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The Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer Aaron Weis has released the DON Information Superiority Vision in Feb 2020 which conveyed the DON’s vision for information superiority through our information, modernized network design, and our workforce; and defines our way forward. As stated by General David H. Berger, the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corpsii , the character of warfare has changed. Peer competitors operate in the grey zone. Today’s battlefront has extended beyond the physical frontlines. Future conflicts will take place at sea, onshore and across cyberspace. Adversaries gain an advantage in the Information Environment by leveraging a proliferation of inexpensive information technologies while developing high-tech capabilities for the kinetic fight.
Success in traditional warfighting domains now requires mastering the Information Environment, which includes the electrometric spectrum, space, cyber domain, and the data that crosses them. Rapid data-enhanced decision-making, which increases lethality, defines warfare in the Information Age. Success depends on rapidly understanding the environment and enemy to make decisions faster than the adversary. The DON must securely deliver the right information to the right Sailor or Marine at the right time to defeat high-paced and evolving threats.
When it comes to supporting military operations, history has shown that effective communication and information-sharing processes are just as important as ordnance, strategy, and logistics. While information creation, communication, analysis, and exploitation have always played a key role in military strategy and operations, recent rapid progress in information and communication technologies has dramatically enhanced the strategic role of situational awareness.
Driven by the new military reform with information technology as the core, the combat style of modern warfare has undergone profound changes, and integrated joint operations have become the main operational patterns of future operations. This combat style requires multi-military and military joint operations, emphasizing the confrontation between system and system, and winning the information advantage has become an important prerequisite for winning the victory of war.
The “nervous system” of the military, the collection of subsystems used to maximize situational awareness, is referred to as C4ISR—command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The primary objective of a C4ISR system is to present the overall scenario and picture of the area of interest (such as a battlefield, operation area of ships/forces in sea/land/air, or a disaster area, etc.). This allows a clear situational awareness for better decision-making by the mission commanders to achieve their missions. A comprehensive and better situational awareness of the battlefield helps the commander in the making of effective and timely decisions which in turn helps in effective control of the situation through advanced planning and efficient utilization of the available resources.
The ter-minology of C4ISR is used by the military orga-nizations, specially by US-DoD, to mean the use of organizational setup utilized by military forces for carrying out a mission. The first C of C4ISR stands for command which means authority over subordinates with responsibility. Second C stands for control which means exercising authority over subordinates. These are the aspect of leadership and are commonly known as C2. The facilities used by commanders and leaders in carrying out their assigned missions are largely dependent on communication and computers hence terms C3 and C4 are well known and accepted. The I of C4ISR represents Intelligence, i.e. the collecting of information which is required by leaders/commanders to carry out a mission. Hence the terms C3I and C4I started coming into use over a period of time. The information is gathered through intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance which is the reason for the ISR part. The systematic observation of certain things is called surveillance whereas observations on specific occasions is defined as reconnaissance. Hence, the systems are now collectively termed as C4ISR systems.
The man-machine system for the command of troops and weapons, which integrates command, control, communication, intelligence, reconnaissance, detection, early warning and comprehensive support, is the infrastructure of military command automation, and it is also the reality of the commander. C4ISR technologies are the bedrock of any mission, and the components must work in tandem to effectively enable the “muscle” side of the military—weapons, platforms, and troops. C4ISR networks collect massive amounts of data from multiple sensors, databases, and other sources worldwide. The data is fused, processed into usable information, and shared securely among authorized users. C4ISR systems are becoming increasingly important for mission success. The increasing breadth and depth of information, the accelerating speed with which information flows and weapons can be deployed, and the proliferation of interoperable digital devices have driven home the need for the DoD to develop and deploy more modern C4ISR capabilities.
During the Gulf War, the US military was deeply troubled by the chimneys C4ISR system during the Gulf War, and the efficiency of operational command was low. Information can not be shared can only transmit information in the original manual way. After the Gulf War, the US military gradually realized that the connectivity, interworking and interoperation of C4ISR systems were the key factors to win the war. After research, the US military put forward the concept of C4ISR system architecture, and defined it as the structure of each component of the system, the relationship between them and the principles and guidelines that restrict their design and evolution over time, which is to ensure the integration of C4ISR systems. The key to interoperation. Dr. Coz (R. J. Curts) points out that the development architecture of all systems is the only way to interconnect, interwork, and interoperate between C4ISR systems. C4ISR architecture provides a logic. A structured approach to defining military combat patterns, related information flows, and The relationship between system capabilities and technical standards.
