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06 Commander's Intent

10 sea POWER

14 land warfare

18 technology focus

ADMIRAL MODERNISES PAKISTAN NAVY TO MEET NON-TRADITIONAL THREATS Dr Lee Willett talks to Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi about his ambition for Pakistan's Navy to become a multi-dimensional force.

BUILDING A SYNTHETIC WARFIGHTING WORLD How do you give realism to a synthetic training world? Stephen W Miller finds out.

SENSE, SEND AND STRIKE Dr Lee Willett takes a look at the Royal Canadian Navy's modernisation programme for its Victoria class submarines.

MORE POWER TO YOUR ELBOW Giving soldiers more electronic kit means they need power - ideally carried with them. Stephen W Miller reports.

22 armada commentary

PANDEMIC ILLUSTRATES NETWORK FRAGILITY Andrew Hunter examines the vulnerable side of networking.

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ON THE COVER: One of a handful of Alouette IIIs still used by the Pakistan Navy for training and SAR missions, prepares to depart PNS Mehran just outside of Karachi.

(Alan Warnes)

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS CODAN COVER 4

Volume 44, Issue No.2, APRIL/MAY 2020 Published bi-monthly by Media Transasia Ltd. Copyright 2012 by Media Transasia Ltd. Publishing Office: Media Transasia Ltd., 1603, 16/F, Island PL Tower, 510 Kings Road, Hong Kong

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■ Enhancing the Brazilian Army Force The Brazilian Army is expected to procure new electronic warfare platforms as part of a larger acquisition of Iveco LMV four-wheel drive vehicles.

■ Rogue Drone Electronic warfare is central to the approach taken

by French Counter-Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (CUAV) specialists CerbAir.

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armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

■ Operation Spring Shield: Turkish-Syrian tension rises

■ Dynamic Manta highlights numbers game in NATO ASW effort

On March 1, 2020, two Syrian Arab Air Force Su-24 ‘Fencers’ were shot down by Turkish forces over the Idlib region, northwest Syria, where tensions had escalated after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike by Syrian forces prompting the Turkish Government in Ankara to retaliate with attacks against the Syrian army as part of its cross-border Operation Spring Shield.

NATO’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW)-focused Exercise Dynamic Manta – currently underway in the Mediterranean region’s Ionian Sea – is highlighting the impact of submarine numbers in terms of both the ASW threat and the alliance’s own ASW capability.

Editorial AT WAR WITH AN INVISIBLE ENEMY

W

e are at war. We are all at war with the same enemy. An unseen enemy that hides among us all and strikes victims, often those who are weaker and less able to defend themselves. We thought - hoped - that children were safe, but yesterday as I was writing this in the UK a 13 year old boy died who reportedly had no underlying health issues.

Our enemy makes no differentiation between nationalities, gender or religion. It attacks our medical staff - doctors, nurses, carers, cleaners and their support networks; it does not recognise the Red Cross, the Red Crescent or the Geneva Convention.

We have mobilised our armed forces, but this time their array of kinetic weapons are useless. However their value is one of great importance in the way they are supporting the medical world through their methodical and proven skill in logistics capability, numbers and equipment.

In the UK, the military has played a huge role in helping to transform the ADNEC owned ExCel exhibition centre in London’s docklands from an empty shell on 21 March to the 4000 bed Nightingale hospital ready to receive its first patient on 1st April, a transformation achieved in under two weeks. It is now the world’s largest dedicated coronavirus hospital. It has a four mile long oxygen tube network and the central aisles are a kilometre long with beds either side.

Colonel Ashleigh Boreham of the Army’s Building Services said that the urgency had been, in military terms, “to get ahead of the enemy - the virus.” The aim is to provide safe patient care - at scale. While this is one extraordinary case of what can be achieved at speed and to a high standard, it is but one example of what military forces around the world are capable of and are, in many cases, delivering.

