Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022 13 C4ISR The most challenging components today are the networks and information systems. Networks are the backbone that connect the sensors to decision makers and is oen the limiting consideration in deployed C4ISR systems. T he Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) journey to digital sys- tems started decades ago as the world transitioned from the Industrial Age to the In- formation Age and the CAF started field- ing computers and digital systems. This journey has been challenging but that is to be expected, digitising a military force is difficult and complex, in fact digitising anything is difficult and complex. The CAF's journey has been, and continues to be, challenging as the CAF's operational structure, by its very nature, is complex and dynamic. Add to this a half-life of technol- ogy measured in months and not years, the bureaucracy of government procurement, the multitude of different yet connected systems and the cost related to the size of the CAF. Canada's ability to field an effec- tive C4ISR system for Joint Pan Domain operations will be a major outcome of the CAF's current Digital Transformation ini- tiatives. An organisation embarks on digital trans- formation, which in simple terms is the adoption of digital technologies, with the aim of increasing efficiency and improving its operational capabilities or output. The process is not just about technology, but the selection and optimisation of technol- ogies balanced against policies, processes, organisational structures and culture. At the core, digital transformation is about collecting, transmitting, manipulating and storing data to improve performance, whether it be financial performance of a commercial company or the operational effectiveness of a military force. The Strong, Secure, Engaged vision is an agile, combat ready CAF that can defend Canadians at home, contribute to the secu- rity of North America and is able to protect Canadian interests and values worldwide. An effective C4ISR system is essential to the fulfilment of this vision, a system that can be rapidly deployed throughout Can- ada and around the world, interoperable with domestic and international partners with an emphasis on NORAD, NATO and the UN, and support the CAF's data needs in both the force generation and force em- ployment phases. What is a C4ISR System? A C4ISR system is a collection of sensors, communications systems, information sys- tems, and computers supporting trained people organised in a specific structure, historically hierarchical, using standardised procedures passing data from a source (sen- sor) to a decision maker, a 'shooter'. This system will be connected to others like na- tional and coalition systems, together sup- porting Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2). This system comprises many individual components, purchased at different times with different obsolescence rates leading to a requirement for continual updating and evolutionary growth. The most challenging components today are the networks and information systems. Networks are the backbone that connect the sensors to decision makers and is of- ten the limiting consideration in deployed C4ISR systems. Although user expectations are often set by their experiences using smart phones on commercial networks, the CAF cannot rely on using commercial networks for deployed operations. However, future military communications must leverage the capabilities provided through satellite-based communications, especial low earth orbiting networks, cloud-based services and MESH network technologies protected by modern cryptographic solutions. Dedicated radio net- works will continue to support forces at the

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