C4ISR: –
The 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS) illuminates China’s economic rise and newfound global influence, underpinning the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ambitions of challenging the free and open international rules-based system. After decades of studying the United States, the CCP has undergone a sustained effort to bolster its military to disrupt the U.S. ability to project power. Simultaneously, the CCP is pursuing a concept called “informatized” war to replicate the U.S. approach to network warfare. Both nations rely on their defense industries to outpace their adversaries in this pivotal aspect of great power competition.
Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) is a broad and cross-disciplined industry focused on integrating technology and information systems to enhance a commander’s situational awareness and decision-making. Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) is the DoD’s concept to integrate partner nations and service Command and Control (C2) and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, thereby allowing commanders to sense, make sense, and act at the speed of relevance. The C4ISR Industry Study examined the health of the U.S. C4ISR industry and its ability to enable CJADC2 technologies relative to its adversaries and propose recommendations for assisting the U.S. effort.
Great power competition has led to the continued growth of the global C4ISR industry. The U.S. market alone is valued at $61.51 billion and covers 678 programs. Comparing the U.S. C4ISR industrial base with that of China and Russia through Porter’s Five Forces model, we determined that the United States holds a slight advantage over China due to the competitive forces amongst rivals and the fact that China’s technological advancements and industrial base have yet to ween their dependency on foreign technology, although they are aggressively pursuing self-sufficiency.
Despite a robust C4ISR industry, the United States faces many challenges to achieving CJADC2 due to its policy and doctrine, communications environment, and institutional culture. The national security environment demands innovation, speed, agility, and affordability. However, the systemic forces underpinning the balance amongst these factors need to be addressed to adapt to the unprecedented rivalry in global competition.
From a policy and doctrine perspective, the cycle of requirements tied to CJADC2 capabilities and funding continues to fuel the C4ISR industry, but inflexible funding and the requirements-based acquisition strategies are directly opposed to innovation. The Federal Acquisition Regulations dissuade innovation among large defense primes and challenge start-up companies. Additionally, stakeholders across the ecosystem need help to work together because CJADC2 is a process rather than a product. To date, the DoD has accepted many definitions and embraced a federated approach to capability development in the interest of speed. However, a more coherent integration plan is required to tackle the challenge of “making sense” of the voluminous data available as networks proliferate. Finally, two of the primary offices integrating efforts, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) and Joint Staff’s Command, Control, Communications and Computer/Cyber Directorate (J6), are not responsible for establishing or monitoring the commander’s informational requirements leading to an understanding of the operational environment. As a result, they continue to focus on establishing connectivity between communication nodes rather than the broader effort of delivering decision superiority. To bridge these gaps, we recommend:
- CJADC2 implementation should be owned by the Operations Directorate (J3) and supported by the Combatant Command and Service’s Operations Directorates;
- The DoD should focus on its role in the innovation ecosystem rather than trying to recreate an internal ecosystem; and
- Leverage Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to promote competition among firms.
The DoD continues to struggle in the communications environment. It has yet to create an optimal Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process for fielding interoperable C4ISR systems that satisfy CJADC2. I t continues to lag behind the commercial market in developing, fielding, and modernizing cutting-edge technologies with the agility necessary to continue the CJADC2 evolution. It continues to invest in hardware-centric systems to enable decision-making instead of leveraging the software acquisition approach that can deliver the speed of information required for tomorrow. To bridge these gags, we recommend:
- Adopting a C4ISR As-A-Service model (C4ISRaaS) as a cost-effective solution to rapidly upgrade capabilities by leveraging advancing commercial sensors, communication pathways, data management/integration platforms, and user interfaces to satisfy C2 and ISR requirements; and
- Prioritize acquiring advanced software-driven technologies and platforms.
The DoD must shift from a culture that assumes freedom of action in a unipolar world to understanding the need for alliances and partnerships. As such, CJADC2 efforts must prioritize interoperability with mission partners and alliances to ensure rapid and widespread information sharing as a foundational pillar of the CJADC2 implementation strategy. The current practice of over-classification inhibits internal efforts for joint interoperability and presents significant obstacles to working with allies and partners. Furthermore, the DoD must recognize that it is not the global leader in every technology. To bridge these gaps, we recommend:
- Writing data-centric policies for information release at different classifications;
- Assist with building partnerships amongst Indo-Pacific, Euro-Atlantic, and other regional partners;
- Find opportunities to link our defense industrial base with partners;
- Create a fully proven trust chain and data highway to safeguard and verify data sources, vehicles, and receivers; and
- Align structural incentives to streamline acquisition processes.
The U.S. C4ISR Industry possesses the capability and capacity to deliver CJADC2, but it will take leadership to develop, communicate, and acquire the required technical solutions. The federated approach to date has been helpful in determining the requisite technologies and increasing connectivity. Still, it is ready for an evolution toward a more deliberate approach that pursues an initial solitary vision.
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