Industry is playing its part, not least through the production of medical equipment and particularly ventilators. But each sector needs to question its own capabilities and look to what it might donate to help in some way support those civilians now on ‘the front line.’ I urge everyone to look at how your organisation may be able to support this fight, even if in a small way.

Think of it like this; if the infantry squad does its best where it is fighting, the company and battalion may achieve their objectives. If this happens, then the local area of operations might be successful. If all of these areas improve then the Army is on its way to winning the war.

This is not a war we can win by force.

In fact the opposite, we have to be passive yet resilient and disciplined. And we have to give all our support to those doing the fighting for us.

Andrew Drwiega, Editor-in-Chief

armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

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Pakistan Navy

Commander's Intent

A PN Agosta-class diesel-electric submarine (SSK) is pictured. As part of its on-going capability upgrade, the navy is building eight Hangor-class SSKs with China.

ADMIRAL MODERNISES PAKISTAN NAVY TO MEET NON-TRADITIONAL THREATS Chief of the Pakistan Navy, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi discusses how he is expanding the capabilities and operational outputs of his navy at a time of increasing strategic instability in Pakistan’s regions of interest

P

akistan is developing a navy designed to be a multi-dimensional, balanced force configured to safeguard Pakistan’s maritime borders and maritime interests, and to contribute to wider regional maritime security.

In the context of Pakistan’s geo-strategic position in the Indian Ocean, including its close proximity to the Gulf region, the Pakistan Navy (PN) plays an important role in supporting regional stability and in ensuring free movement at sea, including through participation in international

6

By Dr Lee Willett constructs such as the US Navy (USN)-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), and also through its own Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP) initiative. The PN is also continuing to transform its roles and capabilities as a regional naval power, as the Indian Ocean region’s strategic realities continue to change.

SECURITY SHIFTS Changes in the regional security balance and more widely around the world are an area of continuing focus for the PN’s senior leadership. “In my assessment, the global

armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

environment is in a state of flux and is characterised by growing competition of interests, which is having deep impact on the maritime domain,” Pakistan’s Chief of Navy, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, told Armada International.

As regards the major security challenges affecting Pakistan’s national interests as well as regional security more widely, Adm Abbasi stated: “In our immediate neighbourhood, the long-drawn instability in Afghanistan simmers and continues to impinge upon regional security.” Tensions between India and Pakistan have peaked

again in recent times, especially over the Kashmir region. As regards naval capability, he said, the Indian Navy’s development of a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN)-based long-range nuclear weapons capability has also impacted the region’s strategic balance.

In addition, Adm Abbasi pointed to a number of other strategic challenges affecting the security balance in the Indian Ocean region from Pakistan’s perspective.

“On our Western flank, the US-Iran stand-off is manifesting into a precarious situation for shipping plying international sea lines of communication (SLOCs)… (and) the ongoing conflicts in Yemen and Syria are also impacting regional maritime security. The access to shore-based missiles and remotely operated vehicles for the warring groups [in Yemen] is a particularly serious threat to SLOCs transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” said Adm Abbasi.

Closer to home for Pakistan, “attacks on motor vessels in the Gulf of Oman clearly demonstrate the seriousness of the prevailing threat,” he added.

“Ongoing conflicts in Pakistan’s extended neighbourhood have resulted in threats of maritime terrorism, piracy, narcotics trafficking, and human and weapons smuggling,” said Adm Abbasi. “In a nutshell, threats to our maritime security range from traditional to non-traditional, with an ominous mix of hybrid ones.”

Set against this security context, the importance of Pakistan’s maritime geostrategic position is clear, and the PN plays a key role in contributing to Pakistan’s national defence and coastal security.

Pakistan is located at the confluence of vital energy SLOCs, commented Adm Abbasi. “Our trade substantially depends on sea routes, and nearly all our oil imports are seaborne.” Pakistan’s growing port at Gwadar – what the admiral referred to as “a new addition to our maritime canvas” – is located close to the Gulf of Oman.

