QUARTERBACKING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
network. But this proved difficult as networks were built for specific purposes, for specific customers and for specific applica- tions, as the development followed the funding streams (the term “stovepipe” comes to mind here). Soldiers found themselves need- ing to navigate the disparate networks (instead of Te Network) to accomplish mission objectives. For example, logistics, medi- cal and command-and-control systems all had their own separate networks, with different transport hardware, routing protocols, security and data standards. Getting data from one network or application to another often required costly integration work.
Fast-forward to today and the vision has unequivocally been cast for a combined and joint force capable of seamless warfight- ing across all domains: sea, air, land, space and cyberspace. Tis describes a simplified and flattened communications pathway with data as the prized commodity; it describes a connectiv- ity that is entirely agnostic to specific transport systems where the right data is accessible to the right consumer at the speed of mission. According to a working definition recently approved by the Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth:
“Te data-centric Army employs advanced lethality, survivability and tempo—empowers leaders and Soldiers with the right infor- mation at the right time to gauge risk, optimize combat power, fully employ national means and attain decision dominance at all echelons. Leaders leverage analytics to understand, visualize, describe, direct, lead and assess. In real time, the Army learns,
adapts, generates and sustains forces with integrated decision- driven analytic capabilities."
Te ability to achieve this vision requires a robust and secure unified network as a starting point, and a commitment to the centrality of data. At its core, data-centricity is a paradigm in which data is an open resource, accessible and consumable by any trusted, networked application without time-consuming and expensive data integration efforts. With access to all the data, leaders make evidence-informed decisions at speeds previously not possible. Data-centricity is the first shift in this digital revo- lution, and it’s a big one.
Key Effort: Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA(ALT)) Unified Data Refer- ence Architecture.
Data centricity requires some set of standards to define how data is packaged and understood. DASA DES is defining a unified data reference architecture in the 2023 fiscal year that will govern acquisition of data-centric capabilities throughout ASA(ALT). Tis will give program managers and industry partners archi- tectural guidance for producing, sharing and consuming Army data. Te unified data reference architecture enables digital trans- formation by adding data mesh to converge existing data fabric and platform efforts.
A NEW STRATEGY
Programs need a common playbook for digital engineering to ensure that system representations are consistent, reusable, able to be integrated with one another and traceable to operational needs. When everyone on the team is running the play properly, the efficiencies are exponential. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Sean K. Harp, Defense Imagery Management Operations Center)
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Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2023
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