Vanguard Magazine

30 DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com Network resilience PERSPECTIVE Sponsored Content C anada is the second largest country in the world and one of the most diverse in terms of landscape and climate, with the Arctic to the north and the United States to the south. Distance and weather pose a huge challenge when it comes to keeping the country secure. For the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) this means protecting domestic and continental operations including the Canadian Arctic, by keeping watch over Canada's air, sea, land, space and cyber domains. Whether it be protection from potential terrorist threats, combat operations, humanitarian aid, peacekeeping or disaster relief, resil- ience is fundamental to ensuring safety. Facing the challenges The CAF require secure and reliable com- munication, situational awareness and a failsafe network infrastructure to com- plete its missions, but it must also plan for any eventuality and be adaptable to change. Canada's Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, presents its vision and approach to defending the country and keeping its military personnel safe. It also clearly high- lights the Arctic as a priority region and lays the foundation for its protection. There are factors, however, that pose new challenges for the CAF. As far back as 2000 there was concern about the impact of global warming on the future security of the country. Rising temperatures saw 2017 noted as the second warmest year on record and melting ice in the Arctic has led the CAF to expand northerly op- erations to adequately monitor potential threats. There are now new entrants test- ing their geopolitical reach and the need for Canada to protect its sovereignty in an evolving global climate is growing. An increase in tourism in the Arctic Ar- chipelago, in addition to a growth in min- eral exploration and exploitation, is adding to the number of ships passing through the region's waters, putting a strain on na- val operations and search and rescue. In the air, polar flights such as New York to New Delhi have also been rising thanks to extended flight routes provided by NAV CANADA and Russian airspace opening for commercial traffic. With these flights connecting directly over the North Pole, the responsibility and risk for Canada's air traffic management has increased. Online, the increasing threat of cyber terrorism and electronic warfare poses another risk to the internal security of the country. Here preventative mea- sures are crucial to maintaining its safety. Ongoing integration with partners like NATO, NORAD, Five Eyes and the federated mission networking initiative (FMN) adds additional dimensions to meeting Canada's defence obligations. To respond to these challenges the CAF need to be able to exchange large amounts of data reliably and in real-time. The CAF is committed to enhancing its capabilities and capacity with long-term investments, but how can it protect against the unex- pected? Ensuring operational readiness in every eventuality To adequately monitor air, land and sea operations, shared situational awareness is key. By providing a com- mon operational pic- ture across all domains, real-time intelligence, information sharing and tactical decision- making is possible, and in turn supports the sharing of re- sources. Frequentis addresses this challenge with its shared situational awareness framework, a group of solutions that can be tailored to meet customer needs in a scalable and evolving system. When integrated with Frequentis' state-of-the-art communication systems, is already in use by NAV CANA- DA, the Canadian Coast Guard and CAF, it provides a unique cross-domain command and control tool. This tool is currently op- erational in Germany, fusing numerous data sources from widely disparate military and civilian systems into a single, easy to use HMI coupled with a fully integrated red/ black communication system. This gives a level of access to red/black landline and radio communications, together with 'click- to-dial' functionality, not achieved with conventional systems. In addition to cus- tomization, the solution is layered on top of existing IT systems. This provides operators with real-time access to a wide range of data sources, providing intuitive interfaces and instantly accessible functions. However, the integration of land, air and naval forces, while enabling joint ca- pabilities in a national and international context, adds an additional layer of com- plexity to the case for network resilience. Previously, networking was usually handled as a sub-element of each applica- tion, resulting in a patchwork of differ- ent networks, each managed and pro- cured separately. Operating in this way makes allocating the correct level of security and priority to each type of communication increasingly challenging, especially when dif- ferent networks offer varying levels of performance. in Arctic conditions By Frequentis' steFAn GAller And MArtijn sAck Members of 42 Radar Squadron install the TPS-70 Radar. Resolute Bay, Nunavut, May 22, 2015. Photo: Cpl Patrick Drouin, 4 Wing Imaging

• Cover