Moreover, said Adm Abbasi, Gwadar “will act as a lynchpin for the on-going China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) [and] will serve as a transit port for Central Asian Republics and Afghanistan, which would contribute significantly to the prosperity of our region.”

NAVY MISSIONS “The PN’s core tasks are to ensure seaward defence of Pakistan, protect its vital sea routes, and safeguard the country’s

Pakistan Navy

Commander's Intent

Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, Chief of Naval Staff, Pakistan Navy.

maritime interests,” Adm Abbasi explained.

“The PN is a well-balanced force, fully capable and prepared to cope with the entire spectrum of non-traditional and subconventional challenges.”

As part of a first layer in Pakistan’s seaward defences, “In order to enhance vigilance along the coast and to respond to any emerging threat, the PN has established the Coastal Security and Harbour Defence Force,” said Adm Abbasi. The force comprises a network of security stations, equipped with radars, electro-optic sensors, automatic identification systems (AIS), and response elements to monitor and generate timely responses. This force was established in 2015: with around 30 stations now in place, it is designed to provide continuous coastal coverage.

There are other layers to such defences.

“We understand that prevention of maritime terrorism requires roundthe-clock monitoring and co-ordinated efforts in order to sever its links with trans-national crime. In this regard, the PN established the Joint Maritime Information and Co-ordination Centre (JMICC) at Karachi, in 2012,” Adm Abbasi explained. “The JMICC aims to harness the efforts of all relevant national agencies and international stakeholders to bolster maritime security. It is growing steadily and has developed links with 48 national and seven international organisations to date,

sharing information and co-ordinating efforts to augment maritime safety and security.”

“The PN has also been participating in regional and international initiatives for maintaining maritime order and freedom of navigation on the high seas,” the chief said. “The PN’s continuous participation in CMF since its inception is testimony to our commitment to international obligations in ensuring collaborative maritime security and the uninterrupted flow of maritime trade.” “In the same spirit,” he continued, “we have been participating in various international fora, multinational exercises, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, and have undertaken noncombatant evacuation of stranded foreign and Pakistani nationals from conflict zones, such as Yemen.”

CMF itself is made up of three separate task forces. Combined Task Force (CTF)150 provides counter-terrorism and wider maritime security capacity across the Northern Indian Ocean from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Oman. CTF-151 covers piracy and armed robbery at sea, particularly in the Horn of Africa region but also more widely across the Indian Ocean. CTF-152 aims to deliver maritime and wider theatre security in and around the Gulf region.

Adm Abbasi illustrated the PN’s contribution to CMF. The PN joined CTF-150 in 2004 (taking command on 11 occasions to date) and CTF-151 in 2009 (commanding the force eight times, overall). “So far, over 100 PN ships in rotation with embarked helicopters have participated in CTF-150 and CTF-151 patrols and operations,” said Adm Abbasi. “As part of these deployments, PN ships have intercepted and denied numerous narcotics and other contraband shipments. During [these] deployments, PN ships – in line with national commitments and international obligations – have provided humanitarian assistance to stranded fisherman and ships, irrespective of their nationality.”

Alongside contributing to CMF at the international level, the PN’s role in supporting Pakistan’s national maritime security objectives is demonstrated in the RMSP initiative. Launched in 2018 and designed to protect Pakistan’s national interests in the Indian Ocean and also support its international obligations, “RMSP is focused on establishing maritime patrols along critical sea areas and choke points in the Indian Ocean region to

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Pakistan Navy

Commander's Intent

Personnel land from a helicopter onboard the Pakistan Navy’s (PN’s) Zulfiquar-class frigate PNS Aslat. Capability to both embark special forces personnel and carry out boarding operations is integral to conducting maritime security operations.

augment maritime security and contribute to freedom of navigation,” the admiral explained. “These patrols have been established along three important axes, including the Horn of Africa, the Northern Arabian Sea, and the Central Indian Ocean.”