The C4ISR system is a system of systems and it can also be termed as network of networks and works on similar principles as the Internet. Hence it is vulnerable to similar attacks called cyber attacks and warrants appropriate security measures to save it from these attacks or to recover if the attack succeeds. All of the measures put in place to achieve this are called cyber security of C4ISR systems
Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific provides the U.S. Navy and military with essential capabilities in the areas of command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR), cyber, and space. A recognized leader in the cyber domain and cyberspace, and for autonomous unmanned systems, NIWC Pacific is providing the technological and engineering support critical to naval information warfare.
Modern integrated C4ISR suites include Combat Management Systems, RADAR systems, Electro-Optic and Infrared Sensor systems, and SONAR systems.
U.S. Coast Guard’s C4ISR
To be effective and proactive against threats to the nation’s maritime environment, the Coast Guard must have an accurate and timely picture of the maritime domain at all times. C4ISR systems produce actionable information, improve situational awareness and enhance efficient collaboration among Coast Guard operators and those of partner agencies; simply put, C4ISR provides the eyes and ears of any operation, helping staff to efficiently apply resources, prioritize missions, and, at the tactical level, automate various watch-stander tasks. At the strategic and national levels, these information products enable more effective and efficient mission execution, improving both maritime domain awareness and maritime homeland security outcomes.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems acquisition program is a multi-year effort to design, develop and integrate the equipment used on the Coast Guard’s newest assets, including the national security cutter, offshore patrol cutter, long range surveillance aircraft (HC-130J) and the medium range surveillance aircraft (HC-144A, C-27J). The program acquires and integrates electronic sensors, networking, data processing and information-sharing equipment, which help Coast Guard operators develop effective situational awareness and interoperate with partner agencies.
Additionally, the C4ISR program enhances the command, control and communication capabilities of in-service cutters, boats and aircraft. As the service transitions from aging command and control networks to a new standard, called Seawatch, this effort will help to link the Coast Guard’s older assets with its newest. Once completed, the C4ISR program will bring online the Coast Guard’s most capable communications and technology infrastructure and integrate the largest recapitalization effort in the service’s history.
The Coast Guard’s C4ISR acquisition strategy features a segmented approach to delivering products. Each subsequent segment builds upon the previous to avoid technology obsolescence and bring new capability to the fleet at a faster rate. In the process, the project is helping the Coast Guard to establish a new C4ISR capabilities baseline, including the authority to pass data on the Department of Defense classified networks, as well as laying the foundation for greater interoperability among Coast Guard and partner agencies by adopting an open architecture paradigm for future C4ISR equipment. This paradigm will help the Coast Guard to minimize life-cycle costs and keep pace with technology obsolescence by acquiring state-of-the market, plug-and-play C4ISR tools and capabilities.
The Coast Guard is implementing a new information assurance process that will strengthen cybersecurity for the C4ISR equipment on the service’s newest cutters.
Geocent LLC, Metairie, Louisiana (N66001-20-D-3417); M.C. Dean Inc., Tysons, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3418); McKean Defense Group LLC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (N66001-20-D-3419); Parsons Government Services Inc., Pasadena, California (N66001-20-D-3420); Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3421); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3422); Systems Technology Forum Ltd., Fredericksburg, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3423); Valkyrie Enterprises Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3424); and VT Milcom Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N66001-20-D-3425), are each awarded a $56,339,692 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price and cost (no fee) pricing.
CHANTILLY, Va. VT Group, technology integrator and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) solutions provider, has been selected by Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) as one of eight awardees for an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) multiple award contract in support of the Shore Global C4ISR Installation Contract. Engineering solutions provider Geocent has secured a share of $249m US Navy’s Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) shore platform contract.
Support includes project management, administration, drafting, technical integration, testing, maintenance, engineering, logistics, facilities and security for software and hardware of new and existing command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and networks. All awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. The two-year contract includes two three-year option periods, which, if exercised, would bring the overall potential value of this contract to an estimated $249,033,405.
Work will be performed primarily in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region and Navy Region Southwest including Hawaii, Guam, Japan, California, Nevada, Washington state, Oklahoma, South Korea, Singapore, Philippines and Australia; and outside this region in Bahrain, Djibouti and Italy. Work will be performed outside the continental U.S. (50%); and inside the continental U.S. (50%) on a full-time basis. The period of performance of the base award is from January 29, 2020, through January 28, 2022.
This contract was competitively procured via a request for proposal (N66001-19-R-0001) which was published on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Naval Information Warfare Command e-Commerce Central website. Eighteen offers were received and nine were selected for award. The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.
