Hanscom Air Force Base and Boston Police to Demonstrate Groundbreaking Technology at Premier Nationwide Homeland Defense and Security Event

BOSTON, Mass. - In a National simulated demonstration, US, U.K. and Canadian Special Forces raid an insurgent hide-out in Afghanistan and uncover critical information about a terrorist plot that may involve a chemical terror attack planned at or near Hanscom Air Force Base and millions in the greater Boston area may be at risk. With field radios in hand, special operators 9,000 miles away in a distant land instantly communicate with Hanscom Air Force Base Security, Boston Police and counter terrorism task force commanders at the Boston Regional Intelligence Center and send real-time video, photos and documents from the field to foil the plot. In the next instant, officers in the field across federal, state and local agencies are connected and fed key information to coordinate and thwart the attack. With the help of groundbreaking technology from Mutualink, Inc., this scenario together with other major emergency scenarios will be played out in real-time with war fighters and homeland and public safety security personnel across the Nation and at other locations around the world at the 2011 Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration (“CWID”).

CWID is a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed annual event that engages cutting-edge information technology, focusing on operational shortfalls identified by combatant commanders and government agencies.

Mutualink is currently being tested by key public safety, emergency response and select critical infrastructure entities in the City of Boston through a multi-agency effort designed to enhance instant emergency communication and collaboration between agencies by enabling anytime, anywhere communications across all types of devices. Like Boston and its agencies, the CWID demonstration serves as a National forum to exercise the global real-time capabilities of the platform connecting key domestic military and homeland security agencies across the United States and abroad. Paul Fitzgerald, Superintendent of the Boston Police, commented on their CWID participation utilizing the Mutualink technology and on the Boston Police Department’s leading-edge efforts in implementing advanced public safety and homeland security capabilities. “The Boston Police Department along with our regional law enforcement partners is very happy to be taking part in the CWID exercise. The Boston Regional Intelligence Center is constantly striving to be on the cutting edge in our efforts of intelligence collection and dissemination. This exercise features the use of the latest technology to disseminate critical information in real-time from overseas to our officers on the street. With the ever increasing threat of terrorist activity against our Country, this exercise is of critical importance to local police,” said Superintendent Fitzgerald.

Mutualink, Inc., headquartered in Connecticut with a major Research and Development facility in Westford, Mass., is the developer of a ground breaking real-time interoperable communications and multimedia collaboration platform that enables first responder agencies, military agencies and critical infrastructure assets to seamlessly communicate and collaborate. Mutualink is one of the featured technologies at CWID. At this invitation only event for best of breed technologies, Mutualink’s participation is sponsored by NATO Special Operations Forces Headquarters (NSHQ). Mutualink’s sponsorship was driven by several successful live operational trials in the Afghanistan Theater where Mutualink rapidly established advanced real-time command and control capabilities across joint command elements and across multiple task forces that use disparate field and command communications assets. Participation in CWID is subject to sponsorship and approval based on a technology’s ability to address a new information sharing capability or might improve an existing capability. The demonstrations, which take place in various locations worldwide, focus on technology discovery, risk reduction, and coalition interoperability. Technologies are assessed using real-world inspired warfighter, Homeland Security/Homeland Defense and emergency responder scenarios. During demonstrations, technologies may receive three types of assessments that include User Utility, Interoperability and Information Assurance. Assessment results are captured in CWID’s annual final report that informs the defense, federal and state acquisition community with actionable decision-quality data. The final report publishes annually by November.

According to Colin McWay, President of Mutualink, CWID is a premier venue for Mutualink to demonstrate that it is possible for military, first responder and other public and private sector agencies irrespective of boundaries to coordinate and collaborate in real-time in a scalable, all hazards, all disciplines manner. “When it comes to emergencies, Mutualink enables a world without borders, and as demonstrated in the recent Japan disaster, a key component of resiliency is the ability for critical partners across all sectors to work together in synchronization,” said McWay.

Mutualink will be demonstrated at numerous CWID and participating partner sites, including the NORTHCOM Command Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Co., Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) San Diego, Ca., Hanscom Air Force Base, Lexington, Ma., Boston Police Department Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), Boston, Ma., US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) Joint Integration Systems Center, Suffolk, Va., New Jersey Institute of Technology, Business Emergency Center (BEOC), Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, NATO Special Operations Forces Headquarters (NSHQ), Supreme Headquarters Allied Power Europe (SHAPE), Belgium, and NATO SOF, Kabul, Afghanistan, and Canadian Forces Warfare Centre, Shirleys Bay, Canada.
Demonstrations of Mutualink are open to the public by invitation at all US facilities on June 15th and 16th, 2011. Interested parties are invited to learn more and arrange for site visits during public viewing at www.CWID.js.mil

Mutualink Contact Information:
Dawn Odams, Operations Manager
Telephone Number: (978) 392-0040 Ext. 101
Email: dodams@mutualink.net

Boston Police Media Contact Information:
Elaine Driscoll, Director of Communications
Telephone Number: 617.343.5412 / 617.594.2991
Email: driscolle.bpd@cityofboston.cov

Coalition Warrior Interoperability Demonstration Contact:
Luefras Robinson, Chief of Public Affairs, CWID Joint Management Office Public Affairs
Telephone Number: 757-371-9150, 757-225-2172
Email: CWIDPA@langley.af.mil