5 mai 2024 | International, Terrestre
6 juillet 2018 | International, C4ISR
5 technology trends driving an intelligent military
By: Antti Kolehmainen
The rise of non-traditional actors, cyberattacks and state-sponsored subversion is challenging democratic governance and creating an increasingly volatile operational and security environment for defense agencies. To address these threats, military organizations must be able to operate seamlessly and intelligently across a network of multinational partners.
This year's Accenture Technology Vision identified five trends that are essential components of any intelligent defense organization: Citizen AI, extended reality, data veracity, frictionless business and Internet of Thinking.
Private AI: training AI as an effective troop member
Harnessing AI's potential is no longer just about training it to perform a specific task: AI will increasingly function alongside people as a full-fledged member of a team. In the high-stakes world of defense, it's especially important that AI systems act as trustworthy, responsible and efficient colleagues.
AI could have a major impact for military organizations, including defense logistics and cybersecurity. An adversary equipped with advanced AI capabilities will not wait for its enemies to catch up technologically before launching an offensive. AI's ability to process and analyze vast amounts of data has significant implications across the Observe, Orient, Decide, Act (OODA) loop. From augmenting our ability to detect new threats to analyzing countless variables, AI could transform surveillance and situational awareness.
Extended Reality: The end of distance
Extended reality (XR), which includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), is the first technology to relocate people in both time and place—effectively eliminating distance.
For the defense sector, the ability to simulate and share a common view of an operational theatre is immensely powerful. Recently, Accenture created a mixed reality proof of concept using Microsoft HoloLens and gaming engine Unity that provides military personnel with an interactive map showing real-time location and status data for troops and resources on the ground. With a simple command, a user can order reinforcements or supplies, or create and test different scenarios through a mixed reality interface.
XR technology can also enhance operational command capabilities in the field. For example, AR goggles could provide dashboards and data visualizations where and when they are needed – such as at an operating base. XR also will have major implications for training, allowing soldiers and pilots to engage in highly realistic combat simulations.
Data veracity: the importance of trust
As defense organizations become increasingly data-driven, inaccurate and manipulated information is a persistent and serious threat. Agencies can address this vulnerability by building confidence in three key data-focused tenets: provenance, or verifying data from its origin throughout its life cycle; context, or considering the circumstances around its use; and integrity, or securing and maintaining data.
The ability to trust and verify the data that flows between multinational partners is critically important. Organizations must be capable of delivering the right data to the right recipient, at the right time – which can only be accomplished by radically reorienting how data is shared across today's armed forces. Today's vertical approach involves passing information up and down the command stack of a nation's military. In contrast, multinational military operations demand that information is also shared horizontally across the forces of different nations and partners. This shift requires a profound change in technology, mindset and culture within agencies.
Frictionless defense: built to partner at scale
Our recent survey found that 36 percent of public service leaders report working with twice as many strategic partners than two years ago. And when partnerships between industry, academia and military organizations are horizontally integrated and technology-based, they can expand faster and further than ever before. But legacy systems weren't built to support this kind of expansion, and soon, outdated systems will be major hindrances to collaboration.
With this in mind, defense organizations must develop new IT architectures to reduce complexity. Agile IT systems will allow innovation to flourish, unimpeded by internal politics and employee resistance. A modern IT architecture will push organizations to clearly define the services they offer and turn each service into a potential enabler of collaboration.
The Internet of Thinking: intelligent distributed defense capabilities
Today's technology infrastructures are designed around a few basic assumptions: enough bandwidth to support remote applications, an abundance of computing power in a remote cloud and nearly infinite storage. But the demand for immediate response times defies this approach. Recent projections suggest that by 2020, smart sensors and other Internet of Things devices will generate at least 507.5 zettabytes of data. Trying to manage the computational “heavy-lifting” offsite will become limiting.
The need for real-time systems puts hardware back in focus: special-purpose and customizable hardware is making devices at the edge of networks more powerful and energy efficient than ever before. Public service organizations are taking note: our survey indicates 79 percent of leaders believe it will be very critical over the next two years to leverage custom hardware and accelerators to meet new computing demands.