Another important objective for the RMSP, he added, is fostering partnerships and enhancing interoperability with other regional countries.

MULTINATIONAL MARITIME SECURITY Such interoperability with regional countries is demonstrated in the PN’s ‘AMAN’ biennial series of multinational maritime exercises, which has been underway since 2007. In discussing how other regional and international partners are responding to the opportunity to engage with the PN in such a series, Adm Abbasi reiterated that “One of the key responsibilities of the PN is to ensure security of our sea routes and contribute towards uninterrupted maritime trade through our region, in league with other navies. We have therefore actively participated in maritime security and counter-piracy operations along with partner navies.” In this context, he continued, the PN decided in 2007 to expand

8

its relations with other navies by instituting the ‘AMAN’ series. “’AMAN’”, an Urdu word, literally means peace,” Adm Abbasi explained. “The purpose of these multinational exercises is to engage our partners, promote cooperation, and enhance interoperability between regional and extra-regional navies operating in the Indian Ocean region.”

“Exercise ‘AMAN’ is a clear manifestation of Pakistan’s commitment towards peace and stability,” he continued, and “[brings together] the navies of the East and West under a common platform for the good of the global commons”.

International participation in ‘AMAN’ has grown steadily since its inception, and 46 countries from across the world took part in the sixth iteration, at Karachi in February 2019.

The PN has also extended its engagement with key partners at distance from home, as it pursues other opportunities to collaborate with other countries and enhance naval diplomacy. “The PN contributes to national foreign policy objectives through naval diplomacy by ‘flag showing’ in countries far and wide,” said Adm Abbasi. Such diplomacy includes key leadership engagement; navy-to-navy expert-level talks; overseas

armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

deployments; and regular participation in bilateral and multilateral international exercises. “Recently, PN ships conducted a deployment around Africa and visited various ports in line with the government’s ‘Engage Africa Policy’,” said Adm Abbasi.

“Apart from operational activities with the host navies, PN ships also established medical camps to assist local communities in providing easy and necessary medical care.” The deployment, which took place from November 2019 until January 2020 and took in nine countries, comprised the PN’s Zulfiquar-class frigate PNS Aslat and the fleet tanker PNS Moawin.

MODERNISATION The PN’s robust level of operational output at sea is being underpinned by a similarly robust capability development and modernisation programme.

“Continuous capability development is one of the important pillars of my vision for the PN,” said Adm Abbasi. “In this regard, we have contracted construction of new surface ships from China, Turkey, and other friendly countries, along with transfer of technology. In addition, we are building Hangor-class diesel-electric submarines in China, with their planned construction in Pakistan with Chinese support.” In the

Pakistan Navy The PN is seeking to improve missile capabilities for its surface ships. Pictured is the Zulfiquar-class frigate PNS Shamsheer.

case of the submarines, a class of eight is planned.

“We are also focusing on enhancing our long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) capability through the induction of longrange maritime patrol aircraft (LRMPAs) and modernising our existing surface ships with state-of-the-art systems,” said Adm Abbasi. As regards the surface ship system modernisation, capability upgrades will

cover air, surface, and sub-surface systems; electronic warfare and missile capabilities; and greater focus on indigenisation. The PN is also looking to invest in modern helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, he said.

A central element of this continuous capability development is improving Pakistan’s indigenous shipbuilding capability, and the navy is playing a core role in supporting this effort. “The PN has

Commander's Intent

always remained keen on and supportive of this philosophy, especially in developing its critical naval shipbuilding capability,” said Adm Abbasi. “The navy has encouraged and relied on Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) for in-country construction of vessels including utility craft, fast attack craft, frigates, and fleet tankers. Gaining experiences from these ventures over the last two decades, KS&EW has transformed itself into a modern shipbuilding yard, capable of undertaking ship construction and repair/maintenance activities, as per international classification rules.”

“Contracts for the Hangor-class submarines [China] and Milgem-class ships [Turkey] include transfer of technology and in-country construction at KS&EW. To support this, presently modernisation is in progress at KS&EW,” said Adm Abbasi.

