Combat Direction Center: George Washington's Eyes, Ears

PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- The combat direction center (CDC) aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) is the forward-deployed aircraft carrier's finger on the button.

The CDC is linked to the ship's tactical and operational defense systems. The men and women working in the CDC are directly responsible for monitoring the area of operations and defending the ship against enemy action.

"The CDC's job is to fight," said Lt. Darrick Behrens, a native of Selby, S.D. "We man and operate the ship's radar, setting and weapons, and we are responsible for the ship's overall tactical picture."

George Washington Carrier Strike Group is currently participating in exercise Valiant Shield 2012 (VS12) Sept. 11-19. VS12 is a joint U.S. military exercise focusing on integrated joint training among U.S. military forces and enables real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces' ability to detect, locate, track and engage units at sea, in the air, on land and in cyberspace in response to a range of mission areas.

"Our part in VS12 is to respond to simulated events, to prepare ourselves for a real-world scenario," said Lt. Jeff Doody, from Fairfield, Maine, one of George Washington's four tactical action officers (TAO). "What will we do if an enemy comes? We're training to hone our defensive skills."

The air defense weapons coordinator (ADWC) is the officer responsible for the ship's defense. The ADWC monitors the ship's self-defense weaponry, including George Washington's two Phalanx close-in weapons systems (CIWS), RIM-116 rolling airframe missiles and RIM-7 Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles.

"The cruiser and destroyers in the strike group have a larger defense range than George Washington. We specifically are George Washington's last line of defense in case of attack," said Lt. Joel Brovero, from Bronx, N.Y., one of George Washington's ADWCs. "I maintain direct communication with the CIWS and air defense weapons in case the order is given."

The officer who gives the order is the tachtical action officer (TAO), one of 11 watch stations in the CDC that is manned at all times.

"There are three primary warfare areas that we cover; air, surface and sub-surface," said Doody. "We are responsible for monitoring all of these areas and communicating with the commanding officer about what's going on around the ship."

The shoot to kill order is not given lightly and is only given in a situation where the need is immediate.

"I can use the ship's weapons to defend the ship if necessary," said Doody. "Normally, we communicate with Commander, Task Force (CTF) 70 before we deploy our weapons, but the captain has the inherent right of self-defense. As the captain's representative, that means I also have that right. If I can't communicate with the captain in a timely manner, I have the right to attack and brief him afterward."

George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

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