The next generation of military strategies ride on pushing intelligence into the physical world. Defense organizations have to embrace new operating models to enable high-speed data flows, harness the potential of distributed intelligence and successfully neutralize threats.
The defense sector is challenged to respond to new types of threat, political volatility and even new combat arenas, and acquiring new technology capabilities is a strategic imperative. Delivering greater situational awareness and the ability to respond rapidly to unpredictable adversaries requires investments in AI, edge computing and other emerging technologies. Likewise, today's information architectures will need to be redesigned to collaborate quickly, effectively and securely.
Antti Kolehmainen is managing director, defense business service global lead at Accenture.
https://www.c4isrnet.com/opinion/2018/07/05/5-technology-trends-driving-an-intelligent-military
Sur le même sujet
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1 mars 2019 | International, Aérospatial
Airbus remodèle des avions sans pièces allemandes
BERLIN (Reuters) - Airbus, frustré par la décision de l'Allemagne de geler les exportations d'armes à l'Arabie saoudite, a décidé de revoir la conception de son avion de transport militaire C295 assemblé en Espagne afin d'en enlever les composants allemands, ont dit des sources du groupe à Reuters. L'Allemagne a décidé de manière unilatérale en octobre de refuser toute future licence d'exportation d'armes à l'Arabie saoudite après le meurtre du journaliste Jamal Khashoggi. Elle a en outre gelé la livraison de tous les équipements ayant déjà été autorisés. Les accords existants permettent à l'Allemagne de bloquer les exportations d'armes contenant des pièces allemandes. “Nous sommes en train d'exclure (les composants allemands) de l'avion”, a dit une source informée de ces projets. Les phares d'atterrissage du C295, par exemple, sont fabriqués en Allemagne et environ 4% des pièces de l'appareil sont d'origine allemande, a dit cette source. Airbus a reçu 208 commandes de 28 pays pour cet avion de transport militaire, dont 166 exemplaires sont actuellement opérationnels dans le monde. D'après une deuxième source, Airbus s'efforce de déterminer si des pièces en provenance d'Allemagne sont aussi susceptibles d'être remplacées sur d'autres modèles d'avions contenant moins de composants allemands. Cette source a ajouté qu'il serait difficile, voire impossible, de modifier la conception de l'Eurofighter Typhoon, un programme multinational composé pour environ un tiers de pièces allemandes. Le gel décidé par l'Allemagne a retardé les efforts du gouvernement britannique pour finaliser la vente de 48 nouveaux Typhoon à l'Arabie saoudite pour 10 milliards de livres (11,7 milliards d'euros). Le Parti social-démocrate (SPD), partenaire de coalition des conservateurs de la chancelière Angela Merkel à Berlin, a exprimé cette semaine sa volonté de prolonger cet embargo au-delà de la date butoir actuellement fixée au 9 mars, malgré les pressions de la France et de la Grande-Bretagne en faveur d'une levée de cette interdiction. Angela Merkel a refusé de dire si ce gel serait prolongé. Des élus conservateurs allemands de premier plan ont dit n'avoir constaté aucun progrès vers un assouplissement éventuel de la position du gouvernement. https://fr.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idFRKCN1QG2O3-OFRBS
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24 avril 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - April 23, 2020
AIR FORCE Dataminr Inc., New York, New York, has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract for $258,661,096 for a commercially available license subscription that can leverage a variety of publicly available information sources, evaluate content to detect emerging events as they are developing and push alerts to users based on user-defined areas and topics of interest. The solution must be capable of distributing alerts in near real-time via email, web-based application and mobile platforms. The solution must be available commercially in the marketplace and able to scale to a Department of Defense enterprise capability and keep pace with developments and standards within the commercial industry sector. Work will be performed in New York and is expected to be complete by April 23, 2025. This award resulted after three firms were solicited and submitted bids. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $48,720,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force District Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-20-C-0016). Aviation Training Consulting LLC, Altus, Oklahoma, has been awarded a $7,281,483 firm-fixed-price modification (P00043) to previously-awarded contract FA8621-16-C-6339 for B-52 training system contractor logistics support and training system support center sustainment. The contract modification is for the third increment of the seven year basic contract. Work will be performed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana; and Minot AFB, North Dakota, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2020. Air Force fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds will fund this effort. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $7,281,483. