SECURE INTERACTIVE DISTANCE LEARNING

By Kelly Decker and John F. Martin

 It was summer 2000, but it could have been something right out of “The Last Starfighter” – a Sailor wearing a headset complete with microphone, earphones, a two-inch eyepiece display, a mini computer strapped to his forearm, and a vest with compartments for power supplies – all designed to make a “wearable” personal computer (PC). The “wearable” PC was the hit of the Secure Interactive Distance Learning (SIDL) demonstration held at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Headquarters, Naval Air Station (NAS), Patuxent River, Maryland. But it was only part of the SIDL demonstration.  The demonstration featured state-of-the-art equipment and techniques targeted to improve operational readiness, retention, and recruitment by addressing today’s education, training, and site support challenges.  It was the Navy’s first combination point-to-point and multi-point secure remote training.

Now how we got there.  In the development stage we faced several challenges.  We had to answer the questions of how to answer the immediate, essential training needs of Fleet operators and deliver live, Information Technology (IT) college-credit courses to the workplace.  We knew we wanted to partner SIDL ability with private industry to provide factory-type training directly to the Sailor and provide instructor-led training.  What makes SIDL such a superior training vehicle is the capability to provide Classified Interactive Distribution Learning (IDL) “anytime and anywhere.”  Other features of the SIDL include the ability to conduct any type of training and remotely update training materials with roaming video capability for maintenance support; and the capability to use Interactive Web-based, multimedia courseware, metrics tracking for student training and testing, and improved communications between system engineers, developers and Fleet operators.

History

In 1998, Mr. John Martin, the Naval Command and Control Systems (NCCS) Training Single Point of Contact (T-SPOC) from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Charleston and his team in Patuxent River, Maryland, proved that remote distance learning offered a highly beneficial, yet cost effective, solution to training challenges that the NCCS training team had faced. Some of the challenges included the need to keep pace with rapid technology changes; heavy demand for simultaneous on-site training at globally dispersed commands, maintaining a current up-to-date curriculum, and a limited number of available subject matter experts to assist. 

In 1998, as a proof of concept, the SIDL team successfully delivered unclassified point-to-point Interactive Distributive Learning (IDL) to Tactical Support Center (TSC) Sigonella, Italy; and from Fleet Combat Training Center, Atlantic (FCTCLANT) Dam Neck, Virginia, to TSC Brunswick, Maine via the transportable electronic classroom. Based on positive Fleet feedback, the SIDL team was tasked to expand the concept to include all SPAWAR supported TSC and Mobile Operations Command Center (MOCC) sites. Additionally, NAVAIR personnel approached Mr. Martin to explore the possibilities of utilizing the SIDL architecture to provide training to personnel at Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance (MPR) patrol squadrons worldwide.  Then Commander, Naval Education and Training Command (CNET) asked, “could SIDL be expanded to overcome the technical and logistic challenges to provide training to deployed ships and submarines?”

Development

The MPR community offered the perfect Navy IDL test and evaluation environment.  TSC C4I Training Facilities (TRAFACs) meet all CNO C4I physical security requirements and provide 24/7 – 365 access to TSC/MOCC and squadron wing (flight, crew and maintenance personnel).   An added bonus to this effort was that much of the on-site CONUS and Hawaii C4I hardware infrastructure was already in place.  TSC C4I TRAFACS can be connected using the SIDL architecture to support MPR global training requirements across multiple time zones.

While developing the SIDL system, Mr. Martin looked at similar approaches that had been used successfully throughout the DoD, academic, and business communities, and combined the best elements of each into the system. SIDL was designed with the belief that in the age of Information Warfare, the Navy must invest in its most valuable asset and weapon – the Sailor. 

