SAN DIEGO, 11 March 2008. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for C3, Space, and Spectrum Dr. Ronald Jost will keynote the Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum at 8 a.m. today at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego.
Dr. Jost, who serves in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration, will be discussing "the Global Information Grid (GIG) and Network Architectures," a presentation describing the GIG and the importance of network architectures in addressing major portfolio issues.
The forum theme is Under the COTS Umbrella and content will touch on how innovation in COTS electronics affects defense applications today especially for urgent warfighter needs such as counter-IED (improvised explosive device) technology. These programs put immense pressure on suppliers and integrators to get technology deployed as fast as possible, creating new challenges when it comes to integrating COTS technology.
Following Dr. Jost is Dr. Stephen M. Jarrett, chief technologist of the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems (SPAWAR) Charleston. Jarrett will discuss solutions to COTS integration challenges and other issues facing defense COTS electronics designers at SPAWAR Charleston. His organization is instrumental in developing and employing life-cycle logistic solutions for warfighter systems.
Jarrett will then join a panel discussion at 10 a.m. focused on when and where COTS solutions should be used in future defense systems and how to deal with their negatives.
Other prominent speakers include Dr. Robin Keesee, deputy director for the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) will discuss a "Roadmap for COTS Technology/Electronics in a Fast-moving Threat Environment such as IEDs" at 2:00 pm on March 11.
Also speaking today is Howard Pace, Deputy Joint Program Executive Officer, for the Joint Tactical Radio System (DJPEO JTRS) program. Pace's presentation is 3 p.m. and will be on "Software Defined Radio (SDR) Technology and the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Program." SDR technology will enable warfighters with different radios communicating on different frequencies to communicate seamlessly on future battlefields. A software defined radio basically enables radios using different waveforms.
As the DJPEO JTRS, Pace is responsible for overseeing the JTRS program, which is a mobile, ad hoc networking program to provide voice and data to warfighters via a variety of military and civilian radio systems.
Session topics include: COTS integration panel discussion, COTS acquisition, software defined radio and the Joint Tactical Radio System program, IPv6 and its affect on military systems, COTS lessons learned from Iraq, information assurance, software security standards, ITAR and import/export issues panel discussion, and thermal and power management for warfighter systems.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum, including a dynamic exhibition, is brought to you by Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine and targets innovation in electronics solutions for defense applications. Presentations are geared for program managers, engineering managers, and engineers at first- second- and third-tier defense contractors who need to understand the programs, opportunities, and latest innovations in defense electronics.
The content will reflect the hottest topics from Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine such as network-centric communications, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) procurement issues, software defined radio technology, and power management.
For more information, or to register for the event visit the forum website at www.milaeroforum.com.
