In August of 2012, CAW conducted maritime and unmanned aircraft operations in support of US Pacific Command's (USPACOM) Pacific Endeavor 2012 (PE12) exercise. PE12 is a multinational humanitarian communications exercise which uses timely and relevant disaster scenarios to assess and document the methodologies in which participants might effectively use communication and information technologies to respond and recover from a disaster. This year's event was hosted in Singapore from 15-21 August, and included participation by over 20 nations. Contributing to the multinational effort, the Center for Asymmetric Warfare (CAW) designed and developed a remote exercise component to feed real-time information to command and control elements using leading-edge communications technologies and established internet-based protocols. Deploying a Puma All-Environment (AE) unmanned aircraft from CAW's 85-foot research vessel, CAW-1, off the coast of Southern California in a communications-austere environment, the team sent high-definition video and telemetry, as well as photo and text situation reports, to command elements in Singapore. This real-time decision support capability was enabled by satellite and microwave backhaul and web-enabled visualization technologies and provided unparalleled situational awareness regarding concurrent law enforcement and homeland security efforts underway in the midst of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

In 2011, U.S. Pacific Command sponsored a disaster management workshop as a multilateral cooperation activity in the Lower Mekong Delta. The workshop focused on developing the collective capabilities in disaster management for Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam by promoting collaborative efforts through dialogue and information exchange. Participating countries shared practical knowledge and experience on issues such as flood management, disaster preparedness and response, food and water shortages, public health concerns, and pandemic control; identified national preparedness priorities and challenges; and broadened existing relationships in the region while setting the foundation for future engagements.

In June of 2011, CAW hosted a delegation from the Republic of Tajikistan in a seminar focused on how local, state, federal, private and volunteer organizations can best work together to coordinate a fast and effective response to an emergency or disaster. CAW demonstrated the use of the National Incident Management System to coordinate domestic emergency response and led discussions about the benefits of common terminology, processes, and equipment. Noting that significant steps need to be taken in Tajikistan to integrate operations during a crisis, the delegation gained valuable insight into best practices collected by U.S. organizations in the filed during real emergencies. The participants agreed that these lessons would be of great value in enhancing the safety and security of Tajikistan. The seminar concluded with a familiarization tour of the Port of Hueneme, the Ventura County coast, and a number of offshore oil and gas platforms. Also in attendance were representatives from the Port Hueneme Police Department, Port Hueneme City Hall, and the Oxnard Harbor District.

From 2007 through the present day, CAW developed and conducted a series of assessment, training, and exercise events with the goal of bringing together diverse local, state, and federal response agencies in order to establish a coordinated response plan to address criminal and terrorist incidents occurring on oil and gas platforms off the California coast. The Offshore Platform and Island Security and Response (OPLEX) Initiative was developed in response to concerns by the Santa Barbara and Ventura County Sheriff Departments over the lack of planning and coordination relating to incidents occurring on offshore oil and gas platforms and islands in the area.

The OPLEX Initiative is a multi-phase and cyclical effort to improve coordination and emergency response and management capabilities in response to an emergency on an oil and gas platform or island off the coast of California through the following activities:

2007: In April of 2007, CAW conducted an Oil Platform Terrorism Response Roundtable, in order to determine the jurisdictional challenges relating to criminal or terrorist activities on an offshore platform and the subsequent response. The participants were provided with an overview of California offshore platform locations and operations, and the discussed four scenarios involving incidents on an offshore facility. This roundtable discussion resulted in a strong desire for follow-up events to address the issues, including oil platform orientations for responders, and emergency response tabletop exercise and, ultimately, a full-scale tactical and operational level response exercise.

2008: In October of 2008, CAW conducted a series of orientation visits to offshore platforms, in which first response personnel visited operational platforms off the coast of California and received extensive guided

2011: In April of 2011, CAW hosted a delegation from the Royal Thai Naval Special Warfare Command in a Subject Matter Expertise Exchange that focused on the work CAW has conducted in Southern California to enhance the safety, security, and response capabilities of regional emergency response and management agencies. Officials from Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties also participated in the exchange, which included an orientation and site familiarization visit to Platform Grace.

