Vanguard Magazine

C4ISR www.vanguardcanada.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 33 November 5 & 6, 2018 For more information, please contact Heather Pilot : hpilot@pilothill.ca / 519-851-9848 London Convention Centre 300 York Street - London, Ontario, Canada Brought you by Media Partner www.bestdefenceconference.com "C4ISR is no longer just about the plat- form," says, Lalumiere. "Sensors need to be upgraded much more frequently than platforms. Therefore, open architecture is key. Also, the advancement of sensor technology for tomorrow needs to include automated processing solutions (techno- logical on-board/on-sensor processing)." Lalumiere went on to explain that the key point for the RCAF – referring to the Space domain and Air domain the RCAF is responsible for – is the pace of technologi- cal advancement and the demand for near real-time (NRT) information/intelligence. "This demand does not easily mesh with our current practices or capabilities. We have increasing amounts of data to be processed and less time to conduct that processing." He elaborated further by saying, "The con- test in our security and defence realm, with the various adversaries, is for understanding. If we divide the requirements by categoriz- ing them as time-dominant requirements and content-dominant requirements, the RCAF mainly and clearly concentrates on time-dominant needs for the Air domain, while delivering both time and content dominant needs in the Space domain." Using what is available to the military and pushing limits is fundamentally be- ing on the edge of discovery, regardless of whether it is fielded by the commercial side and industry, the financial, health, and energy sectors. The sheer mass of data that is produced and requires analysis from so many diverse mediums demands what has become a basic level of understanding and methodology. The "pace" that Lalumiere referred to will drive the economy forward in this time of mass information. Colonel D.A. Russel followed up on Lalumiere's points by laying down the land army perspective and leaving ques- tions for the audience to ponder and facili- tate a solution. "From an army perspective, we're really talking about a tactical organization that is highly mobile in order to survive on the battlefield. A lot of it is down to the kinetic end, but truly from a C4ISR perspective – it's not the sensor-shooter; it's now about sensor and acting on what could be infor- mation that we are receiving down at that level," commented Russel. "How do we get actionable information down to that level in order for him to make the right decision at the right time to be involved, whether it be combat engagement or close engagement?" There have been many challenges pre- sented to the military that are generated by mass data, such as: "How is the military supposed to deliver Canadian allies and their troops recent prolific data in a protect- ed and efficient manner? How can Canada stay ahead of the adversary? How can we be iterative in our approach to procurement?" Colonel Russel divulged some of the projects that the army is working towards in order to solve those questions. "From an industry perspective, you're aware of the army projects that are in the next five to ten years that we should be influenc- ing now – like ground-base air defence and how that will work in the strategic- to-tactical context with information, and talking about sensor-to-app function of reintroducing air defence into a modern army. Right now, the other nations are very worried that Canada has no digital player solution to do planned coordina- tion and execution. So, that is a big con- cern. Those are a lot of the big projects that are currently in development, if you will. We need to take these concepts and turn them into design, so that the thing that we need is the most advanced." There are now very large gaps between mobile and static headquarters, and engi- neering a way for trusted allies and troops to coordinate and communicate with each other whilst being on the battlefield has never been greater. The need to mod- ernize C4ISR equipment and move at a sustainable pace will provide a strategic framework that will take actionable ca- pabilities for use on any level and human engagement to equate a tactical solution. "We the CAF and DND, and surely the RCAF, want to establish the tempo – pace of understanding – at a pace which the ad- versary cannot sustain," said Lalumiere.

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