Fusing Intel and EW Data into the Army’s Data Centric NGC2 Architecture

Dec 23, 2024
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PM IS&A | News | PM EW&C

By Shawn Nesaw |

Link to original article

Focusing on providing the Army with advanced intelligence, electronic warfare and sensor capabilities through agile acquisition is core to the PEO IEW&S mission. Processing, dissemination and exploitation of data and intel requires advanced sensors and systems, not to mention a robust and future-focused command and control environment.

Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) is the Army’s new approach to develop a data-centric architecture for the commander to make more, faster, and better decisions, and ultimately reduce sensor to effector/shooter timelines.

NGC2 is a fundamentally different approach to C2, not just in the capability itself, but also in how the Army is organizing to deliver and rapidly scale using cloud-native, trainable, open architecture design characteristics.

PEO IEW&S’ systems and programs are already designed around many of the NGC2 design principles, which should allow our systems to plug in and operate in the NGC2 environment.

Cloud native and Trainability

Operating in the cloud environment isn’t something new to the Intelligence community. As early adopters of cloud, seeing the value of it for storing and disseminating intelligence data, put them out in front. NGC2 aims to leverage the cloud environment to ensure command and control can be done to the edge.

Fusing Intel and EW Data into the Army’s Data Centric NGC2 Architecture

PEO IEW&S supports Next Gen C2 through military intelligence, Integrated Sensor Architecture and electromagnetic warfare capabilities. As the Army develops NGC2, the experiences of PEO IEW&S will serve as a model for the Army network enterprise, allowing for better data transfer, more accessibility for units with cloud service, and seamless integration of systems thanks to common architecture standards and design. ((Image courtesy of PEO IEW&S) )

Army Intelligence Data Platform (AIDP), managed by Project Manager Intelligence Systems and Analytics (PM IS&A), enables intelligence soldiers the ability to gather, analyze and distribute information to units faster and more accurately than ever before through its many features, ease of use and housing in the military intelligence cloud environment.

“With all the intelligence data in the cloud, we’re able to funnel it into one common spot,” Col. Chris Anderson, PM IS&A said. “AIDP in the cloud means you have a global common intel picture instead of just a regional one.”

The Army’s expansion into cloud environments is critical to enable modern, data-driven operations.

As NGC2 develops, the Army will begin integrating existing intelligence software applications as well as custom analytical capabilities to further enhance situational awareness and provide enhanced target data across all Mission Command applications.

Training soldiers on AIDP has been faster and easier than with past intelligence systems thanks to the cloud and because soldiers can access AIDP from anywhere and train anytime, anywhere.

Open Architecture

PEO IEW&S project managers are no stranger to open architecture principles. They have been employing them along with open architecture best practices for years, working open architecture language into contracts to ensure the systems designed today will be able to plug and play with future systems and systems proliferated throughout the military branches.

“We do a good job with contract language that encourages and enforces (Modular Open System Architecture) MOSA,” Anderson said. “Our HYDRA API in one of several API standards the Army is considering, and we’re closely partnered with the Integrated Sensor Architecture (ISA) team to make sure all of our current and future platforms all talk to each other seamlessly.

The HYDRA API is a government-owned application programming interface, created to address data exchange across the PEO IEW&S portfolio. It enables developers’ easier integration of new software onto the Army network while maintaining core capabilities. The Army expects to use several API standards to ensure flexibility as it conducts prototyping.

ISA is the connective tissue allowing sensors across domains and echelons to connect and communicate with each other. With ISA enabled sensors, Commanders have the ability to know what sensors they have access to and what each one can do for them. ISA is integrating into Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool (EWPMT-X) and Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN).

Simplifying the complexity of military C2 through standard architecture and frameworks is a priority for the development of all systems moving forward.

Project Manager Electronic Warfare and Cyber (PM EW&C) was an early adopter of C5ISR Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) which informs EW systems. All PM EW&C programs are now designed with open systems architecture in mind, making plugging into a widely adopted framework like Tactical Assault Kit (TAK), seamless.

“Using an underlying software architecture gives us a number of advantages,” Ken Strayer, PM EW&C said. “It allows us to rapidly develop new capability on a mature framework that already has built in joint and coalition interoperability.”

EWPMT-X, PM EW&C’s most direct contribution to NGC2 according to Strayer, is the C2 tool for the EW officer, supporting mission planning, situational awareness and processing sensor data.

“EWPMT-X will converge with the TAK framework allowing the system to be more widely used due to the widespread use of TAK across the Army,” Strayer said.

TAK serves as a versatile, field-proven framework for enhancing situational awareness, communication and decision making, all key elements for NGC2.

Protection and NGC2

PM EW&C, who specializes in all things electronic warfare and cyber, sees their role with NGC2 as one of providing protection. The electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) has become a key domain the Army wants to dominate. Controlling, dominating and understanding the spectrum will be critical for command and control to occur.

“Another key contribution to NGC2 is the ability to see yourself in the spectrum,” Strayer explained. “Seeing ourselves is part of the equation, but our systems also provide the ability to identify threats that are going to keep units from being able to communicate.”

Two EW systems critical to enable NGC2 and enhancement of commanders’ decision making by means of the EMS are Terrestrial Layer Systems (TLS) BCT Manpack and Spectrum Situational Awareness System (S2AS).  

TLS BCT Manpack, which has entered into rapid fielding and is currently being equipped to brigade combat teams, enables brigades to understand their EMS environment, identify threats and ultimately communicate more effectively.

S2AS is designed for commanders to see themselves in the spectrum and is planned for a start in FY25.

“Commanders will be able to see how they look in the spectrum and allow them to reposition or mask their own capabilities or limit their EMS signature,” Strayer explained. “They can maintain the ability to communicate while also picking up any unknown things going on in the environment that may be impacting the Army’s ability to communicate.”

The lessons learned over the last few years by PEO IEW&S apply closely to what the Army is aiming to do with NGC2.

The expertise and experience at PEO IEW&S in applying these NGC2 characteristics across the intel, EW and sensor enterprise serves as a model/example for the entire Army network enterprise, allowing for better data transfer, more accessibility for units with cloud service, and seamless integration of systems thanks to common architecture standards and design. These cross-cutting solutions ultimately enable more robust and capable C2.

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