JADC2 Could Introduce Cyber Risks At Unprecedented Scale.

• Author: Atwell, Jason

Technology has always played a major role in military competition, and military competition has always leaned heavily on industry. The two spheres, the military and industry, overlap so much that "military-industrial complex" is common parlance.

However, the dynamic has historically been mostly one way in the sense that once technology is turned over by industry to the military, industry moves on to developing more technology while the military operates whatever is already on the shelf.

Post 9/11, most people are familiar with the growing role of contractors in supplementing the military, but joint all-domain command and control, better known as JADC2, has the potential to close this loop once and for all by creating a dynamic wherein industry will be both the progenitor and operator of the technology, with the military mostly serving in the role of providing guidance and legal authorization for use cases.

The concept, which is being pursued by the Departments of the Army, Navy and Air Force, calls for linking sensors and shooters through a network--powered by artificial intelligence and cloud computing --that can operate at high speeds. The Army calls its version Project Convergence, the Navy Project Overmatch and the Air Force the Advanced Battle Management System.

While JADC2 at the conceptual level has clear tactical intents and purposes, as one moves further down toward the underlying technology --such as the nodes, links and platforms that will form its structure --there are clear issues with operations, security and maintenance.

Setting aside the complexity this represents in terms of the mix of hardware, software and ongoing coding and upgrade requirements, it also will mean thousands of personnel will answer to numerous military chains of command and civilian procurement officials across the globe. The current defense contracting and procurement system is simply not equipped to provide this support in a manner befitting joint all-domain command and control's requirements for agile, tactical capabilities.

How can the services and industry reconcile these requirements with strategic necessities, fiscal constraints and personnel and staffing realities? Addressing these apparent disconnects requires strong public-private partnership, as well as a willingness to do things in newer, faster, more efficient ways that break down stovepipes and challenge orthodoxies when it comes to how we buy and field technology. This is why joint...