Military technology takes time to pass reliability tests but this gestation period can be shortened by thinking ahead. Chief among these innovations are the IoMT and IoBT
From a technological standpoint, we are living in a glorious age, the time of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, one marked by the transformative power of data and machine learning (ML). But the military has always been just a beat behind industry historically. Compounding this is the fact that military war fighting machines — particularly command and control systems — are complex and driven by reliability, speed and security. Today it is critical that the armed forces pull a half-level ahead to set the technological tone for the industry and create Military 4.5. It is a roadmap that will guide the innovation we need to keep the nation and its allies ready and compatible to keep themselves safe and free.
Military technology takes time to pass reliability tests but this gestation period can be shortened by thinking ahead. Chief among these innovations is the creation of the Internet of Military Things (IoMT) and the Internet of Battle Things (IoBT). Most of us are familiar with the IoMT’s civilian counterpart, the Internet of Things. Loosely described, it is the notion that machines can be made smarter and do much more for their human users, all through the application of sensors for the transmission and analysis of data. But the military version will be quite different from its consumer counterpart with thermostats that adjust a home’s energy levels or refrigerators that note when food will expire. The IoMT and the IoBT will be extended, hardened and more quickly advanced to help the armed forces make better decisions in a literal fraction of a second, win the missions necessary to defend the borders, promote force safety, warn and fix equipment well before it fails. The IoMT would enable hooking on to the larger network of organs engaged in related missions, working on national security by selecting secure domains by just the flick of a button and disconnect with the same ease. If IoMT is the mother that moves all things military in the war zone, ubiquitously, beginning at the apex/strategic level, the IoBT would be its subordinate that moves the “fighting things” (e.g., man and machine). The IoBT would work the fighting component on the battlefield in a physical manifestation of fighting battles of contact and proximity, typically in the tactical battle area.
We are well on our way to bringing the IoMT further along — but we need more from the industry. It should challenge itself to bring military hardware to comply with the digital needs of the systems to work as part of a defined combat domain. Combat systems have to work on data compatibility within the domain to infuse Artificial Intelligence (AI). Equipment manufacturers must know how much flexibility the user must be given to exploit the machine. Certain machines would have better programmability and others would require less, dependent on how much customisation is needed by its user. In a nutshell, not all equipment would be “plug and play” ready when received from the industry. The second industrial process, mostly in-house, would be needed to enable the equipment to become “plug and play” ready.
Find ways to better connect military machines: In the field, all the military’s machines — tanks, logistics, convoys, helicopters, fighter jets, command and control, medevac and so on — must work together as a harmonious, synchronous whole. This is the networked military, formally known as C5I2-STAR2 (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence and Information — Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance and Robotics). To understand the IoMT and IoBT, let us look at C5I2 and STAR2 as separate segments. To network war-fighting machines to the next level, we require the sensors and underlying infrastructure that make it possible for these disaggregated parts to work together in a seamless, automatic, even robotic way.
The first segment, C5I2, is to get the necessary inputs for decision-making; programme the higher to middle echelons; activate the battle fighting elements through the Command and Control mechanism based on the secure digital networks.
The second segment, STAR2, lies in moving battle platforms and machines. Surveillance and Target Acquisition requires sensors to be integrated for the operator. Reconnaissance and robotics supplement this process through automating the process with AI engines that would decide the effects to deliver to the acquired target within the pre-planned parameters. This would be the frontline cutting edge, powering the soldiers and machines to win battle engagements. Such technology would have to touch every part of the machine and operation (e.g., communications, security, weapons systems, flight controls, targeting systems). Inter-operability is critical and all systems must be totally interfaced. This does not exist today to the extent required. Sensors for military applications will not only be a multi-trillion dollar business but shall also bring more value in enriching the IoT concept.
Invest in and invent new materials: Companies and entrepreneurs adept at material and computer science will have an incredible competitive advantage if they turn their sights to military technology. Every part of the IoMT must be digitally controlled, down to the smallest sensors. If tanks are shot at, for example, they must be able to deflect projectiles, harden targetted surfaces or even be self-repaired. That means the need for light, self-healing, tough, amphibious materials that are eminently smart and survivable. They must work in all domains and also operate with impunity through contaminated zones such as Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) environment. This would prepare the military to fight hybrid wars under the CBRN overhang. The industry must help the armed forces to be faster in all respects, whether it is making an urgent repair in the field, gaining instantaneous situational awareness, or outmaneuvering an aggressive adversary. Non-traditional industry partners should feel encouraged to explore the possibilities of working with the military. The armed forces’ leadership sees the creativity, energy and speed of the commercial sector and is increasingly interested in the potential of partnering to leap ahead.
Give us predictive capability: Sensors open the door to knowing much more about the machines we rely on. If the industry can help us take a fresh look at the way our machines work, we can do more with them and save budget in the process. Any military machine, such as a fighting tank or an attack helicopter should possess a nervous system, a sensory system. Sensors would be part built-in surveillance, acting as eyes and ears, part a decision-aiding system, part engagement of the target system and part evasive capability, protecting from an attack, and so on.
Sensors could also tell us if and when a critical part will fail so we can pull it from the field and repair it. They could give us data on fuel usage and other factors, allowing us to predict the costs of field operations. They could predict what would happen in various engagement scenarios, empowering us with data that let us prioritise innovations that increase survivability, range, flight time, communications power, and so on.
Create reliable electromagnetic field communications: We must have greater spectrum efficiency, created through connectivity that relies not on fibre optics but through the undetectable electromagnetic field and space. Today, our communication capabilities over long distances still produce some latency, more so, when large volumes of data start to flow. As one can imagine, in the field, a delay of even a second or two can produce disastrous consequences. We need technology that drives total spectral efficiency so we can synchronise machines — and integrate allied weapons, troops and forces — on a very fine time sequence. There cannot be even a moment of latency — and that is the challenge we lay before the industry. There are heavy electronic emissions and signatures in the battlefield. Electronic Warfare (EW) sensors would need to deal with an overload of EW inputs. The targets which generate heavy signatures would be engaged by automated target acquisition programmes.
The defender must invest heavily in signature shields, deflection and deception. Imagine terabytes worth of data flowing into a few square kilometres of tactical battle area. With billions of IP addresses present in the same area, IP concealment or group addresses may have to be encrypted. Quantum technology would be at play to break and protect codes. Such operations can simply become too complicated for human control. This would necessitate getting the IoMT operating C5I2 segment to perform more efficiently to get hold of the complex STAR2 segment that runs the IoBT. MIL 4.5 is the future of military technological advantage. But it won’t be possible without the IoMT, which will underpin every aspect of operations.
With the military leadership’s guidance and the industry’s ability to deliver advances in sensors, telemetry, network centricity and more, we will achieve new heights of security.
(The writer is former Deputy Chief of Indian Integrated Defence Staff)
