venues. The first location is Bahrain from March to April, where TW11 will look at issues facing 5th Fleet and US Naval Forces, Central Command. From June through July, TW11 experimentation will resume in Norfolk, Va., with 2nd Fleet shore and sea assets.

"We have some important work going on with the 5th Fleet," said Conti. "They're out there on the front line fighting a war right now, and we're very excited to have the opportunity to support them."

TW11 will include participants from USFF, 2nd Fleet, 5th Fleet, 6th Fleet, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), Navy Warfare Development Command, and the Naval Postgraduate School, with specific skills in experiment design and operational planning. Ships and multiple aircraft from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, program executive offices, and system commands will also support.

Nations participating in TW11 include Australia, Canada, Chile, France, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom.

"Throughout Trident Warrior, one of our underlying themes is always enhancing partnerships," said Conti. "Each year, we work with partner nations in an effort to better understand each other's needs and in turn develop tactics, techniques and procedures to benefit all."

Attendees of the TW11 MPC will meet during the three-day event to focus on the details of TW11's execution. This includes planned discussions covering the TW process, TW11 focus areas, government and industry selected initiatives, and the certification and accreditation process. Participants will then break out into focus area working groups.

"Our job here is to make things easier for the Sailors and Marines out there, to fill in gaps where they could use some help," he said. "It's about taking something useful and making it better for all to use. Our goal is to save time, money, and most importantly, give our warfighters the right tools to make them more effective, which will help save lives."