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ISTAR 11
Memorandum from General Dynamics
Summary Providing the right information to military commanders and their political leaders, when they need it to make a decision, is a key challenge faced in all military operations. Achieving this is the task of the intelligence cycle[1]. The enterprise that is driven by and feeds into this cycle is commonly referred to as Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance - ISTAR. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAVs, are one example of the wide range of collection methods used to gather data in support of military and governmental objectives. This short memorandum aims to: i. Put UAVs into the wider context in which they operate; ii. Summarise the importance of optimising integration of UAVs with other ISTAR assets, making the best use of the information they provide; iii. Give an industry view using examples of the work MoD is already undertaking to address this issue, explaining the integration capabilities that are needed to achieve planned improvements.
About General Dynamics UK In this evidence, General Dynamics UK offers an informed industrial perspective on the challenges of integrating assets such as UAVs with the UK and its allies' wider ISTAR capabilities. As the Bowman prime contractor, General Dynamics UK has a unique expertise in digitising and integrating vital command stations together with the key communications and data networks used by all three Armed Services on operations. These include nearly 13,000 land vehicles, for example Armoured Fighting Vehicles, static land headquarters from Brigade level downwards, the Royal Navy's sea-based command centres for Royal Marine expeditionary forces, and RAF air platforms such as helicopters. As a prime systems integrator of complex systems, General Dynamics UK has relevant expertise and capability, in particular through its key role in key UK systems integration facilities, such as the Joint Networks Integration Body, JNIB, the Joint Systems Integration Body, JSIB, and The EDGETM UK, an innovative collaborative working environment currently under development at General Dynamics UK's facilities.
The UAV in context - an ISTAR "collection" asset ISTAR can be viewed as an enterprise with definable inputs and outputs, operationally driven by the intelligence cycle. When appropriately directed by the command and control process, a range of collection assets, which can be both human and technological, collect data for subsequent processing into actionable Information and Intelligence (I2). This is disseminated to decision-makers and other end-users.
UAVs are one collection option, amongst many. Others include aircraft, submarines, satellites, ground platforms and, of course, people. Each collection option has its own strengths and weaknesses. UAVs can offer enhanced persistence and are uniquely suited to 'dull, dangerous and dirty' operations. As is the case for all collection assets, the significance of their contribution to the ISTAR enterprise depends on the quality of information and intelligence they gather. The relatively recent introduction of UAVs into service in a number of nations has highlighted a wide range of specific technical and operational issues that need to be addressed to make the best use of their obvious potential.
Integrating the UK's ISTAR assets
With the delivery of planned ISTAR collection platforms the UK will be, arguably, well provided for collection capability. The MoD rightly recognises that a priority need within UK ISTAR is improved interoperability between systems; additionally, there is a need for enhanced resource management, analysis and information management tools across the enterprise. The aim is to increase operational efficiency and flexibility. To achieve this, optimisation must be considered across the enterprise and the intelligence cycle, and not just in a single constituent area, such as collection.
If this is not done, efficiency and effectiveness will be compromised by the weakest link in the DCPD chain. Significant issues, again rightly singled out for attention by the MoD, potentially include:
· Unmanageable volumes of data - much of what is collected remains unanalysed; · Lack of adequate infrastructure for getting the results of analysis to those who need that analysis · Processing timelines do not match operational needs: essentially, the right information, delivered too late, is of little or no use; · Lack of support for resource and task management: this means that the analysis work cannot necessarily be shared out between operators who are overburdened and those who have available spare capacity. This has been examined, for example, by the MoD through MEC TDP (see below); · A limited range of exploitation tools: not all systems will allow users to see the same format, for example, ASTOR can read Ground Moving Target Data (GMTI), but cannot look at all forms of electro-optical imagery; · Limited interoperability between systems, hindering operational integration, flexibility and operational effectiveness.
Addressing the issues: some examples
It is widely recognised that improved integration across existing and planned ISTAR systems will be a key benefit deliverer. Enabling systems to "talk to each other" allows an enterprise-wide DCPD process, rather than as is currently the case, where DCPD processes taking place in parallel within different 'stovepiped' systems, for example ASTOR, Watchkeeper and Raptor. This is a significant technical challenge. Platforms, enabling systems and networks were historically rarely procured together, and therefore not designed to "talk" to each other. It requires advanced expertise in complex systems of systems integration to overcome these challenges - experience in integrating single systems and platforms only is inadequate. When developing a highly complex system of systems, a significant amount of specialist architectural analysis, design and integration testing of the elements is essential. This activity will be overseen within the ISTAR acquisition community by the newly formed ISTAR System Engineering Programme Organisation, ISEPO, which is intending to draw on business practices developed, inter alia, by the Joint Systems Integration Body (JSIB), established in 2003 as a partnership between the MoD and General Dynamics UK; the Joint Networks Integration Body (JNIB), which de-risks network 'end-to-end' communications capabilities; and the Modular Exploitation Capability (MEC) Technology Demonstrator Programme (TDP). MEC TDP - completed in 2006 - was a highly successful technology demonstration programme to show how individual ISTAR legacy systems could be brought together into an integrated exploitation system of systems. Additionally, it demonstrated how intelligence analyst resources could be managed across the system of systems. MEC TDP was sponsored by DEC(ISTAR) and managed by the Future Business Group. It is anticipated that a capability with these attributes will be sought within the early tranches of DABINETT.
Future programmes
In recognition of the gaps that currently exist, the MoD plans to invest significant funds in the DABINETT programme. DABINETT aims to address these identified gaps by delivering an enterprise-wide system of systems, with associated process change across all the Defence Lines of Development (DLoD) and with the necessary connectivity and interoperability with UK government agencies and allies. Subject to Planning Round 08, the first individual projects within the DABINETT programme are expected to get underway within the next twelve months.
The defence budget is under significant pressure. This poses a significant risk to smaller enabling projects, designed to connect up systems and deliver operational flexibility, agility, and other benefits of Network Enabled Capability. These projects deliver benefits out of all proportion to their cost. For example, the £50m project LISTENER aimed to automate data sharing between collector platforms in order to ensure timely identification and tracking of high priority targets. This would have allowed decision-makers to deliver timely engagement of fleeting targets. However, its Demonstration and Manufacture phase has been cancelled in the current MoD planning round. The need to integrate ISTAR platforms and systems is rightly recognised, and any tendency to cut such programmes in favour of larger and more visible platform procurements should be resisted if the benefits of a functioning ISTAR capability are to be delivered to the forces on the front line.
Starkly, it is no use collecting data without the means to fuse it into a timely and coherent picture so that decision-makers can act upon it. This is a key tenet of NEC. Fusion/NEC appears to be an ISTAR capability gap. With the cancellation of LISTENER, which would have done it for airborne EW, one has to question whether the MoD is giving fusion/NEC sufficient priority.
12 May 2008 [1] The process that underpins the UK ISTAR enterprise is the UK's doctrinal intelligence cycle. This consists of four constituent elements: Direct, Collect, Process and Disseminate (DCPD). These are defined as follows: · Direction - the management of resources and processes to deliver actionable information and intelligence (i2) to decision makers. · Collection - the gathering of data to support answering questions. · Processing - this covers analysis and exploitation of collected sensor data to derive actionable i2. · Dissemination - delivery of the derived i2 to appropriate decision makers and end-users.
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