As the warm, late noon sun surrounded the Sheraton Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii, members of the Armed Forces Communication and Electronic Association (AFCEA) were hosting their annual convention. Five thousand miles to the west, the cool morning sun reflected off the flight deck of USS Independence while inport Yokosuka, Japan. The vast stretch of ocean that separates both Japan and Hawaii did not prevent Rear Adm. Charles W. Moore Jr., Battle Force SEVENTH Fleet, and convention participants from communicating via Video Teleconferencing (VTC).
The 21-inch television monitor and video camera was placed before Moore and Capt. John Brandes, CTF-70 Chief of Staff. From their seats in the Flag War Room aboard Indy, they were able to see a live video image of the lobby in the Sheraton. In there, members of AFCEA gathered around their television to ask questions regarding the Indy Battle Group’s capability to produce VTC.
In his opening remarks to the group, Moore stated that VTC is a great tool for the U.S. Navy, especially the Independence Battle Group.
"What is great about this equipment and technology, is it allows face-to-face conversation with various commanders throughout the Battle Group," Moore added. "We can be thousands of miles apart, and we can still review charts and analyze data as one group, like we are in the same room together. I have used it daily at times; most recently being during Exercise FOAL EAGLE, where I communicated with my counterparts to develop a strategy."
During the question and answer session from those in Hawaii, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers who is Commander U.S. Pacific Air Forces spoke briefly with Moore on the excitement of VTC. Questions that arose from the other members of the convention focused primarily on what type of communication equipment is on board, and our satellite capabilities when it relates to VTC or telephones. Even a former Indy Sailor was at the convention and asked a few questions regarding our schedule for the holidays, and a Marine stationed in Hawaii inquired about Indy’s Marine Detachment and its downsizing.
An issue that surfaced in the convention and during the conversation with Moore was the use of the VTC for ‘tele’medicine.
"Luckily we have not had to use the VTC for such a case, but I’m sure that in the event we would need to use it for an emergency procedure, there would be no problem to hook it up and be ready," Moore added.
The mid watch on duty in the Tech Control Facility, spent most of the evening the day before the conference, patching all the circuits and making sure the connectivity worked within the main hub. An increase in the bandwidth (or communication capability) was needed for the VTC to take place, and with the hard work of Indy’s TCF, the ship demonstrated that it is on the front lines of technology.
The convention was created by the AFCEA, in conjunction with Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) and the Defense Information Agency (DIA). The conversation between Moore and the participants lasted just over 20 minutes, but the video feed continued with taped flight deck footage, allowing the viewers to see the daily underway action aboard Independence.
The wave of the future in regards to VTC has been on board Indy since March 96, which is still very new when looking back on the long history of Independence. When the ship was commissioned in 1959, televisions were not mainstream, computers with vacuum tubes filled and heated entire rooms, records, not CDs provided musical entertainment, fax machines let alone video teleconferencing was unheard of. And with just over two years left in the millennium, the newest technology prevails aboard the oldest ship.
Photo Captions:
During the question and answer session from those in Hawaii, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers who is Commander U.S. Pacific Air Forces spoke briefly with Moore on the excitement of VTC.