Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/274231
c c4iSr www.vanguardcanada.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014 27 training for the army has become very diffi cult and complicated. there are a lot of systems [to integrate] and not a lot of money to do that. it is up to industry to help solve that, too. — colonel (retired) rick Fawcett development from the bottom up rather than top down, understanding how infor- mation gets from the soldier to the com- mander for effective decision making. "Instead of asking how does that com- mander need to pass information down to make a decision, [if] we want to be able to do tactical manoeuvre at a combat team level, what level of information needs to be passed, how do we enable...the exchange requirements? That is where we are going from a requirements engineering perspec- tive." Moulton outlined a range of C4ISR- related projects geared toward the 2021 timeframe, including modernization of intelligence, electronic warfare, deployed headquarters, and an enhanced C2 system for new vehicle fl eets such as the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle and upgraded Light Armoured Vehicle. All are tied into three larger programs under the Land Command Support Sys- tem (LCSS) modernization effort: tactical communication systems, ISR systems, and tactical C2 information systems. The army is also modernizing its systems for joint airspace control and joint fi res. "By 2016 we will have a fairly robust sys- tem, modernized to a certain extent, set- ting the conditions for where we want to go with those future modernization proj- ects. I think we will have a fi rst-rate com- mand and control network, underpinned by some very good software decision-mak- ing tools and systems, integrating C4ISR systems, and providing that critical sensor- to-shooter link for commanders," he said. More than new equipment and technol- ogy, the effort also requires changes to doctrine, training and infrastructure to en- sure the whole system is institutionalized across the army. For industry seeking to engage with the army, Colonel (retired) Rick Fawcett, a 34- year veteran of the army and now director of business development for land and joint solutions with General Dynamics Canada, said companies must understand the think- ing behind concepts like ADO and JIMP (joint, interagency, multinational, public). Not only does the range and complexity of tasks require adaptive C2 systems, but the joint and multinational nature of those tasks means "the systems have to be able to talk to virtually everybody, which poses huge challenges." Fawcett laid out several key consider- ations for future solutions, from unlimited demand for bandwidth to embedded secu- rity, simplicity to operate – "bear in mind the reality of where this equipment is be- ing deployed" – scalability and interoper- ability. He noted that General Dynamics, for ex- ample, has made security a design feature from the beginning rather than an add-on, and now uses open standards and commer- cial technologies and commonality where possible to ensure solutions will work in the joint environment. "The term we are starting to use is graceful evolution," he said. "There will never be a wholesale swap out of C4ISR equipment, it will be grace- fully evolved." But the complexity of integrating C4ISR systems means industry "needs to work together with the military to solve these problems," he said, pointing in particular to the current challenges around training. "Training for the army has become very diffi cult and complicated. There are a lot of systems [to integrate] and not a lot of money to do that. It is up to industry to help solve that, too." Commander (retired) Walter Nolan, who served 34 years in the Royal Cana- da Navy before joining Lockheed Martin Canada, also stressed the importance of collaboration between the military and in- dustry. "As a team, we have to make others understand what the issues are and work together to resolve them," he said in a pre- sentation that described several key chal- lenges, including interoperability and the critical importance of intelligence. Information sharing is vital as the navy continues to advance its ability to support operations ashore from contested waters. "C4ISR permeates up and down through all aspects of air-land-sea operations. [It]