C4I: JP2030 - refreshing a success story | ADM Oct 2010
Defence is refreshing and enhancing its Joint Command Support Environment (JCSE) under Phase 8 of JP 2030.
This will better equip HQ Joint Operations Command at Bungendore to plan and estimate the necessary resources for ADF operations in peace as well as wartime.
Gregor Ferguson | Sydney
Joint Project 2030 Phase 8 is a multi-phase project which will enhance command and control system support to the planning and conduct of ADF operations.
It has its roots back in the 1990s when the former ADI, now Thales Australia, won the prime contract to develop the ADF’s Joint Command Support Environment (JCSE).
Despite the unpromising precedent of the Army’s unsuccessful Australian Army Command Support System (AUSTACSS) system, the JCSE proved a highly successful planning and decision support system and has supported ADF operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan as well as special events such as the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The JCSE was extended horizontally and vertically across the air command and control environment as well as the Special Forces domain in successive phases.
However, it never became a truly integrated system; and technology growth, successive reorganisations of the higher command echelons of the ADF, the ADF’s embrace of Network Centric Warfare (NCW) and the establishment at Bungendore of a new and streamlined HQ Joint Operations Command (HQJOC) made it timely to re-examine and re-invent the JCSE.
The mechanism for achieving this was Phase 8 of JP2030, which saw an open tender in 2006 to appoint a new prime systems integrator who would implement what amounted to a clean-sheet approach by Defence to the new JCSE architecture.
The systems integrator would be responsible for ‘above the line’ work – defining the systems requirements and architecture and then integrating, testing and delivering the finished system.
Also appointed was a five-strong panel of contractors who would compete for the ‘below the line’ contracts to develop discrete applications and packages of functionality.
The 2006 Defence Capability Plan (DCP) stated that Phase 8 was worth an estimated $250-$350 million.
Improvements
One of its critical features is the enhancement of the JCSE functionality at the new HQJOC, which has no less than 700 JCSE users; another was the need to integrate closely system functions which until now had been stand-alone applications, or simply federated at best.
And there needed to be a smooth transition from the legacy systems.
Systems and software house CSC Australia was named Systems Integrator, displacing Thales, and is now developing and rolling out a new JCSE architecture, albeit one which might contain quite significant elements of the legacy system.
The five panelists are Lockheed Martin Australia, BAE Systems Australia, Thales, Saab Systems and Brisbane SME KoBold.
Defence sources told ADM Phase 8 aims to deliver eight specific capability elements:
* Joint Operations Portal (JOP) - This is based on Microsoft Sharepoint and is the core of Phase 8.
It provides the infrastructure into which all other capability elements can be integrated.
* Joint Planning Suite (JPS) - This provides a series of specialised tools to assist staff with the planning of military operations.
* Preparedness Management Information System (PMIS) - This will provide customised business intelligence tools that allow Defence to assess the costs associated with maintaining preparedness levels, as well as informing commanders on the state of readiness of forces.
* Situational Awareness Common Operating Picture (SACOP) - This provides an integrated and fused situational picture for senior staff, to allow them to maintain awareness of Australia Defence Force activities across multiple areas of operation.
* Special Operations Command Support System (SOCSS) - Under Phase 8, there is further enhancement of the SOCSS tools purchased under earlier phases of JP2030.
* Air Command Support System (ACSS) - This will be further refined from the products delivered under earlier phases, and integrated into the Joint Command Support Environment.
* Geospatial Tools - Planning staff will be provided access to geospatial tools to support the planning of operations, through the provision of relevant electronic mapping and imagery.
* Intelligence Tools - These tools will assist planners and intelligence staff to better analyse the operational environment and threats that may be encountered.
These elements are being delivered under an evolutionary development model.
Rather than define a whole system and then try to develop, integrate and deliver it in a single, unwieldy lump, the upgraded JCSE will be delivered in three Evolutions; each of these will consist of an initial release and at least one upgraded release.
Trying to deliver something as complex as the JCSE using a ‘big bang’ approach means trying to define functions and architectures too far in advance and committing too early to technology which will becoming obsolete very quickly with every iteration of Moore’s Law.
The evolutionary approach allows a graduated approach to requirements definition and approval: the customer has a very clear view of his requirements for the next step of the process and the contractor can estimate costs and risks accurately.
This isn’t so very different from the successful approach taken by prime contractor Saab Systems and the DMO on the Battlefield Command Support System (BCSS), and seems to have transferred successfully to the JCSE program, say industry sources.
Timelines
After gaining 1st pass approval in 2006, JP2030 will undergo multiple 2nd Pass approvals.
The first Evolution of JP2030 Phase 8 got under way some 18 months ago with a restricted RFT to the five panelists for four elements: three software development tasks and the establishment at HQJOC of a Joint Support Organisation, including a service desk, business analysts and training team.
