The real-time battlefield: The revolutionary tech connecting the front line
StoryNovember 26, 2024
Rob Mather
IFS North America
Personnel on the battlefield need to get real-time information – that’s not negotiable. Whether in the air, on land or water, or now even in space, devices and data streams must be able to provide the exchange of complex data in real time to keep combat zones constantly connected. The simple exchange of real-time data is only the beginning – the real work is what defense organizations do with this data. Turning this data into insights is critical for mission success.
Being connected on the military frontline is vital. Its importance has been recognized through milestone legislation such as the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act1 in 1985, which shifted the focus on military connectivity. Spearheaded by a need for better interservice cooperation, the act directed plans for intelligence sharing and operational coordination during joint military operations.
Today, military connectivity is very much a reality. State-of-the-art technology on the front line has transformed information and data exchanges in warfare. Whether it’s to monitor equipment condition or soldier health, an interconnected web of devices and data streams is making this information available in real time. Known as force connectivity, it’s the latest technological revolution for the battlefield.
Legislation first, now technology drives connectivity
Fast-forward to now and, rather than regulatory-driven change, we’re moving into an era of technology-driven connectivity. We’re seeing an explosion of asset connectivity that is starting to build a truly connected battlefield on the ground, in the air, at sea, and in space too.
There are five key developments powering the connected battlefield now and into the future:
1. Wearables and biometrics keep a check on every single soldier
A revolutionary and growing area of connectivity on the battlefield is the ability to monitor the health of troops on the field. In most modern fighting forces, almost every soldier now has biometric monitoring devices which use sensors to track heart rate, body temperature, blood-oxygen levels, and stress levels so commanders can make decisions based on this human data. NATO2, for example, is currently supporting the development of new wearable technology that is “designed to minimize casualties during combat operations. It involves soldiers wearing various body sensors that will help medics collect vital data and determine the extent to which a soldier may be injured more accurately than a field medic would be able to conclude.” Add to this communication transmitter-receivers, GPS devices, night-vision aids, and other comms devices – and there is a huge proliferation of tactical-level data available.
2. Deeper insights with IoMT
The internet of military things (IoMT) is the growing militarization of IoT – whereby IoT-enabled sensors and devices provide a network of data that enables a deeper level of insight into a fighting force than ever before.
IoMT presents widespread opportunities, including enhanced efficiency, real-time decision-making, and improved situational awareness. The Australian Army has published a paper3 looking at IoMT describing it having “much scope for the development of additional capabilities in the future through the integration of sensors, robots, munitions, wearable devices, vehicles, and weapons.”
Successful IoMT deployments take command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) processes to a higher level by exploiting large volumes of collected data for optimized decision-making. The ability to connect scattered systems and networks with IoMT data feeds into a large integrated network will be a key component in the move to a more-connected battlefield.
3. Welcome to space! The battlefield has changed
The dimensions of the battlefield itself are also changing. What used to be air, land, sea, and time has now become, air, land, sea, and space. It could even be argued this is now air, land, sea, space, plus cyberspace.
While not militarized, advances in communications satellites have become extremely beneficial in recent conflicts – even using technology from the civilian side. For example, when SpaceX Starlink satellites were moved over Ukraine, that showed a flexibility and an adaptability of an infrastructure to quickly move to support an emerging conflict.
Data reach broadens here too. According to a Deloitte study4, the amount of data being sent to and from space will likely grow to more than 500 exabytes of information from 2020 to 2030 (a 14-time increase). On top of this, 98% percent of senior executives surveyed said that demand for space data is increasing as it has broader use and significance across end markets.
4. The power of smart assets to facilitate two-way communication
There is no longer just a one-way flow of info out to the asset from command. Many smart assets are now collecting data and engaging in two-way communication with other assets, and that two-way communication turns them into stakeholders.
A single U.S. Air Force uncrewed aerial system (UAS), as per Deloitte, can generate 70 terabytes of data within an operational span of 14 hours. Multiply that by 1,000 in a drone-swarm scenario and you can start to see the challenge facing commanders today in collecting the vast amounts of data available and distilling that data into actionable insights.
Or consider a scenario where the asset itself, combined with predictive-maintenance solutions, can tell the operator before the machine breaks down that a part is going to fail and alerts the operator, possibly even self-triggering a repair workflow by picking parts and scheduling a technician.
However, getting a total view of asset readiness from this vast dataset can be challenging – and can further complicated by the involvement of defense contractors who may be responsible for performance-based logistics (PBL) agreements to keep assets mission-ready.
5. Assured command-level insights with a data lake
So, we have IoMT plus the asset operators – now add the munitions themselves such as drone swarms and data feeds from space, and now we’re talking about a very sophisticated connected battlefield. Common to all these connected-battlefield advances is the proliferation of data. Militaries must be able to turn this vast pool of data into critical insights that can influence mission success.
But if these developments operate in a decentralized manner, defense forces are not getting the immense value of the real-time aggregation of terabytes and terabytes of data every second in a wartime scenario. All of this data must be received, reviewed, and sorted for the end user so that they can glean insights and make decisions quickly. This is where a data lake for asset management can provide command-level insights on all assets.
The fighting force needs a framework overarching all of this to tie data together in that one single solution with the ability to collect, analyze, and redistribute all of that data to the correct audience in a useful format. Combining forecasting and predictability with a presentation layer drives total asset readiness on a whole new level, giving commanders a clear real-time view of the assets at their disposal, in the context of the mission they need to complete. Mission success will hinge on connectivity infrastructure.
War zones are increasingly becoming more connected, and harnessing the power of the data deluge will be the secret weapon in driving tactical and strategic success on the battlefield. An all-encompassing asset-management solution can allow defense organizations to manage assets and power a comprehensive logistics network.
Notes
1 https://www.congress.gov/bill/99th-congress/house-bill/3622
2 https://www.natomultimedia.tv/app/asset/686707
3 https://cove.army.gov.au/article/internet-military-things
4 https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/aerospace-defense/future-of-space-economy.html
Rob Mather is Vice President, Aerospace and Defense Industries at IFS. He is responsible for leading the IFS global A&D industry marketing strategy and for supporting product development, sales, and partner ecosystem growth. Rob has over 15 years of experience in the A&D sector, starting out in the field and having held a number of strategic R&D, presales, and consulting positions at IFS, Mxi Technologies, and Fugro Aviation.
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