Vanguard Magazine

PERSPECTIVE TACTICAL NETWORK AS A SERVICE AS AN ENABLER FOR JOINT ALL DOMAIN COMMAND AND CONTROL JOINT ALL DOMAIN COMMAND AND CONTROL DATA DRIVEN DECISION MAKING 32 DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022 www.vanguardcanada.com Sponsored Content G eneral Dynamics Mission Sys- tems–Canada is laying the groundwork for the future of Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2). The goal of JADC2 is to connect every sensor, effector and decision maker across all do- mains and services: land, air, sea, and spe- cial forces. The primary aim of command and control continues to be: make better decisions faster and control the initiative in an ever-changing environment. While the progression of technology provides great- er connectivity, it also results in an explo- sive growth in the availability of data. To ensure that the technical solution contin- ues to maximize operational effectiveness, JADC2 solutions must evolve from being simply network focused (i.e., connecting soldiers and transporting information) to being data-centric and aiding all aspects of the decision making cycle. Realizing the future The future battlefield will be one where assets from all domains work together in a data-centric environment, leverage ad- vanced technologies that augment human capabilities, and enable the understand- ing of dynamic situation. This will allow operators to evaluate opportunities and threats, act decisively, and coordinate the use of all domain assets effectively. The complex solutions necessary to achieve the vision of JADC2 will require a well-architected system of systems. The new solution will need to embrace new technologies, structures and processes. To begin to realize fully the goal of data-driv- en decision-making, the JADC2 solution must overcome three overarching chal- lenges. Challenge 1: Data Consolidation The modern battlefield contains a diverse and widely distributed set of sensor and effectors that generate and consume data. The existing communication and data si- los inherent in many systems prevent data from being quickly and easily collected, retained and accessed. However, simply discarding and replacing the fielded com- munications and information systems would be both impractical and uneco- nomical. The future solution for JADC2 must seamlessly incorporate both new and existing technologies to create a complete data fabric. Challenge 2: Data Quantity and Quality The quantity of data to be processed can already be overwhelming for the opera- tors. If not managed effectively, the intro- duction of new sensors and data sources will only exacerbate this issue. Addition- ally, as more data becomes available – from more dispersed sources – data quality and integrity will also become an issue. The process of enriching data into actionable intelligence is no longer one that opera- tors can practically complete without au- tomation. This activity requires advanced applications in data fusion, data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learn- ing. The future JADC2 solution must em- brace these advanced techniques to auton- omously process data, and to augment the decision-making capabilities of soldiers. Challenge 3: Making Sense of the Data Even with the refinement and consolida- tion of the data, commanders need to be able to make sense of – and have confi- dence in – the information at hand. In the ever changing battlespace, it is criti- cal to understand the dynamic situation, and assess in real-time the opportunities and threats as they arise. In the complex modern battlespace, human cognitive ca- pability to understand and act on the in- formation is critical to success. The future solution for JADC2 must provide innova- tive ways to present and contextualize in- formation, ensuring it is consumable. In- novative visualization tools must provide complex information in easily exploitable formats so operators can evaluate possible options, visualize the opportunities and threats, and improve the decision-making process. The Solution: General Dynamics' Data Foundation General Dynamics' data foundation ad- dresses the interoperability of data from all domain assets, forming a data-centric foundation, ready for exploitation by arti- ficial intelligence and advanced algorithms, and then visualized through user applica- tions (Figure 1). The Tactical Network as a Service (TNaaS) for JADC2 realizes the digital spine enabling data-based decision making to coordinate decisive effects from every soldier, sailor, aircrew, specialist and combat system they command. Data Ingestion To realize JADC2, systems need to evolve from network-centricity to data-centricity. A comprehensive data foundation requires an internetwork that connects all sensors, data sources and effectors. The TNaaS inte- gration framework connects physical bear- ers, whether they are terrestrial combat nets, mobile ad hoc networks, high-capacity line of sight, or non-terrestrial beyond line-of- sight subnetworks. The TNaaS intercon- nects each subnetwork and transports data across a heterogeneous internetwork where the capacity, bandwidth, and latency varies by orders of magnitude. Communications in the battlespace are further challenged as any of the links may be disconnected, in- termittent and low-bandwidth (DIL). The TNaaS addresses these forms of degradation through its innovation in multi-layer rout- ing and disruption tolerant networking. Network Integrity The TNaaS forms a dynamic core inter- network by integrating the existing legacy bearers and new communication systems. Challenges arise with both legacy and new bearers handling the volume of gathered data. In the situation where there is un- used capacity in the internetwork, addi- tional sensors would soon fill the gap. A key feature built into TNaaS is its Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms. When the internetwork congests, the QoS mecha- nisms prioritizes the most important traffic flowing through the communications sys- BY JEFF WHITE Land C4ISR Architect, General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada

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