FROM SENSOR TO SHOOTER FASTER


machine-to-machine information sharing requires common standards and well- defined system interfaces.


LESSONS LEARNED In preparation for the live demonstration, the RCCTO partnered with the Systems Integration Lab of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s C5ISR Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to create a devel- opment environment. Tis consisted of computers hosting “virtual machines” of the Air Force’s Common Mission Control Center software, the message translation software and the Army Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System applica- tion—that is, the sensor that would detect a target, the software that would translate the message generated by the sensor, and the artillery that would fire on the target.


In a complex fight in an anti- access and area denial environment, the time it


takes to deliver information from sensor to shooter is critical.


110 Army AL&T Magazine Summer 2019


Te early testing enabled proper transla- tion and formatting of the critical message traffic.


Both the lab testing and the demon- stration highlighted the need for more standard workflows for fires units when passing messages to joint forces, includ- ing observer mission updates. Additionally, capabilities for sharing situational aware- ness could be enhanced to streamline the air and ground fires clearance processes while minimizing the potential friendly fire or fratricide.


for


Additional analysis will be necessary to move toward greater use of common standards. On a modern battlefield, with multiple units and multiple services, this becomes a much more complex idea that will require the application of advanced machine learning and artificial intelli- gence. One of the key assumptions behind the April demonstration vignette is that the sensor detects an unplanned target as a


“Joint Force Commander Critical Target,” as described in the multiservice tactics, techniques and procedures publication for dynamic targeting. Tese particular targets typically represent a very small portion of the total, and in most cases require an immediate response because of the potential danger to friendly forces.


CONCLUSION Te sensor-to-shooter team successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility of machine-to-machine connectivity facili- tating Air Force and Army bidirectional message passing. Next, the RCCTO team is planning to conduct a possible end-to- end test of the entire sensor-to-shooter kill chain. Tis expanded chain will yield additional lessons learned and insights into machine-to-machine execution and the time to completion of complex kill chains. Additional development could explore an early discussion on hosting the


adapter software at an Army unit, creat- ing a more direct link from an Air Force platform to an Army fires unit. Collabo- ration with U.S. Army Europe continues, with G-3 Fires and G-6 providing input and expertise for continued development of a direct link test and network connec- tivity for the current software.


Ultimately, the Army will need to conduct additional exercises to evaluate message flows in disparate geographic locations to further operationalize the technology. One of many sensor-to-shooter efforts, this will be an important step in creating a better integrated and more lethal joint team to defeat anti-access and area denial measures.


For more informat ion, go to the RCCTO website at ht tps:// rapidcapabilitiesoffice.army.mil/.


MAJ.(P) ISAAC LEWELLEN is the RCCTO Sensor-to-Shooter Joint Project lead. He is an air defense officer with Patriot and indirect fire protection capability battalion experience. He holds a B.S. in psychology from the University of Oregon.


CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 3 JAMES PATRICK is a network management tech- nician for the RCCTO Sensor-to-Shooter project. He is a signal warrant officer with experience in communications and acquisitions.


LARRY JENNINGS is the MITRE Corp. project lead across various RCCTO initia- tives. He has specialized in advanced concepts development and agile acquisition over the last several years. He holds a M.S. in management information systems from Bowie State University and a B.S. in busi- ness administration from the University of Montana.


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