Joint-service warning network program stalled: Contractor decided to adapt JWARN technology for homeland defense mission.

• Author: Tiron, Roxana
• Position: Joint warning and reporting network

A program to develop a digital network that could warn U.S. troops about potential nuclear, chemical and biological threats currently is on hold, largely as a result of internal squabbles between the Army and the Marine Corps. One contractor, meanwhile, has transitioned some of that technology into a similar system that would be marketed for U.S. homeland security.

The chemical-biological defense system is called the joint warning and reporting network (JWARN). It originally was designed to connect several detection systems into an overall command and control architecture, so forces in the field would have situational awareness about potential chemical or biological threats.

JWARN's mission is to allow the military services to collect, analyze, report and disseminate NBC agent detection, identification, location, and warning information in real time. A secondary role for JWARN is to help authorities react to an NBC attack by providing downwind hazard predictions.

As envisioned, JWARN would transfer data automatically from and to the actual detector! sensor, and provide commanders (and C4ISR-command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance--systems) with analyzed data and disseminate warnings down to the lowest level units in the battlefield. JWARN also would make NBC hazard prediction more accurate by integrating data from various sources into a single model.

"The goal of warning and reporting is to provide sufficient, accurate and timely information to the commanders at all levels through early and direct warning capabilities, so they assume appropriate protective postures and develop options to continue mission-essential operations," said the Defense Department's annual report on chemical and biological capabilities.

JWARN was supposed to be compatible with, but not duplicate existing equipment. Phase I started in 1998, when the first version of the software was released. Phase II, called engineering and manufacturing development, was planned for 2001. However, the program ran into trouble as a result of service infighting, mostly between the Army and the Marine Corps, said an industry source who asked to not be quoted by name.

The Marine Corps Systems Command manages the JWARN program. The command hosted an industry day for JWARN last October.

The Army did not necessarily object to the Marine Corps managing the program, but became concerned that the program was neglecting critical Army...