Improving information exchange supporting national security in the maritime and airspace domains

A series of three full fidelity, Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) Simulation Experiments (SIMEXes) conducted at the United States Navy´s Command Control, Communications and Computers/Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Experimentation Laboratory (NCEL) at The MITRE Corporation has highlighted the need for close coordination between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) during the conduct of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) operations in the vicinity of the National Airspace System (NAS). This coordination is needed to maintain the safety and security of the NAS, support homeland security and national defense operations, and address the effects of DoD security related operations on air traffic and aviation commerce. The need for FAA and DoD to coordinate on the use of airspace in the vicinity of the NAS led to the exploration of technical and procedural means to facilitate sharing of information between the FAA and DoD for operational decision making. Using automated decision support tools, including the innovative creation of a Common Operating Picture (COP) using legacy automation systems, NAS operations were harmonized with the Navy´s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) plans for Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) missions. The use of improved communication and surveillance tools and processes allowed the FAA to maximize the availability of airspace for civilian use, and help facilitate the successful accomplishment of the Navy´s ISR missions.