New Fund Could Help Services Achieve JADC2 Goals.

• Author: Taylor, Heath
• Position: Commentary

* Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks last summer announced plans to create the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve fund.

The objective of RDER--pronounced "raider"--is to create an "innovation ecosystem" within the Defense Department. The fund will allow different organizations to introduce innovative concepts while competing for resources to field promising technologies faster.

The Army, Air Force and Navy are pursuing separate programs that fall under the joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) umbrella that has a goal to connect sensors to shooters on the battlefield across the U.S. military. The Pentagon plans to leverage programs, such as RDER, to field the technology necessary to close capability gaps and accomplish the joint integration needed to achieve this vision.

Modernization goals set in the Army's Project Convergence are to deploy tanks, field artillery and cavalry units in a joint, interconnected movement with infantry to utilize the latest technology on the modern battlefield, such as long-range precision fires and Future Vertical Lift aircraft. This strategy will embed more technology such as unmanned systems to initiate contact with the adversary and open avenues of approach for ground troops to outmaneuver enemy forces.

The Air Force's modernization efforts will focus on advanced munitions, including the development of hypersonic missiles and the next generation of cruise missiles. The Advanced Battle Management System will help field these capabilities and lay the groundwork for modem technology priorities such as new software development, cloud computing and centralizing cybersecurity.

The Navy will need to integrate its undersea forces by utilizing artificial intelligence capabilities. Project Overmatch looks to develop communications between undersea vessels--manned or unmanned--featuring antennas, advanced sonar technology, and a secure platform capable of delivering messages between maneuvering Naval elements--both undersea and above sea--to operate with maximum lethality.

The idea of integrating the services' capabilities is akin to solving a puzzle, each piece playing a unique role in the bigger picture. Unfortunately, some of those pieces are missing. While the efforts of the service's JADC2 programs--Project Convergence, ABMS and Project Overmatch--to modernize and integrate are the proper approach, implementation has experienced issues fielding the "missing pieces."

Given the intricate nature of...