When Harris launched Release 2.0 of the AN/PRC-117G multiband networking radio, they launched the very first mobile ad-hoc networking (MANET) waveform ever to be used by the US military–the Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform, or ANW2.  The problem was: nobody knew what to do with it!

Harris formed the Network Applications Group with me and one other engineer from the ANW2 development team and began an aggressive campaign of customer demonstration, integration and education events with customers all over the DoD.  During that time we showed customers the power of a self-forming, self-healing, multihop network and what it could mean to battlefield operaitons.  We integrated with sensor systems, camera systems, fire control systems, battle management systems, and pretty much anything the military has that puts bits over a wire.

During those 4 years, I got eaten up by mosquitoes in the wilderness of Fort Polk, Louisiana, experienced the vast emptiness of the desert in aroudn Fort Irwin in California, and had some fantastic breakfasts in the lovely fishing village of Zoutkamp in the Netherlands.

Ultimately, it took me to southern Afghanistan when I deployed to support the 4th BDE of the 82nd Airborne during Operation Enduring Freedom–10.  That’s a series of long stories, which you can read about on my blog from those 5 months.

And yes: that’s me and Dave Attel in Kandahar.  He was hilarious.

After all of that, it was hard to imagine what mountains there were yet to climb in the Network Applications Group.  One of my mentors at work suggested applying for the Rotational Development Program, a very competitive corporate development program.  That spun up a pretty interesting year that took me from Lynchburg, VA all the way out to Sofia, Bulgaria (mmm… shopska salad…).