Information dominance: the implications of the digital transformation of armed forces
The digital transformation of defense is profound and ongoing. Most MoDs mindset is structured around 3 strategic objectives in the context of the ongoing digital revolution: operational superiority and information dominance in operation theater, effective day-to-day personnel support, and improved citizen relations and attractiveness of the army.
Particularly significant, the first objective mentioned a common need: in the face of an enemy that is itself increasingly digital and agile, it is critical to maintain an information advantage and anticipate the disruptions in employment that technological advances will inevitably bring (collaborative combat, autonomous systems, data analysis and fusions, decision support, artificial intelligence applications, …)
Linked with this need for informational superiority are the issues of access, security and transmission of data: how can information be transformed into intelligence and used to make decisions?
In the field, digitalization is imposing itself on the armed forces and impacting both doctrine and practices, even beyond technical adaptations. For our forces and those of our allies, as well as for those of our adversaries, “Data is the New Weapon”.
Part 1: The 3 key drivers for digitalising defense
With the exponential growth in the volume and use of data, armies are equipping themselves with digitalized systems. Whether it is for information sharing in the context of collaborative combat, strategic decision support or the operational readiness of forces and platforms, data represents a considerable asset for the armed forces, provided it is properly processed.
Part 2: The 3 critical success factors for the digitalisation of defense
Atos supports armed forces in the digitalization of their systems and data processing in order to meet their ambition of information dominance. Upstream and downstream data management: from sourcing to delivering actionable intelligence, Atos leverages its expertise in Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, High-Performance Computing (HPC) and cybersecurity technologies to deliver the right information, at the right time, to the right level of the chain of command and to support forces throughout the OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) process. In collaboration with the defense ecosystem: Atos designs and integrates heterogeneous systems based on technologies that meet defense standards. This integration capability enables delivering scalable, modular and sustainable systems to military organisations.