Winning with data on the battlefield
As real-time data streaming on kit, soldiers, assets and even from space transform the battlefield, Rob Mather, VP, Aerospace and defence industries, IFS, examines why interconnected technologies and data streams are now critical to mission success.
Image courtesy IFS
Defence forces need some serious interconnected technologies ensure that all this data can be used effectively to shape their strategies and tactics and ensure success on the battlefield.
Traditional warfare is quickly becoming a thing of the past, technology is transforming warfare into a battle of data. From solider health monitoring to real time information on assets, force connectivity is become more of presence on the battlefield as sophisticated technologies and the data they bring become key to gaining mission success.
In 2023 the British Army unveiled the Army Digital and Data Plan (ADDP). This shared a plan for both military personnel and industry partners. It recognised and strongly emphasised that data is the Army’s second most important asset after its people.
With a target date of 2030, the objective is a digitised force which organises, operates and fights in a data-centric manner.
Technology driven change
We are moving into an era of technology-driven connectivity—as smart devices enter the battlefield to monitor the health of warfighters, equipment, and critical devices. Also, we are seeing an explosion of asset connectivity that is starting to build a truly connected battlefield, not just on the ground, in the air, or at sea but with some help from space too.
There are five key developments powering the connected battlefield now and into the future:
1. Data-driven decision powered by Internet of Military Things (IoMT)
The internet of military things (IoMT) is the growing militarisation of IoT, where IoT enabled sensors and devices provide a network of data that provides 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. Successful IoMT deployments take Command, Control, Communications, Computers (C4) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) processes to a higher level by exploiting large volumes of collected data for optimised 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 connected battlefield.
2. Connected wearables provide real time updates of soldier health
Another 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.
NATO, for example, is currently supporting the development of new wearable technology: “designed to minimise 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. Furthermore, each one of those devices is actually an asset that forces need to track the performance of, further exacerbating the data deluge.
3. Smart assets are becoming key stakeholders to provide information on force readiness
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.
The UK Ministry of Defence recently introduced their UK Defence Drone Strategy which has been backed by £4.5 billion of investment. The strategy aims to equip the UK armed force with drones capable of gather critical intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance data. This will help commanders in the challenges they face in collecting vast amounts of data and distilling that data into actionable insights.
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 further complicated by the involvement of defence contractors who may be responsible for performance-based logistics (PBL) agreements to keep assets mission-ready.
4. The introduction of spaces adds a new tactical dimension to the battlefield
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 militarised, advances in communication satellites have become extremely beneficial in recent conflicts, even utilising 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 Deloitte 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 14x increase). On top of this, 98% of senior executives surveyed said that demand for space data is increasing as it has broader use and significance across end-markets.
5. Data lakes are key in connecting the battlefield to provide cutting edge insights
So, we have IoMT plus the asset operators and now you add the munitions themselves such as drone swarms and data feeds from space and we are now dealing with a very sophisticated connected battlefield. Common to all these connected battlefield advancements is the proliferation of data. Forces must be able to turn this vast pool of data into critical insights that can influence mission success.
However, if these developments operate in a decentralised manner, defence forces are not getting the immense value of the real-time aggregation of terabytes and terabytes of data every single second in a wartime scenario. As per Capgemini: “This data must be sorted and digested for end-users, ensuring they can access essential insights quickly.” This is where a data lake for asset management can provide command-level insights on all in-service assets.
If you are a fighting force, you need a framework overarching all of this to tie data together in that one single solution with the ability to collect, analyse, 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.
Defence forces need to be ready to make the most of the data deluge sweeping the battlefield
Through integrating an all-in-one asset management solution, defence forces will be able to make sense of their increased data volumes and become more intelligent and connected.
Data is driving decision making and forces need to make the most of it, as it will allow them to enable proactive asset readiness, optimise resource allocation and streamline its fighting force and ultimately ensuring mission success.