29 March 2016 NATO Skywatch 1 Volume 32, No. 3 • 29 March 2016 NATO AWACS Assurance to Turkey Photo by Staff Sgt. Alexandra Longfellow NATO AWACS in Konya, Turkey. Following a recent increase in cross-border activities with Russia, Turkey requested additional military support to the region. This additional support, approved by NATO, comes in the form of Tailored Assurance Measures and includes an increase in AWACS presence in the region. DUK donates checks for charity in local community Story by Alex Gieswein and Carsten Chairman, handed over checks to nine keep it as familiar as possible,” Alex started. On Sunday, the family day, we Brueggenolte organizations. Gieswein said. plan to entertain you with a magician, Photo by Katharina Krämer a bouncing castle, face-painting and “We do not want to keep the profits Institutions and associations that an E-3A aircraft with “Static-Display” The E-3A Component Oktoberfest is for us alone, we want to donate it have projects in the pipeline next year to show you how the people work one of the most anticipated events to the local community” said Brig. can apply for donations. The planning when they are in the air. And many at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Gen. Karsten Stoye, and MSgt Alex for the next Oktoberfest has already more! Germany. Every year, several Gieswein added that “With this money thousand people attend the we can support projects which would event, which is organized by the not be possible otherwise”. This year German non-commissioned officer the donations went to the carnival camaraderie (DUK). clubs, a kindergarten in Oberbruch and multiple school associations. One A fact that might not be as widely of the bigger projects was a sensory known is the DUK takes all the profits garden where children can grow their from the festival and donates it to own vegetables. charitable causes in the base’s local area. The Oktoberfest with 3500 visitors is a fixed appointment for a lot of citizens On March 15, 2016, Brig. Gen. Karsten of Geilenkirchen and its surrounding Stoye, Component Commander, areas. “We could fit more people into and MSgt. Alex Gieswein, DUK the aircraft hangar, but we want to 29 March 2016 NATO Skywatch 3 COMMANDER’S CORNER With the Commander’s Corner, our NAEW&CF Commander and E-3A Commander give the opportunity to wing and squadron commanders, and branch and division heads to share their thoughts about current topics taking place at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen. Every month a different writer will highlight a specific topic concerning their discipline. MSEC – The silent enginee- How does MSEC accomplish this? of 1400 staff), MSEG was forced ring support to the E-3A MSEC does this by analyzing and into reducing staff to the absolute Operational Mission evaluating reported problems during minimum, as was the case for many the execution of the software, other organizations within the and evaluating and proposing Force. As a result, the new MSEC was Since T-Day, the Force has a new modifications to the software initiated formed with minimal staffing, and organizational entity; the Mission by Operational requests to change the a “Statement of Function”, which laboratories (former Mission Simulator Systems Engineering Centre (MSEC). software in the Mission, Sensor, and defines what is expected from MSEC. 2, which will become the ‘Systems This is not simply a name change Ground Support areas, and then by What are the effects of this new Integration Laboratory’), and the of the previous Mission Systems subsequently implementing approved Statement of Function and reduction Continuous Engineering Laboratory. Engineering Group (MSEG), but changes to the software. of personnel? also incorporates some additional Together with the ESM Development functional changes. In many respects, MSEC integrates internally developed This literally means that MSEC staff Facility, these laboratories constitute MSEC has taken over all the past changes, as well as externally have been reduced from a previous the “Continuous Engineering and support activities of the previous developed changes (from Industry 92 people to 42 and merged with 10 Integration Facility”(CEIF), which MSEG, but has additionally added Partners, Foreign Military Sales Lab engineers. It also means that now establishes MSEC as the Sole some limited “Systems” related contracts or government agreements) the organization has had to re-focus Engineering entity that can provide support activities. In addition MSEC into Product Baselines, always keeping on its Core Business, being activities a comprehensive engineering, has combined the previous MSEG an eye on Interoperability between that are most beneficial to the E-3A integration and test facility that is Organization with the previous the E-3A Fleet and other participants, community, i.e. the Development as close as possible to the NATO E-3A Logistics Wing Continuous Engineering ensuring compliance within the and Integration of new software aircraft configuration. (LWCE) group. This will now allow AWACS community. Baselines, monthly map updates, ESM MSEC to also provide much needed database updates and other Mission As an added benefit, through the Laboratory support, and limited In addition to formal changes to the data into BSETs. Inherent in all these acquisition of the laboratories and Hardware engineering expertise. Software, MSEC builds and integrates endeavors, is a very substantial the employment of the hardware and the updates to constantly changing amount of testing, as would be systems engineers, MSEC will be in the What does MSEC provide? MSEC is an maps, ESM databases, as well as other expected for software that flies aboard process of providing not only software organization that provides engineering operational data into BSETs (Baseline an Aircraft and used for Operational engineering support and expertise, services to the NATO E-3 community as Sets) that are run onboard the E-3A. Missions. Resulting from the reduction but also limited Systems Engineering a whole. It is a “Centre of Expertise” These Baseline Sets consist of the of personnel within MSEC to its support and expertise. for all Mission related, Sensor (Radar, overall combination of controlled current state, it is essential that ESM, IFF) related, and Ground Support software versions, controlled “static” MSEC maintains additional support … if you think that the MSEC is related software that runs either data, as well as daily updated through agreements with other E-3 merely an old organization with a onboard of the E-3A or is used for operational mission specific data Engineering Communities (CSSWG/ new wrapper, think again. MSEC is pre- and/or post – mission support. updates. EEDB) and contracts with Industry posturing itself to continue to provide The software ’baselines’ provided by and government organizations. MSEC the Force with improved and MSEC enable the E-3A and its crew to Due to the high-level restrictions has also recently taken over the perform all necessary functions. placed on the Force (max ceiling Life Cycle Maintenance (LCM) of the Lt. Col. Gernnaro Cosentino Commander Atlantic Treaty Organization. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including Brig. Gen. Karsten Stoye inserts or supplements, does not constitute an endorsement by NATO of the products or services advertised. Submissions are due seven days before publication and may be edited Volume 32, No. 3 29 March 2016 Chief, Public Affairs for style and space. Email articles and classified advertisements to [email protected]. Maj. Johannes Glowka NATO Skywatch is an authorized, unofficial For paid advertisements call Hub Durlinger Media at +31 (0)46 4529292, commercial enterprise newspaper published Editor cellphone +31 (0)6 5472 6473, [email protected] or Houx Digiprint under exclusive written agreement with the Staff Sgt. Alexandra M. Longfellow at +31 (0)46 4582111, [email protected] NAEW&CF E-3A Component by HOUX DIGIPRINT, Arendstraat 3, 6135 KT Sittard, +31 (0)46 4582111. Opinions expressed by contributors are Articles may be reproduced after permission has been obtained from the editor, provided their own and do not necessarily reflect the official views of, or endorsement by, the North mention is made of NATO Skywatch. To read the NATO Skywatch online visit www.e3a.nato.int Culpeck Insurance Broker GmbH WePlease proudly complete introduce our online quotationand form welcom www.culpeck.come ALL NATIONALITIES. Haihoverstrasse 11 for our new special discounted US-Forces and NATO rates!! 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