JADC2: Connectivity and Decision-Making Across Domains and Services

As China continues to advance technologies, connecting assets and communicating across domains couldn’t be more important for the U.S. and its allies.

At ɫ��ֱ��, Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) means connectivity and the ability to achieve decision superiority over adversaries. And in every domain, every second counts.

“With more than 50 years of experience connecting the joint force – from undersea to deep space and everything in between – ɫ��ֱ�� is in a strong position to lead the JADC2 effort as a prime,” said Tom Gould, Vice President, Air Force and Space Force Programs, ɫ��ֱ��.

The U.S. and its allies need resilient communications that securely pass data over vast distances to connect the joint force in new and creative ways, allowing warfighters to “sense,” “make sense” and “act.”

“From a private to the President, when assured communications are required and you really need to connect, ɫ��ֱ�� is the natural choice,” said Toby Magsig, Senior Director, Technology Strategy, ɫ��ֱ��.

“ɫ��ֱ�� already enables communications for each of the service components,” he continued. “Now we are focused on pulling this data together to allow leaders to make better and faster decisions. It’s about selecting the best effect available to achieve a desired result.”

EXPLORE JOINT ALL-DOMAIN COMMAND AND CONTROL

A Growing Legacy

ɫ��ֱ�� continues to expand upon its JADC2 heritage and expertise.

As part of the Department of Defense’s JADC2 effort, ɫ��ֱ�� recently secured a contract to provide the backbone of the Navy’s JADC2 architecture and integrated fires capability. And as one of five companies on the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) Digital Infrastructure Consortium, ɫ��ֱ�� is tasked to design and develop the JADC2 digital backbone for the Department of the Air Force.

In October, ɫ��ֱ�� announced its intentions to acquire Viasat, Inc.’s Tactical Data Links (TDL) product line. The TDL network is integrated on military aircraft, ground vehicles, surface vessels and operating bases, enabling warfighters across multiple domains to securely share voice and data communications.

The planned acquisition, when combined with the work ɫ��ֱ�� is already doing, will allow the joint and coalition forces to connect even more effectively, Gould explained.

“Looking further ahead, our investments in multi-function processing, next-generation datalinks and data fusion capabilities give ɫ��ֱ�� an edge over competitors,” he said.

Magsig added that ɫ��ֱ��’ 19,000 engineers are improving JADC2 capabilities every day to put the best solutions in the hands of the warfighter. However, as services look to the defense industry for JADC2 solutions, it’s required a step back to redefine scope.

“Initially with JADC2, we were trying to boil the ocean, solve everything and make every sensor connect to every C2 node, to every shooter,” Magsig said. “Now we’re looking at only the essential shooters being connected to the right sensor. It’s the ability to gather the data and push that data to places it needs to be, and not everywhere.”

He said industry has also changed its JADC2 approach by shifting from completely autonomous capabilities to advanced manned and unmanned teaming. This change lowers risk, helps protect the overall force and elicits the power of autonomy and robotics, while the technology required for full autonomy continues to mature.

Looking Ahead

As the Department Of Defense and the industry’s JADC2 efforts continue to evolve, commonality across systems will also grow in importance.

“JADC2 will be enabled by a core set of common technologies that are domain- and service-agnostic, but will be scaled in capability, form factor and cost to support the specific requirements of the respective services and their operating domains,” Gould said. “Multi-function processing and next-generation datalinks will be key, and ɫ��ֱ�� is investing heavily in these areas.”

He reiterated that JADC2 is all about decision superiority at the end of the day.

“Decision superiority depends on connectivity, and connectivity will be empowered by these technologies,” he said. “They are the future of JADC2, and ɫ��ֱ�� will be providing the solutions that will ensure the warfighter’s success.”

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