Thursday, January 2, 2020

1st field test of novel JADC2 tech

EGLIN AFB, Fla. - In the first field test of a novel approach to war-fighting, communicating and decision-making, the Air Force, Army, and Navy used new methods and technology in mid-December for collecting, analyzing and sharing information in real time to identify and defeat a simulated cruise missile threat to the United States. The three-day exercise of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) tested developing technology to enable the military’s concept called Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2). When fully realized, senior leaders say JADC2 will be the backbone of operations and deterrence, allowing U.S. military and allies to orchestrate military operations across all domains: Sea, land, air, space and cyber operations. Technology under development via ABMS simultaneously receives, fuses and acts upon a vast array of information from each of the domains in an instant. The AF anticipates receiving about $185M for this effort, and intends to bolster resources over the next five years. The initial exercise focused on defending the homeland with AF and Navy jets, the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), an Army air defense sensor and firing unit, the 6th Special Operations Squadron at Duke Field, as well as commercial space and ground sensors, and coming together to confront a simulated cruise missile threat. AF acquisitions lead, Dr. Will Roper said: “Cloud, mesh networking and software-defined systems were the stars of the show, all developed at commercial internet speeds.” The demonstration was the first of its kind in a series of exercises scheduled to occur roughly every four months. Each new exercise will build on the one before and include responses to problems and lessons learned. (Source: Secretary of the Air Force 12/23/19) https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2046531/air-force-navy-army-conduct-first-real-world-test-of-advanced-battle-management/