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. NAVY Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Baltimore, Maryland, was awarded a $147,639,775 undefinitized contract action modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-20-C-5310 for the procurement of MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) vertical launcher module electronic components. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland (44%); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (39%); Waverly, Iowa (3%); Hampstead, Maryland (2%); Dover, Pennsylvania (2%); Chaska, Minnesota (1%); St. Peters, Missouri (1%); Wooddale, Illinois (1%); Plainview, New York (1%); Irvine, California (1%); Roebling, New Jersey (1%); Forest Hill, Maryland (1%); Millersville, Maryland (1%); Sterling Heights, Michigan (1%); and Red Lion, Pennsylvania (1%). This modification provides the electronic components for MK 41 VLS, which is installed onboard Navy surface combatants (CG-47 and DDG-51 class ships) and multiple allied Navy platforms. MK 41 VLS stores, selects, prepares and launches standard missiles, Tomahawk, Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket and Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles. Work is expected to be completed by March 2025. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (65%); and the governments of South Korea, Finland and Germany (35%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and FMS funding in the amount of $29,527,952 was obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 17, 2020) Trijicon Inc.,* Wixom, Michigan, is awarded a $41,218,080 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the remanufacture of Rifle Combat Optics (RCOs). This contract provides for the materials, labor, equipment, facilities and missing/repair parts necessary to inspect, diagnose, test and restore the RCOs. Work will be performed in Wixom, Michigan, and is expected to be completed by April 2025. This contract has a five-year ordering period with a maximum value of $41,218,080. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) in the amount of $8,160,000 will be obligated at the time of award for the first task order and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Marine Corps Logistics Command, Albany, Georgia, is the contracting activity (M67004-20-D-0003). Avian LLC,* Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $13,342,932 modification (P00068) to exercise an option on a previously-awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-17-C-0049) to provide support for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's Integrated System Evaluation Experimentation and Test Department. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and services will include flight test engineering, programmatic, administrative, design, execution, analysis, evaluation and reporting of tests and experiments of aircraft, unmanned air systems, weapons and weapons systems. Work is expected to be completed in April 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) in the amount of $3,783,077; fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) in the amount of $90,000; fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,549,886; fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $28,732; fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $19,816; fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $144,756; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $310,238 will be obligated at time of award, $254,572 of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. ARMY ECS Federal LLC, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded an $83,099,372 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for to create combined artificial intelligence (AI)-platform prototypes enhance. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 26, 2023. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test, and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $83,099,372 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QX-20-C-0023). Sherwood Aviation,* Opa Locka, Florida, was awarded an $18,636,740 firm-fixed-price contract for overhaul/repair of CH-47 gas turbine engines. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 23, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-D-0051). General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, was awarded a $9,943,746 modification (P00044) to contract W58RGZ-19-C-0027 for continuation effort for the Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $9,943,746 were obligated at the time of the award. Work will be performed in Poway, California, with an estimated completion date of April 23, 2021. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Boyer Commercial Construction Inc.,* Columbia, South Carolina, was awarded an $8,686,240 firm-fixed-price contract for national cemetery expansion at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work will be performed in Columbia, South Carolina, with an estimated completion date of May 14, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Department of Veteran Affairs funds in the amount of $8,686,240 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity (W912HP-20-C-2001). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Robertson Fuel Systems LLC, Tempe, Arizona, has been awarded a maximum $38,784,713 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for aircraft fuel tanks. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Arizona, with an April 23, 2025, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-20-D-0034). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2162978/source/GovDelivery/