Vanguard Magazine

PersPeCtive a system engineering approach to land c4isr Brigade as a Platform By RICHARD FAWCETT introduction As a result of the LAV 6 Upgrade, Tacti- cal Patrol Vehicle and recently announced Armoured Combat Support Vehicle pro- grams, the Canadian Army has identified its next generation primary combat ve- hicles. Strong Secure Engaged (SSE) has also identified initiatives to provide addi- tional major combat systems through pro- grams such as Ground Based Air Defence and Joint Forces Modernization. The es- sential glue to integrate these platforms into a cohesive combat capability, whether at the sub-unit, unit or brigade level, will be provided through the SSE Initiative 42 Projects, which offers the Army a modern- ized C4ISR capability. The Army's next generation C4ISR ca- pability will be fielded through the six in- dividual SSE Initiative 42 Projects, coupled with other identified projects. Further, this capability will only be realized once the full PRICIE+G requirements are addressed. Fielding an integrated capability is unlikely to happen on an individual project basis, but must be achieved through a holistic ap- proach, treating the brigade as a platform and applying a system engineering disci- pline to the execution of SSE Initiative 42 projects. Treating the brigade as a platform, or as a whole, will result in a holistic analy- sis of the C4ISR related capability require- ments and an integrated and coordinated fielding of the multiple SSE projects. Canada's land C4iSR System The baseline of the Land C4ISR System – the system that enables command and control of the Army, integrating dispersed elements into a coherent tactical force – is the result of the TCCCS-Iris and Athena projects plus a number of smaller capital investments, evolved over the past 10 plus years through National Procurement (NP) funded support contracts. This evolution has been primarily focused on technology with a limited system view. To manage current enhancements, the Army's Techni- cal Authority, supported by industry, has introduced an agile development process employing the principles of SAFe Agile, a process that needs to be driven by sound system engineering principles and sup- ported by agile contracting and funding models. Unfortunately, many of the PRICIE+G considerations have not been addressed and the Army has struggled to field, and take advantage of, the full suite of capabili- ties offered by the Land C4ISR System, in some cases using only a small percentage of the potential features, for a number of reasons including: a. Insufficient training, including com- plete gaps in training. b. System complexity. c. Lack of user acceptance (usefulness) on certain aspects of the system. d. Major technology limitations, espe- cially in the area of system bandwidth and automated tools, to include system management. e. Systemic manning issues within the Signal Corps, those responsible for planning, deploying and managing the system. 20 DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 www.vanguardcanada.com Sponsored Content

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