“Moreover, the government of Pakistan has also approved construction of a shipyard at Gwadar, which will give [another] fillip to our shipbuilding industry.”

Royal Canadian Navy

sea power

HMCS Chicoutimi was one of two Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) submarines that conducted extended deployments at distance in 2018. Chicoutimi operated in the Asia-Pacific region, while sister submarine Windsor operated in the Euro-Atlantic theatre.

SENSE, SEND AND STRIKE

The system modernisation programme for the Royal Canadian Navy’s four Victoria-class submarines is upgrading all three core elements of a submarine’s at-sea contribution to operations.

T

he simple role of a submarine is to use its invisibility to conduct surveillance operations, share sensor information with other platforms at sea and with command nodes both at sea and ashore, and strike when and where required at targets below and on the surface of the sea, as well as (for some navies) on land.

The simple fact that the oceans largely remain impermeable, despite decades of many countries developing technologies designed to try to see below the sea’s surface, means that countries in possession

By Dr Lee Willett of a submarine capability are – in the words of Dr Andrew Davies, senior fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute – able to “jump the queue” in terms of generating politico-strategic and operational-tactical influence and effect.

Canada is one such country for which the possession of a submarine capability brings significant benefit in supporting national and international interests. Current improvements to systems and capabilities will see the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN’s) submarines begin delivering increased operational effect at sea in 2020.

10 armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

The RCN operates a highly capable fleet of four diesel-electric submarines (SSKs) – HM Canadian Submarines Victoria, Windsor, Corner Brook, and Chicoutimi, namely the Victoria class. Victoria and Chicoutimi are based on Canada’s Pacific coast at Esquimalt, British Columbia.

Windsor and Corner Brook are based on the Atlantic, at Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The four submarines are required to conduct a range of global operations, with operational areas of interest stretching from Canada’s home (including northern) waters to the Asia-Pacific and Euro-

sea power

the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the French Navy (FN), and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). In an RCN statement released when the boat returned home, then-Commander of the RCN Vice Admiral Ron Lloyd said “The advantage that submarines can bring to a battlespace cannot be underestimated. They are stealthy, lethal, and persistent. They are an important strategic asset that the Canadian Armed Forces brings to the table when working with our partners and allies around the world.”

Such deployments at distance not only underlined Canada’s strategic commitments to those regions, but at the operational level also allowed the boats to improve interoperability with allies and contribute to regional maritime security.

Canada’s defence and security policy requires RCN platforms to support national interests both at distance and at home.

Alongside the strategic presence and effect the boats deliver at distance, they provide “equally a potent capability for us in exploring [and] understanding, our water column [at home] and providing us with a response capability”, Vice Admiral Art McDonald, current Commander of the RCN, told Armada International in an interview in February 2020.

The importance of what the Victoriaclass SSKs provide in supporting Canada’s

national and wider international interests and influence was detailed in the Government of Canada’s 2017 defence and security policy document, Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE). The document also set out a policy framework within which the RCN could modernise Victoria-class systems and capabilities to ensure continued operational relevance to meet policy requirements.

SSE committed the Canadian government and the RCN to continue operating and modernising the Victoriaclass SSKs. It also set out how the submarines contribute to RCN operational requirements, both in terms of supporting task group operations and deploying as standalone assets. SSE defined the RCN as a “blue-water navy [requiring] a balanced mix of platforms, including submarines, surface combatants, support ships, and patrol vessels, in sufficient quantities to meet [Canada’s] domestic and international needs”. “The naval task group is the core RCN operating concept,” said SSE, “composed of up to four surface combatants and a joint support ship, and supplemented where warranted by a submarine.”

As regards the Victoria-class boats’ capabilities and operational impact in particular, SSE pointed to their capacity to conduct sub-surface surveillance, to operate as a key element of Canada’s

NATO Maritime Command

Atlantic theatres. The boats are required to conduct tasks both close to home such as protecting Canada’s maritime approaches, as well as distance, including working with Canada’s allies and partners to support international security requirements.

