Israeli-German vendor team launches robotic vessel for spotting subs

On the same subject

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  October 11, 2023 | International, Land, Security

  Army leaders see Latin America as backyard test bed for military tech

  The region's proximity, partners and security challenges provide ways to test out new concepts and tech.

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  October 8, 2020 | International, Naval, C4ISR

  The Navy needs industry to tackle software-defined networks, data sharing

  Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy needs to quickly modernize its fleet's network in order to be prepared for future fights, but one of the “greatest impediments” to that effort is that 5frwcgydtqr5s4eathe hardware inside ships requires hull cuts to be upgraded, a top Navy IT official said Monday. “These platforms need to be water-tight which means our entry points are small. The equipment that needs to be upgraded inside the hulls often requires hull cuts,” said Rear Adm. Susan BryerJoyner, Navy cyber security division chief in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. “That challenges our ability to pivot quickly in order to upgrade the traditional hardware that [delivers] the capabilities we're trying to provide to the warfighter.” The key to modernization is to get around the hull cuts, BryerJoyner said Wednesday at the AFCEA NOVA Naval IT Day. This is a time-consuming process that has long irked the Navy. Instead, the service is turning to industry for help getting around the large hardware requirements of traditional networking capabilities. BryerJoyner said that the Navy's future lies in software-defined networking. Software-defined networking relies on software applications for network management. “We need to get to software defined networks. We know we need to be able to share data more seamlessly across the Navy. The challenge is, how do we come up with modular platforms that don't require hull cuts in order for us to be able to swap in and out on board the ship,” she said. “That's honestly one of the greatest impediments to modernization.” She also added that the service is seeking help from industry for data sharing. Like the other services, Navy ships must be able to pass data in denied and degraded environments, whether that's caused by the weather, adversaries or the poor satellite connection. The service, she said, must adjust to a state of operations where applications do not have constant connectivity. The Navy also needs to understand if the data needs to be shared just locally aboard a ship or if it needs to be aggregated in some form to be shared with the rest of a strike group or across a theater, she said. Data sharing capabilities across the theater will also be a critical component for Joint All-Domain Command and Control, a major push by the services to connect sensors and shooters across domains. Tactical cloud computing in remote environments will be a cornerstone piece to data sharing. Speaking on the same webinar, Navy Chief Information Officer Aaron Weis said the shift to cloud, driven in part by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, was currently the top priority. But for tactical cloud, Weis said, “there's no better use case for tactical cloud than a ship afloat or an expeditionary marine force.” “If the end state is ‘I'm not going to be able to securely move data from anywhere to anywhere,' well, now we're back to that modernization and the network discussion," Weis said. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2020/10/07/the-navy-needs-industry-to-tackle-software-defined-networks-data-sharing/

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  July 22, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  US, UK launch military-space competition for startups

  By: Andrew Chuter LONDON – The U.K. and U.S. governments have turned to startups and inventors in a competition to adapt commercial technology solutions to answer pressing challenges in the military space sector. The two countries have jointly put up £1 million, or $1.3 million, to tap into potential new ideas in six technology areas from small companies, innovators and others around the world. The finalists will face a beauty parade in front of senior British, American and NATO military officials at a space conference scheduled to take place in London in November. Up to 15 proposals will be selected to go forward with further work on what is being called International Space Pitch Day. Launching the scheme, the U.K.'s first-ever, recently appointed director for space matters, Air Vice-Marshal Harv Smyth, said the initiative is “all about fast-tracking innovation and cutting-edge technology to the front line quicker than ever before, and fresh ways of working with industry to make sure we stay ahead of our shared adversaries and the threats they pose.” Smyth will be one of the judges at the conference, which will be held virtually if the live event is cancelled. The format will be the first international collaboration of its kind between two allies, the Ministry of Defence said. Organizations who make it through to the space conference final will be in contention to secure a $66,000 contract from the judges to speed up development of what is expected to be mainly commercial innovations and technology. The effort, run by Britain's Defence and Security Accelerator organization, is funded by the U.K. Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, the Royal Air Force and the US Air Force. The aim is to find, fund and fast track innovations by tech startups and other experts in order to accelerate the development of commercial space technology s to solve problems in the defense space sector. This year's competition is seeking solutions to six challenges set by the U.K. and U.S. space teams: Visualization of key events and information for combined space operations with allies and commercial partners. Understanding current satellite systems relevant to the operations of a particular commander. Understanding the present and potential impact of space weather on users across all domains. Provision of training against realistic threats and opportunities, incorporating live data, and integrating space across multiple domains. Enabling common and user-defined operational pictures to support multinational space domain awareness and command and control. A verification and comparison tool for space domain awareness, which can take orbital observation data from a variety of sources and in a variety of formats and produce a single, reliable operational picture. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/07/22/us-uk-launch-military-space-competition-for-startups