US military conducts Y2K exercise

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US military conducts Y2K exercise

Saturday, 25 September 1999 12:20 (GMT)

(UPI Focus)

TOKYO, Sept. 25 (UPI) - The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet conducted an amphibious landing exercise on the beaches of Okinawa before dawn today without any major hitches after moving the clocks on nine participating vessels forward to Jan. 1, 2000 Thursday.

More than 5,000 personnel, including the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stationed in Okinawa, successfully guided aegis cruisers and destroyers based in Yokosuka, Japan, within close proximity of testing grounds on the eastern shore of the island before sending landing craft, amphibious assault vehicles and helicopters ashore.

The five-hour exercise was delayed for two days due to high winds and rough seas generated by Typhoon Bart. "All of the Y2K-related systems went flawlessly with the landing," said Capt. Manuel Malagon, adding that it was a thorough, comprehensive test. "The Navy has spent a lot of time testing the systems and all the systems were ready to go."

Immediately following the mock millennium transition, an SMQ-11 weather antennae was unable to receive weather data from a satellite for a couple of hours, the equivalent of one pass of the satellite over the earth. The crew of the communications and control ship USS Blueridge relied on other means to pick up data on weather conditions in the interim and the Navy does not plan to change the system running the antennae prior to Jan. 1.

A local area server also experienced a minor glitch, reading "19A1" instead of 2000 when the clocks were moved forward. Capt. Malagon said the Navy will investigate the problem and predicted that it will require a change in software for the system. More than 94 systems on the ships and other hardware were evaluated, including communications equipment. Seventeen computer systems on vessels comprising the 7th Fleet will be replaced in November, Capt. Malagon said.

Most of the Navy's computer systems are software upgradable and did not need to be replaced, he said. When the clock does make the leap forward in January, directories will be on every navy ship at sea detailing back-up operational plans the military has crafted in the past year. "When you're rolling and pitching, you want to make sure the systems work," Capt. Malagon said. "All on board have now seen the clock roll over and know the systems work well."

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Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), September 25, 1999

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