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NAVAL DESPATCH FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF collective, cooperative and multinational solution. The synergy required in such an endeavour calls for interoperability at all levels, be it operational, technical or political/cultural [1]. It is this synergy that would build capacity and enhance capability amongst the individual States of the region, thereby strengthening the collective Indian Ocean Region. The assets available to the Navies to meet the above challenges are ships, submarines and aircrafts, who may be required to operate far from their base ports, for extended periods of time. The Indian Ocean Region Navies, through these assets, have to talk to each other, respond quickly to the stimulus and operate in unison for the common cause that can happen only by having seamless interoperability. The Naval assets being complex and technologically intensive can therefore be kept operated and maintained effectively in a multinational environment, far away from their base ports only through technical cooperation. This paper is an attempt to understand and share some of the thoughts on interoperability and technical cooperation amongst IONS countries through judicious selection and adaptation of methodologies and Standards. The challenges likely to be encountered whilst ensuring technical cooperation are discussed, followed by briefly describing the experiences of the merchant marine and NATO and finally proposing a way ahead to enable technical interoperability to ensure Naval assets are able to perform their intended roles and deliver the ordnance when and where due. UNDERSTANDING INTEROPERABILITY In today’s world, naval operations combining the navies of more than one State is the rule, rather than exception. Thus it is important that the navies join together with an open mind and develop professional interests in learning what will make them effective in combined operations. Success and failure of the mission is likely to depend on it. It is therefore important to understand what interoperability is. In layman’s terminology, Interoperability is the ability of information and communication systems and processes to support data flow and to enable the exchange of information and knowledge. Most apt definition of interoperability in the context of the combined naval operations is provided by the US DoD and NATO, who define interoperability as: “The ability of systems, units or forces to provide services to and accept services from other systems, units or forces, and to use the services so exchanged to enable them to operate effectively together” An alternative US DoD definition is:- “The condition achieved among communications electronics systems or items of communications electronics equipment when information and services can be exchanged directly and satisfactorily between them and/or their users. The degree of interoperability should be defined when referring to specific cases" Both these definitions are similar, in that they include the systems aspects of interoperability. However, the first definition is broader and higher level, in that it encapsulates the high-level “business” aspects of interoperability. For example, there is little point in having interoperable communications systems if the semantic meaning of the information passed is different for the forces at either end of a link. One benefit of the latter definition, however, is the implication of the case by-case nature of interoperability requirements. Interoperability can be achieved by adopting national and international technical norms. For the purpose of this paper, interoperability will be restricted to technical aspects of the equipment and systems, their maintenance and onboard ships and submarines of the navies of the IOR, to ensure that these ships feel at home anywhere in the IOR ports and harbours. TECHNICAL COOPERATION Technical cooperation is the provision of advice and/or skills in the form of specialist personnel, training, scholarships and grants for research and associated costs. Technical cooperation (TC) should not be equated with capacity development which is a much wider concept. TC is one input to the capacity development process. The navies, unlike their sister services in the military are highly technology oriented, by virtue of the complex and critical systems that they operate on daily basis. Therefore technical cooperation is the FFFFFFFFF FFFFFFFFF SEPTEMBER 2009 9
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF fundamental requirement around which the success of the combined operations by IOR navies hinges. It is therefore important to see that technical cooperation at all levels of ship design, build, operation and maintenance, is adequately addressed. Being far away from the base port for an extended time period would require open and unlimited access to the repair facilities of all the navies of IOR, including dry docks, to ensure that the platforms dedicated to the combined operations are sea worthy all the time. Demand for machinery and naval stores to take care of the exigencies arising at sea can be met only through standard codification. NEED FOR STANDARDS Interoperability and technical cooperation amongst the countries of IOR can be successful for the combined operations by ensuring large scale standardisation in procedures, methods, design and building of ships and equipment. This will not only increase the combined operational effectiveness of the naval forces to achieve the common goals, but also increase overall efficiency in the use of available naval resources. This includes, among other things, increasing co-operation and eliminating unnecessary duplication among IOR navies in research, development, production, procurement and support of defence systems and equipment. The collective naval capability then enhances manifolds and carries additional political value as on outward demonstration of the cooperation and solidarity. This can be achieved only by the process of formulating, agreeing, implementing and updating Standards for use within IOR navies and can classified into three main groups as has been done by NATO countries [2] – Operational, Materiel and Administration. It may be preferable to maximise the use of NATO standards to ensure worldwide supportability. It is a well known fact that Standards promote consistent quality, reliability and maintainability, whilst offering the potential for variety control and economic production, by providing technical criteria accepted by consensus. They also encourage both interchange ability and interoperability, and rationalize processes and methods of operation making communication and the exchange of materiel and services easier. Their use gives confidence to manufacturers and to users alike. Hence, the need to have common Standards, as early as possible, to make the IOR navies cooperation more robust. Levels of Standardisation. Standardized equipment belonging to different navies may be compatible, interoperable, interchangeable or common. They may be none of these, yet their components may be standardized, i.e. interchangeable or common, an important advantage in maintenance and repair. In ascending order, the four levels of standardization has been defined by NATO as: • Compatibility is the capability of two or more items or components of equipment or materiel to exist or function in the same system or environment without mutual interference; • Interoperability is the ability of systems, units or forces to provide services to, and accept services from, other systems, units or forces and to use the services so exchanged to enable them to operate effectively together; • Interchangeability is a condition which exists when two or more items possess such functional and physical characteristics as to be equivalent in performance and durability, and are capable of being exchanged one for the other without alteration of the items themselves, or of adjoining items, except for adjustments, and without selection for fit and performance; • Commonality is a state achieved when groups of individuals, organizations or nations use common doctrines, procedures or equipment. There is a school of thought that where it is possible to do so, maximum procurement should be of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) equipment for naval platforms. NATO and the America, Britain, Canada and Australia (ABCA) Group of countries are therefore placing an increased emphasis on the use of civil standards for military materiel standardization, a concept that is being implemented successfully. LIKELY CHALLENGES Networked Operations. The challenge that will confront all the Navies of IOR initially would be in FFFFFFFFF SEPTEMBER 2010 FFFFFFFFF10
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