Today’s theaters of warfare are more connected than ever, with an increasing number of interlinked devices and data streams providing real-time data about force readiness, soldiers, and equipment that is critical to combat zones. For mission success, defense forces must ensure they successfully harness this data deluge and transform data into actionable strategic insights.
A technological revolution is sweeping across combat zones, transforming warfare into an even more complex information exchange. The increasing presence of sophisticated technology on the frontline has resulted in an unprecedented level of force connectivity.
The defense industry has transitioned into an era of technology-driven connectivity and is now experiencing 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 from space too.
These are the five key developments that are powering the connected battlefield now, and into the future:
- Internet of Military Things (IoMT) puts data on the frontline
The internet of military things (IoMT) is the growing militarization 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 optimized decision-making.
- New wearable technology for soldiers enables further data-driven decision making
Another revolutionary 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.
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.
- Smart assets are the latest stakeholders—and provide critical force readiness insights
There is no longer just a one-way flow of info out to the asset from command. A single U.S. Air Force unmanned aerial vehicle, as per Deloitte, can generate 70 terabytes of data within an operational span of 14 hours. Multiply that by 1000 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 further complicated by the involvement of defense contractors who may be responsible for performance-based logistics (PBL) agreements to keep assets mission-ready.
- Space becomes the new fourth dimension of 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.
While not militarized, advances in communication satellites have become extremely beneficial in recent conflicts—even utilizing 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 quickly moving to support an emerging conflict. In fact 98% percent of senior executives surveyed by Deloitte said that demand for space data is increasing as it has broader use and significance across end-markets.
- Data lakes for asset management brings real-time insights to the frontline
So, we have IoMT plus the front-line soldiers’ data, and now you add the autonomous vehicles themselves, such as drone swarms, combined with 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.
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 single second in a wartime scenario. This is where a data lake for asset management can provide command-level insights on all in-service assets.
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.
All-in-one asset management makes the connected battlefield a reality
By leveraging a comprehensive asset management solution, defense forces can level up their assets by actively orchestrating a high-performance logistics network.
An all-in-one approach promotes data-driven decision making, while enabling proactive asset readiness, optimized resource allocation, and streamlined workflows. The battlefield of the future is connected, and by harnessing this connectivity defense forces can unlock new tactical and strategic advantages to maximize mission success.
Wondering about deployment choices for IFS Software Solutions for defense organizations? Read the blog — No one-size fits all – your deployment, your choice