Two primary challenges met were: the SIDL is capable of supporting both secure and non-secure training and the SIDL is modular and scalable enough to be available to SPAWAR, NAVAIR and CNET.  Since these commands are located worldwide, with various levels of connectivity available at each, SIDL had to be designed to reliably function anywhere in the world, regardless of available bandwidth.  The SIDL engineering team under the leadership of SPAWAR's Shannon Gunn successfully met these challenges.   Not only did the SIDL design concept make maximum reuse of existing technologies – the SIDL team also found new ways to integrate many technologies that before had been used only in a stand-alone environment.   The team also developed innovative solutions to the challenges of delivering secure training – a task that many in the DoD training arena felt was still many years, and millions of dollars, away.   Finally, the SIDL team created an effective Web-based collaborative training material development philosophy that teams industry and Fleet subject matter experts. All training materials are developed for Web distribution in either synchronous (IDL) (instructor led) or asynchronous (stand-alone), Advanced Distributive Learning (ADL) formats.

SIDL synchronous training delivery requires a minimum bandwidth of 128k bps and asynchronous mode requires as little as 28k bps for remote Web access.   There is no bandwidth for local on site training.  SIDL has been designed to be fully Internet Protocol (IP) and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) compatible with the ability to use SIPRNET, ISDN, or satellite communications.  The final result is a SIDL architecture that can provide global secure, effective, training to commands anywhere and anytime. 

The SIDL design meets the requirements set forth in Executive Order 13111, Secretary of Defense's Training Technology Vision, the DOD Strategic Plan for Advance Distributive Learning, Joint Vision 2010, DOD Strategic Plan for ADL (April 30, 1999), DOD Implementation Plan for ADL (May 19, 2000), and CNO’s Navy Strategic Planning Guidance Objectives (April 2000). The SIDL meets the objectives for engineering a robust architecture that not only supports training but can also be used to provide the Fleet with secure, remote, interactive technical and engineering site support.

Fleet Training

To meet the unique challenges associated with providing training to deployed Sailors, the SIDL team provided the Navy Learning Network with a highly innovative “suitcased” system that combines a training server, video teleconferencing (VTC) system, and Learning Management System (LMS) unit.  This is a complete training system that can be carried aboard a ship or submarine before deployment.  The unit can be directly integrated into a ship’s or submarine’s Local Area Network (LAN).  This way the materials can be locally distributed throughout the ship.  The suitcased system also provides a direct VTC capability (through the use of satellite communications) to allow for remote live, instructor-driven training.  The system also maintains records of each student’s participation and performance.

The Results

As mentioned earlier, this summer marked the SIDL team’s successfully conducted a point-to-point and multi-point SIDL demonstration in support of Navy Web-based ADL initiatives. The demonstration hosted by NAVAIR headquarters included geographically dispersed attendees from CNET,NAVAIR and SPAWAR.  Sponsors of this effort were CNET and NAVAIR (PMA-205).  Corporate sponsors included: Eagan, McAllister Associates, Pencraft Interactive, Robotel, Xybernaut, COMPTEK/PRB, Criticom, VTEL, and MaxVision.

The demonstration successfully showed SIDL’s simplicity, practicality, feasibility – and the potential to enhance the continuous development of the Navy Learning Network.  This is especially important in the areas of providing remote live instruction and push-pull capability for updating courseware aboard ships at sea.  The SIDL has the capabilities required to accelerate the fielding of a Web-based interactive training infrastructure to all Fleet units.  The SIDL team covers the full spectrum of knowledge and experience required to fully engineer, field, maintain, train and ensure interoperability with other DoD, academia and industry ADL systems.

Admiral Boyingham, Commander, Patrol Reconnaissance Forces, Atlantic, concluded the demonstration with remarks regarding the SIDL program.  He stated,”…we need to seize this opportunity, and I absolutely support this. I want to see this out there today. The applications are enormous here and I can see so many applications and problems solved for not a whole heck of a lot of money.  Hopefully this is not just a demo but a milestone … you've got my support.”

Got Questions?

John Martin can assist in developing an SIDL plan for your activity.  SIDL planning requires a fee but once a plan is developed, activities can purchase their own hardware.

=>Kelly Decker is a member of the Command and Control Systems Division, SSC-C.  John Martin is a member of the Systems Logistics Branch, SPAWAR Detachment Pax River.