Coast Guard Units to Exercise New Technology

Coast Guard units, local law enforcement and marine agencies will conduct an exercise Wednesday to test emergency response plans and evaluate upgraded communication and tracking technologies in the San Francisco Bay Area. The exercise scenario includes responding to a ferry that diverts from its normal route, requiring coordinated response that will test the upgraded communication and tracking technologies in a simulated emergency situation. Decision makers will exercise information obtained from emergency response plans, critical contact information, ferry schedules, and additional information from on scene forces. Communication centers will test the new Common Situation Display System (CSDS), developed by the Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center in Groton, Conn. CSDS provides the necessary means for establishing, maintaining and communicating common information in near real-time to Coast Guard and non-Coast Guard exercise participants. During the exercise Coast Guard participants and command center personnel will also test new technologies that allow for protected communications in the maritime environment and evaluate a system to track friendly forces as they respond to the situation. The exercise will be completed in the early afternoon and is not expected to disrupt normal boating traffic.