Navy commands convene in Information Warfare Pavilion at WEST 2019; Demonstrate critical teamwork in the information domain
2/7/2019
by Elisha Gamboa, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Public Affairs
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy Information Warfare (IW) pavilion returns to WEST 2019 at the San Diego Convention Center from Feb. 13-15.
The IW pavilion will demonstrate the Navy's commitment to aggressively compete in today’s rapidly changing technological environment through the use of speakers, panels, subject matter experts and capability displays. Eleven commands will be participating, each showcasing their role in the information domain. They include:

- Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (N2N6)
- Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. Tenth Fleet (FCC/C10F)
- Navy Information Forces Command (NAVIFOR)
- Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR)
- SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific
- SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic
- Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (PEO C4I)
- Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems
- Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command
- Naval Oceanographic Office
- Naval Oceanography Special Warfare Center

“In this era of Great Power Competition, our Navy faces the challenge of maintaining maritime superiority in an increasingly information driven environment,” said Vice. Adm. Matthew Kohler, deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare (OPNAV N2N6) and director of naval intelligence (DNI). “Information warfare is critical to the Navy’s success in all mission areas, and we must use every opportunity to advance and hone these capabilities and skills. The IW pavilion at WEST provides a forum to bring together military leaders, industry experts, a academia to ultimately strengthen our naval power in all warfighting domains.”

This year’s IW pavilion will have three main mechanisms to give attendees a glimpse into the Navy’s information warfare community – the Navy IW Theater speaking series, the Navy IW engagement zone and Navy IW technology demonstrations.

Navy IW Theater
The IW Pavilion will have its own dedicated theater with a series that will run the course of the three-day conference and exposition. It will encompass a broad range of topics from current a future rapid prototyping efforts, enabling ‘compile to combat in 24 hours,’ cybersecurity, military intelligence, enhancements in military training and technology, and extensive insight into the IW community status and mission areas.
Leaders in the IW community who will participate in the speaker series include:
- Vice Adm. Matthew Kohler, OPNAV N2N6/DNI
- Vice Adm. Brian Brown, NAVIFOR
- Rear Adm. Christian Becker, SPAWAR
- Rear Adm. Danelle Barrett, Navy Cyber Security Division
- Rear Adm. Carl Chebi, PEO C4I
- Ruth Youngs Lew, PEO EIS
- Capt. Kristian Kearton, FCC/C10F
Additional panels include SPAWAR and PEO C4I subject matter experts discussing IW Digital Execution Plan lines effort and an opportunity to meet and greet SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific’s senior science and technical managers. The full schedule can be found at: https://www.westconference.org/West19/Public/Sessions.aspx?nav=true&TrackID=241

Navy Information Warfare Engagement Zone
New to the IW pavilion this year is the IW engagement zone. Situated right in the middle of the IW pavilion, the engagement zone gives attendees the opportunity to informally meet with more than two dozen program managers, business portfolio managers and subject matter experts from multiple IW commands for short blocks of time. The full schedule can be found at https://www.westconference.org/west19/CUSTOM/pdf/EngagementZoneSchedule.pdf. No appointment necessary.

Navy Information Warfare Pavilion Technology Demonstrations
The IW pavilion will host 18 technology demonstrations that will spotlight various systems and capabilities that support and facilitate information warfare, from seafloor to space. This includes unmanned under water vehicles used for operational decision making, cutting-edge position, navigation and timing technologies, the latest in 3D printing capabilities, artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, military satellite and nanosatellite communication systems, research and development of commercial cloud services and more.
“We are at a point in time where our security environment demands that we respond in ways that are agile and sustainable. Our Navy must be ready to overmatch adversaries by creating and applying information advantage, an advantage that will enable our warfighters to know the environment, assess courses of action, and act decisively and at speed,” said Rear Adm. Christian Becker, SPAWAR commander. “Events like WEST help to facilitate connections and discussions, and forge partnerships that will support that mission.”
The premier naval conference and exposition on the West Coast, WEST is now in its 29th year of bringing military and industry leaders together. Co-sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute, WEST is the only event in which the makers of platforms and the designers of technologies can network, discuss and demonstrate their solutions in a single location.

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