The three software development tasks were the Joint Planning Suite (JPS), the Joint Operations Portal (JOP), and the integration and security accreditation of an innovative logistics planning tool developed by DSTO, CSC and Consunet called VIPA, for Vital Planning and Analysis.
In each case the functional specification and system architecture were developed by CSC and the tender evaluation was handled by the DMO, with CSC providing subject matter expertise in support.
Lockheed Martin won all four contracts under Evolution 1; the JPS element involved creating a planning suite that is also based on Microsoft SharePoint Server (SPS) – this has been delivered and is being used by operators in a so-called ‘Leave-Behind Trial’.
The JOP and JPS have already proven their worth in live operations, ADM understands, though details are scanty: their exact function is classified.
Defence made these functions its priority because these are extremely useful planning tools which HQJOC had previously lacked; they simplify and make more accurate the process of estimating the resources and costs associated with operational planning options.
Also, as the HQ organisation was being streamlined, JOP and JPS provided a mechanism for realising genuine organizational efficiencies.
Releases 1 and 2 of this first Evolution have already been rolled out and Release 3 is under development and test; each successive Release delivers an incremental increase in capability.
The remaining functions will be acquired in successive Evolutions under separate tenders; details of what each one consists of haven’t been disclosed.
The RFT for Evolution 2 was due to close on 5 October with a contract due in early-mid 2011 and ADM understands this will focus on enhancements to the JPS and JOP, along with the SOCSS and Common Operating Picture (COP).
These will be delivered in two releases, rather than three, as one of the lessons from Evolution 1 has been that the cycle time for three releases doesn’t really give time to test and demonstrate properly before the next release is due.
This proved true of the BCSS program which also went from a six-monthly technology refresh cycle to a 12-month cycle for much the same reason.
Evolution 2 also includes a contract to extend or replace the Joint Support Organisation (JSO) at Bungendore.
This highlights an interesting feature of the contracting philosophy: while the JSO contract is a key a stand-alone element, the other development contracts awarded under the tenders for each successive Evolution are likely to be awarded to a single contractor.
This will simplify both contracting and systems integration.
Evolution 3 will deliver the outstanding components of the new JCSE, and ADM understands it likely won’t get under way until the first two Evolutions have matured.
However, it’s understood that the Geospatial and Intelligence tools will be acquired under separate DCP projects: these will provide a data stream for JCSE operators which will need to be integrated into the overall system.
COTS and MOTS
An important feature of JCSE, according to industry sources, is the emphasis on COTS and MOTS equipment.
Actual development work is being kept to a minimum, both to control risk and cost and also because many of the candidate MOTS solutions will be identical or very similar to those used by Australia’s principal allies, which is important for coalition interoperability and should also help reduce cost and risk.
General systems support for the JCSE, including hardware maintenance and software licensing, is being done through existing Defence arrangements managed by the Chief Information Officer Group (CIOG), a defence source told ADM.
The JSO supports the specialised capability elements, and provides direct support to HQJOC and to subordinate headquarters, augmented by existing support arrangement from CIOG.
The next major portion of the JCSE road map is Phase 9, which is some time away: the 2006 DCP suggests 2nd Pass approvals in the 2012-15 time frame, with deliveries between 2014 and 2016 (the 2009 DCP provides little in the way of concrete timelines for the project).
This will extend the JCSE and consolidate the ADF’s extant command support systems into a single organism; it will also roll out a mobile version of JCSE to the ADF’s mobile HQ groups, such as the Deployable Joint Force HQ, and will likely include equipment permanently embarked on platforms such as the RAN’s new Canberra-class LHDs.
Since its inception during the 1990’s, JP2030 has been a successful program, having delivered the predecessor to the Defence Secret Network in operational headquarters around Australia, developed the early versions of the deployed systems now being used on operations, and establishing standards and support arrangements which have now become standard Defence business.
The deployable local area network systems delivered by the project have been used to support ADF operations across a wide spectrum including East Timor, the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The project has also acquired and delivered specialised applications, including earlier iterations of the SOCSS and the ACSS.
Many of the applications delivered under these earlier phases are still used in support of current Defence operations, and it’s understood some are likely to remain in service largely unaltered, except for the necessary work required to integrate them properly into the rest of the new system.
Calytrix to help enhance emergency planning
Building on its work with the UN’s World Food Program (WFP), Calytrix Technologies (Australia) has released a new system designed to support planning and execution of collective training activities targeted at the Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance communities.
The Calytrix Exercise and Operations Network (EON) system is also able to support peace keeping operations and exercise military civilian coordination efforts.
The EON systems brings together a range of collaborative planning, information sharing and visualisation tools, which together provide disaster response organisations with similar capabilities inherent in more complex military C2 and training systems.
