Photo By Vanessa Flores | Capability Package Directorate officers take time out of their busy schedule to sit...... read more read more
FORT BLISS, Texas - Systems gearing up to be evaluated during Network Integration Evaluation 15.2, also known as NIE, finished spending their final weeks within the controlled Integration Motor Pool.
During the Validation Exercise or VALEX, System of Systems Engineering and Integration, Capability Package Directorate, power up equipment integrated onto vehicles in order to establish and validate the network.
Since VALEX was recently completed, within the next few weeks, units will deploy into training areas at Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range in order to support integrated testing and evaluation activities.
VALEX has become a key event in preparing Soldiers and their equipment for NIEs. Army Officers who have become known as, 'Trail Bosses,' are the ones who take the lead on the overall VALEX effort.
"Within VALEX there are over 1,600 systems that touch a command post and a vehicle platform," said Maj. Carlito Flores, trail boss for CPD. "There are also over 700 VALEX tasks that we have to manage and perform. VALEX is a pretty big event."
Along with Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Trail Bosses also interact with other stakeholders to ensure systems are operational and ready for testing.
"Trail Bosses are the liaisons between the TRIAD, the unit, and unit leadership. We are responsible for making sure we stay on schedule and we handle any of the problems that might delay us," explained Maj. Wayne Gendron, trail boss for CPD. "Basically there's a lot of responsibility involved in being a Trail Boss. We're always talking to people: Soldiers, government civilians, and contractors."
This responsibility extends to communication between the multiple entities that are NIE players. It has become possible, through the assigning of one key point of contact, to manage various communications that are coming from multiple directions within the TRIAD, which includes Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, the Brigade Modernization Command, and Army Test and Evaluation Command.
"Initially, the teams were split and there were coordination gaps among all the activities leading up to an NIE. Since then we have synchronized everybody within our organization," said Capt. Brian Ramirez, a trail boss for CPD. "We have streamlined every event that has occurred from 11.2 to 15.2, and we have made it a very executable event for the Trail Bosses, along with all personnel involved."
Charged with completing over 700 different processes in a short span of time, Capability Package Directorate, Trail Bosses manage the loading of all NIE equipment, supervise establishing the network, and carefully manage all VALEX activities in order to ensure that the Brigade can operate at full capacity during the NIE.
While CPD knows that they may not be able to prevent extenuating circumstances, the Trail Bosses do what they can to guarantee that the systems function as they were intended to, and that Soldiers are properly trained on the equipment.
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2015 14:39 |
| Story ID: | 161005 |
| Location: | EL PASO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 117 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Trail Bosses' leadership streamlines VALEX for Network Integration Evaluation 15.2, by Vanessa Flores, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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