Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2022/JANUARY 2023 17 INTERVIEW on. It should be about what data do we need to inform decisions. And the links between sensors and effectors need a technical foundation that "carries" a data fabric, which is accessed by applications to turn situational awareness into decisions, and decisions into effects. What I just described is the conceptual model of Pan Domain Command and Control (PDC2), and it is PDC2 that en- ables and defines our approach to C4ISR. Ultimately, this is what the operational out- come of Digital Transformation will look like. So "Digital" is the key cross-cutting capability. It is so important that the VCDS is in fact the CAF Digital Champion Any discussion of a digital must start with a firm understanding of the central- ity of data to this journey. Data are a stra- tegic commodity and must be treated as such. Our ability to leverage data as an enterprise depends on data management, as well as a shift in culture and mind-set to view and treat data as a shared asset. Without enterprise-wide attention to the foundations of data, DND / CAF will not be able to realize the potential of data to drive enhanced capabilities—both in op- erational and corporate contexts To highlight the importance of opera- tional data to achieving a decision advan- tage over our adversaries, on behalf of the VCDS, CCSI will be appointed as the steward of the Operational Data Do- main. We will issue firm direction on data standards that will ensure fundamental interoperability not only within the CAF, but also with our Allies and partners. We have to get the data right. It must be trusted, accurate, and valued. That will require robust stewardship. Data must also be agnostic to platforms or applica- tions, and data-based interoperability will become a critical High Level Mandatory Requirement for all future projects. Q We oen hear of the imperative to digitally transform. How would you describe that imperative? At its very simplest, the imperative can be boiled down to credibility. Can we deliver Canada's Defence Policy, "Strong, Secure, Engaged". Future operating environments will require the full integration of sustain- ment effects to generate persistent readi- ness advantages and win the fight. Two key drivers for the development of the strategy were the evolving CAF/allied Pan-Domain Command and Control concept, and the digital transformation efforts through the Defence Resource Business Modernization (DRBM) programme. So, as you can see, we have been busy! We have made some great strides in advancing some key CDS priorities in a very short peri- od of time, through concerted and concen- trated effort. Now that we have established the intellectual and professional framework to get after Digital, Sustainment, and Joint Integration, we will shift our focus to imple- mentation, which is where we will start to bear the fruit of our labours. Q What do you consider to be the key cross-cutting capability that will enable C4ISR? C4ISR is ultimately about linking sensors to effectors at a speed and accuracy that delivers a decision advantage over an ad- versary. In many ways, we should longer be considering what sensors we need, and what platforms they need to be mounted

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