ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Nov. 7, 2019) -- Senior leaders from the Army's science and technology community visited the Combat Capabilities Development Command's Center for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR Center) here Nov. 6 to learn about modernization initiatives the Center is pursuing.
Army Futures Command Chief Technology Officer Dr. Ronald Sega and Army Science Board Chairman Dr. Leonard Braverman participated in discussions and demonstrations focused on modular open systems architecture; assured position, navigation and timing; the Integrated Tactical Network; and signals intelligence.
C5ISR Center Director Patrick O'Neill explained the C4ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards, or CMOSS, project will ensure technologies "come together cohesively and consistently." This will be accomplished by converging select warfighting capabilities -- such as mission command, electronic warfare and signals intelligence -- into one system, versus the current method of integrating a multitude of physical components into vehicles.
"Well-defined components with open interfaces will allow for rapid technology insertion. This will enable Army platforms to keep pace with emerging and innovative capabilities as they become available," O'Neill said. "This program will help the Army expedite modernization, reduce integration challenges and spur more industry opportunities."
In the Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Systems Integration Lab, the group discussed plans to implement plug-and-play PNT capabilities into the CMOSS construct. Lab representatives also highlighted how the Center is leveraging modeling and simulation to assess the mission effectiveness of PNT capabilities and inform tailored and cost-effective fielding decisions. They showed Sega and Braverman systems currently in development and testing, such as the Mounted Assured PNT System, anti-jam antennas and the Defense Advanced GPS Receiver.
At the C5ISR Center Systems Integration Laboratory, Sega and Braverman learned how the Center's lab-based testing is solving complex network challenges while helping the Army to reduce fielding time and costs. This included testing of Integrated Tactical Network capabilities prior to fielding equipment to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and a demonstration of the Center's Blacksails program, which was developed to replicate tactical radio network configurations.
The visit concluded with an overview of the Tactical Signals Intelligence System, where C5ISR Center researchers integrated commercial and government hardware and software from the signals intelligence, electronic warfare and cyber domains onto a Stryker armored vehicle. The team has completed three vehicles, and the next integration effort will be a model for a CMOSS-compliant platform. The team noted they are also looking into commercial machine learning technologies for future signals intelligence applications.
O'Neill said the C5ISR Center is focused on aligning science and technology investments and deliverables with the needs of the future force.
"Whether it be Soldiers, senior leaders or our partners in industry and academia, we continually engage with our stakeholders," O'Neill said. "We welcome our customers and partners to come see what we're doing for the Soldier."
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The C5ISR Center is the Army's applied research and advanced technology development center for C5ISR capabilities. As the Army's primary integrator of C5ISR technologies and systems, the center develops and matures capabilities that support all six Army modernization priorities, enabling information dominance and tactical overmatch for the joint warfighter.
The C5ISR Center is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nation's wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.
For more information, contact the C5ISR Center Public Affairs Office at usarmy.apg.ccdc-c5isr.mbx.pao@mail.mil.
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