In 2011, CAW led a U.S. Pacific Command disaster management workshop as a multilateral cooperation activity in the Lower Mekong Delta. The workshop focused on developing the collective capabilities in disaster management for Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam by promoting collaborative efforts through dialogue and information exchange. Participating countries shared practical knowledge and experience on issues such as flood management, disaster preparedness and response, food and water shortages, public health concerns, and pandemic control; identified national preparedness priorities and challenges; and broadened existing relationships in the region while setting the foundation for future engagements. In 2008 and 2009, CAW was a member of a U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) delegation to Vietnam to set the foundation to assist Vietnam in developing its national policy and technical expertise in search and rescue. As part of this team, which was part of a larger PACOM effort to promote U.S.-Vietnam bilateral relations through constructive engagement opportunities, CAW facilitated the development and conduct of a series of training events and subject matter expert exchanges with the Vietnam National Committee for Search and Rescue, the Vietnam Maritime Authority, and the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center. During this training and subject matter expert exchange series, the U.S. team conducted workshops on search and rescue and the Incident Command System, observed a Vietnam exercise on search and rescue and disaster response, conducted visits to U.S. emergency operations centers, and discussed applicability of U.S. education and training experience and exercise plans and policy to Vietnam’s operations.

In March of 2009, CAW partnered with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Special Warfare Group Four (NSWG-4) to establish goals and a general outline for continued assistance to the Kenyan Navy in development of a small craft operations capability in the littoral region. The team assessed the infrastructure available within Kenya’s coastal regions to support maritime operations and proficiency in small craft skills, water survival, vessel boarding and maritime interdiction operations, as well as the ability to maintain a fleet of small craft. The assessment included recommendations for improvement priorities and a proposed plan to continue to engage the Kenyan government in further development of littoral operations capability.

From 2006 through 2008, CAW partnered with Joint Task Force-Homeland Defense (JTF-HD) to lead development and execution of a Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) program in support of U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) for the U.S. territories and free association states in the Joint Operations Area (JOA). This team was one of four that conducted site surveys to assess emergency response procedures, local information technology, communications, intelligence, medical response capabilities and infrastructure in order to develop strategies to enhance the ability to respond and recover to incidents and “all-hazards” threats in the region. The CAW-led SMEE focused on all-hazards, terrorism and maritime security. The team conducted joint interagency seminars, tabletop, command post, and field training exercises with JOA partners based on case studies and threats specific to maritime security and associated hazards that included drug and human trafficking, terrorism, the threat of extreme storms to port operations, and other man-made or natural disasters. The JTF-HD SMEE program was a multi-phase and cyclical effort to improve coordination and emergency response and management capabilities within the JOA through the following activities: 2006: The team participated in the 2006 Asia-Pacific Homeland Security Summit, which focused on communication and collaboration in the Pacific area of operations. The team also coordinated exchanges at the Ronald Reagan Missile Test Site on Kwajalein in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI); in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM); and site surveys in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). 2007: The team participated in the 2007 Asia-Pacific Homeland Security Summit; assisted in training of Crisis Action Planning to the Regional Operations Center staff of Navy Region Marianas; participated in Pale Ma’i Lele, a Hawaii exercise that focused on the multi-agency response to a highly pathogenic avian influenza emergency; and conducted a regional Senior Leaders Conference and Unified Command Synchronization Seminar. The team also conducted a number of events and exchanges in the following locations: 2008: The team conducted training that focused on Defense Support of Civil Authorities in advance of Makani Pahili 2008, an annual hurricane response exercise, and coordinated Lightning Rescue 2008, an annual pandemic influenza preparedness and response exercise - both located in Hawaii. A follow-on effort was also coordinated in Guam to bring forward the lessons learned in Hawaii regarding pandemic influenza. The team also conducted a number of events and exchanges in the following locations: