Army Leaders Urge Industry Collaboration for Agile Command Systems
U.S. Army leaders emphasized the urgent need for more agile, adaptable and resilient command and control systems, calling for stronger industry collaboration to modernize military networks and enhance operational flexibility in diverse environments.
“We want to hear from industry as to what the right solution is for the problem that we encounter,” Mark Kitz, program executive officer at Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T), told the audience attending a panel at TechNet Augusta on Wednesday.
The speakers addressed implementing agile and adaptive command and control (C2) within the U.S. Army, emphasizing the need to modernize networks and systems to be more flexible, resilient and adaptable to various operational environments. They considered the importance of modular and survivable C2 structures and the push for transport diversity to enhance operational flexibility.
The discussion also highlighted the ongoing efforts to integrate new technologies, such as 5G and satellite communications, into military operations, and the importance of collaboration between the military and industry in achieving these goals.
“When I talk interoperability, of course, we've got to be interoperable with a joint force,” said Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis, director, Network Cross-Functional Team at Army Futures Command. “We worked very closely with the Australians and with INDOPACOM [Indo-Pacific Command] to deliver a logistics C2 capability for [exercise] Talisman Sabre last year in Australia, and we're going to continue to do that,” Kitz said.
Both panelists stressed that purchases in this sector will pay special attention to the capability of communicating within the U.S. joint force as well as with allies, keeping in mind that foreign armed services invest in modernizing their communications under different standards and regulations.
This goes beyond the technical level, as Gen. Ellis encountered during a deployment in Europe.
“There was a soft tool that 2CR (2nd Cavalry Regiment) started working on; they used it to speak to Ukrainians, basically speaking to a device, and the other end spits out in the target language,” Gen. Ellis said.
Capabilities like these also enhance interoperability, and Gen. Ellis further underscored this by explaining the same device was employed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, to communicate with Portuguese and Spanish allies stationed there.
Exercises and experimentation are also creating a deeper understanding of the battlefield, as well as opportunities for suppliers.
“We are committed to a modular command post,” Kitz explained.
“We talk about the technical aspects, transport agnostic, pLEO (proliferated low-Earth orbit), the tactical radio infrastructure that we're getting,” Kitz added, and pointed toward the ability to disperse and decoy, as well as the importance of keeping resilient communications.
Kitz invited industry to come up with proposals in a series of engagement events scheduled through the first quarter of 2025
SIGNAL Media is part of AFCEA International, TechNet Augusta's organizer.
