Operations with navy's new afloat network get underway.

• Author: Insinna, Valerie
• Position: Homeland Security News

The computing environment on most naval ships consists of multiple networks, numerous varieties of hardware and a range of software--much of it old and out of date. The result is a slow, disparate information technology infrastructure requiring frequent maintenance, with cyber security bolted on as an afterthought.

The Navy intends to change that by streamlining the number of networks and modernizing hardware and software through the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services program, or CANES. The end result will be a single shipboard network outfitted with the latest computing and cyber security technologies.

So far, it has been smooth sailing for the program. One ship, the USS McCampbell, is already conducting at-sea operations with CANES onboard, said Jack Dorsett, vice president of Northrop Grumman's C2 Systems and a retired vice admiral. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for development and early deployment of CANES.

"The commanding officer of USS McCampbell was extremely ecstatic with the reliability," Dorsett said. Most of the problems were so minor that they could be found in any office. "One of the biggest issues that they raised as a shortcoming was the simple fact that insufficient toner cartridges were provided to support the use of printers. When that's the feedback, that's one of the major concerns, you go, 'Holy cow, we hit a home run.'"

There were no issues during initial operations on the McCampbell that would require Northrop to redesign any part of the CANES system, he added.

The Navy did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

CANES was designed to consolidate five legacy tactical networks --and a total of 642 network variants --into a common computing environment with the same hardware, software and security programs throughout the fleet, Dorsett said. It can also connect to various weapon systems, such as the AEGIS radar, signals intelligence, and command-and-control systems.

The network will be installed on more than 190 ships, submarines and maritime operations centers by 2021, according to the Navy's website.

Navy officials believe CANES will ultimately reduce total ownership cost and pare down the service's IT logistics tail, which had become bloated because of the myriad networks and equipment.

The Navy has installed CANES on guided missile destroyers USS McCampbell and USS Milius and is in the process of installing it on 10 other ships. Northrop Grumman has delivered a total of 25 units...