While developed primarily as an exercise and simulation support capability, EON has been deliberately designed to allow this training capability to be extended into the operational domain; providing the ability to train, plan and operate in the same environment.
“EON provides emergency response and humanitarian organisations with a credible and affordable capability that also allows interoperability into the Civil/Military domain, with great utility into the military peace keeping and disaster response sectors,” Calytrix Technologies’ CEO, Shawn Parr, said.
This Australian developed software now forms a core part of collective training activities for the WFP across Asia and potentially into Africa in the near future.
Supported by Calytrix, the next step for the WFP is to widen the training audience to other UN and agencies and this will be the focus of the next major exercise to be conducted this month.
Beyond that, the WFP is looking at how to transition the system from the collective training to the operational environment which Parr says is, “critical to ensure that responders are able to move from a contingency planning and exercise environment to operational response; using the same system”.
SATCOMS on the move
Tom Muir | Canberra
Implicit in the achievement of the networked battlespace is access to bandwidth and the transfer of data on a scale that may have seemed unthinkable even a decade or so ago.
The introduction of battle management systems for mounted and dismounted infantry in battle groups, and C2 systems for artillery and armoured regiments, is possible only because of the availability of fast data transfer systems below the brigade level, able to handle and process their multi-dimensional information requirements.
But despite the advantages of the high-capacity digital combat radios that the ADF is acquiring for the networking of deployed battle groups, their VHF/UHF voice and data networks are limited by terrain and range.
Full coverage of the battlespace must necessarily rely on radio relays, such as those deployed on UAVs, and of course satellite communications.
And one aspect of the latter, in which the DSTO has shown considerable interest, is military command-on-the-move via satellite, whereby commanders in vehicles can receive and transmit satellite feeds while moving.
Queensland firm EM Solutions, a specialist designer in the telecommunications sector, in 2008 won a CTD contract for battle command-on-the-move Ka band communications.
ADM understands the system was recently demonstrated at Enoggera, aboard a Bushmaster PMV.
Presumably the CTD was able to demonstrate broadband satellite feeds directly into battle group and below command vehicles, while on the move as distinct from mobile satcom ‘at-the-halt’.
There are of course significant advantages in having robust beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) communications available on and behind the battlespace.
Broadband satcom, as promised by the WGS capability, will be able to deliver data, voice and video directly down to battle group and lower echelon commanders.
This CTD, which is properly C2-on-the-move (C2OTM) will provide tactical commanders with important new capabilities, especially in fast-moving counter insurgency or similar operations.
Assuming command vehicles could be operating close to or within hostile territory, a major challenge for EMS (and their teaming partner BAE Systems Australia) would have been to design a low-profile antenna that could provide continuous connectivity in conditions where commercial terminals could be expected to fail, providing up to 1 Mbps continuous data rates for command elements on the move.
The antenna must be able to automatically and rapidly recover from signal blockages due to buildings, terrain or foliage or weather and other atmospheric conditions (Ka Band is susceptible to attenuation from rain).
Since the WGS provides multiple steerable spotbeams including diplex antennas, direct communication via satellite between vehicles or battle group headquarters will be possible, or the satellite feed could be distributed via high-speed modems to mobile ‘subscribers’ or through IP networks accessible by high data capacity combat radio systems, such as those being acquired under Land 200 and JP 2072.
L-3 Link’s helmet display to support RAAF aircrew training
L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) has announced that the first international sale of its Advanced Helmet Mounted Display has been made to Raytheon Australia in support of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) Hornet Aircrew Training System (HACTS).
The award calls for L-3 Link to provide Advanced Helmet Mounted Displays (AHMDs) to support pilot training on the RAAF’s three F/A-18 Tactical Readiness Trainers (TRT). L-3 Link’s AHMD will replace current fixed field-of-view flat panel displays, enabling pilots to view out-the-window imagery and systems symbology over a 360-degree field-of-regard.
The AHMDs will be delivered to two RAAF installations during the third quarter of 2011.
“The Royal Australian Air Force’s low-cost F/A-18 Tactical Readiness Trainers will receive a significant increase in training capability when the Advanced Helmet Mounted Displays are fielded,” Bob Birmingham, president of L-3 Link, said.
“This increased training fidelity will completely immerse aircrews within a realistic virtual environment, while maintaining the F/A-18 Tactical Readiness Trainers’ small footprint.”
In addition to providing a 360-degree field-of-regard, the L-3 Link AHMD projects an instantaneous field-of-view that spans 100 degrees horizontally by 50 degrees vertically.
Due to the AHMD’s greater than 50 per cent see-through capability, RAAF F/A-18 pilots will be able to clearly view the TRT’s simulated controls and avionics.
The TRTs, whether networked to the RAAF’s high-fidelity F/A-18 Tactical Operational Flight Trainers or used to provide individual training, provide a low-cost multiplier that increases training throughput and maximises flight training effectiveness.