Teamwork needed for Net Centric Ops, AFEI head says.

Network centric operations are too big, too expensive and too urgent for any single group to have a chance to succeed on its own, David Chesebrough, president of the Association for Enterprise Integration, told the newly formed Network Centric Operations Program Committee of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics.

"The way forward needs to be a convergence of association programs to maximize value to both members and the defense community," he said. Chesebrough made his comments during a recent AIAA Aerospace Sciences Conference in Reno, Nev.

AIAA is stepping up its cooperation with AFEI. The two organizations are teaming up with the Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium to plan a tutorial as for the NDIA-AIAA Network Centric Operations and Interoperability Conference, scheduled for March 21-24 in Norfolk, Va. This conference focuses on how NCO capabilities are being built, and the technical perspectives of industry, the office of the secretary of defense and the U.S. Joint Forces Command.

AIAA also has agreed to participate in AFEI's 2005 Net-Centric Operations Conference, which will be held in May in Washington, D.C. This conference addresses how NCO will be used, the strategy and tactics for its employment, its impact on coalition operations, and why NCO is important to the nation. It is being held in association with Aviation Week, the Precision Strike Association and the NCOIC. Thomas P.M. Barnett, author of "The Pentagon's New Map," will discuss present globalization and national strategy. He also will moderate an executive roundtable.

In addition, AFEI will provide an NCO tutorial for the AIAA Digital Avionics Systems Conference, scheduled for Oct. 30 and 31. Visit the AFEI website frequently for updates and details.