The importance of what the Victoriaclass SSKs provide in supporting Canada’s national and wider international interests and influence was demonstrated in 2017-18 when, for the first time, the RCN’s Canadian Submarine Force (CSF) deployed two of the boats in parallel into two separate theatres, at distance, and for extended periods of time.

Windsor deployed to the Euro-Atlantic theatre, where the boat participated in NATO Maritime Command’s Dynamic Manta anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, supporting NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian maritime surveillance and wider security mission in the Mediterranean, and exercising with the alliance’s Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2).

On the other side of the world, Chicoutimi roamed widely through the waters of the Indo-Pacific theatre, including supporting Operation Projection, Canada’s national task to provide presence at sea in the Indo-Pacific. During the deployment, Chicoutimi conducted training activities with the US Navy (USN),

In 2018, HMCS Windsor was the first Victoria-class boat to be fitted with the Lockheed Martin AN/BQQ-10 (V)7 sonar processing suite. The new system will strengthen the Victoria boats’ anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability. Windsor is pictured operating with German and Norwegian submarines during NATO Maritime Command’s ‘Dynamic Mongoose’ ASW exercise in 2016.

armadainternational.com - april/may 2020 11

sea power

‘system of systems’ construct for delivering maritime domain awareness, and to work with other assets to support for example sovereignty and continental defence operations.

As regards ongoing development of the boats and their capabilities into the future, SSE also stated that the submarines “will undergo incremental modernisation in the mid-2020s, which will ensure their continued effectiveness out to the mid2030s”. This will be delivered via a series of discreet projects referred to collectively as Victoria Class Modernisation (VCM).

BQQ-10 Providing the boat’s ‘ears’, sonar systems Royal Canadian Navy

MODERNISATION However, as part of an ongoing modernisation process that is separate to the planned future VCM activities, capability improvements to the Victoriaclass submarines have been underway since 2014, in a staggered schedule of developments designed to ensure the boats’ continued relevance to current operations and threats, as well as to lead into the future VCM projects.

In essence, this current system and capability modernisation process is delivering improvements to all three core components of a submarine’s capability – its ability to sense and define what is

happening in the operating environment, to share information and imagery with other assets, and to strike at targets below and on the surface of the sea as required.

To support these core components, the capability modernisation is based around the ongoing delivery of three systems across the four boats – the Lockheed Martin AN/ BQQ-10 (V)7 sonar processing suite, the L3 Calzoni Universal Modular Mast (UMM), and the Lockheed Martin Mk-48 Mod 7 Advanced Technology (AT) heavyweight torpedo.

Windsor was the first boat to receive a complete fitting of the BQQ-10 sonar, in 2018. All four will have received the fit when Chicoutimi comes out of a transitional docking work period in 2021. Installation work for the UMM communications system first got underway in 2018, onboard Corner Brook; work on the boat is reported to be scheduled for completion in 2021. Victoria will be the next platform fitted with UMM, during an extended docking work period (EDWP) the boat will go through between 2021 and 2024: during this EDWP, Victoria will also be the last boat to be fitted with the Mk-48 Mod 7AT torpedo.

The first installation of the RCN’s new Universal Modular Mast was introduced onboard HMCS Corner Brook, with work commencing in 2018. The boat is pictured in 2007, supporting Operation ‘Nanook’ – Canada’s annual Northern sovereignty operation – in Arctic waters.

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HMCS Victoria, pictured here returning to home base on Canada’s West coast in 2015, will receive the final fit of the RCN’s new Mk-48 7AT torpedo capability, during an extended docking work period taking place between 2021 and 2024.

are perhaps the core capability for a submarine. For the Victoria class, the BQQ10 provides “a huge step forward compared to the legacy sonar we had,” Captain Jean Stéphane Ouellet, the RCN’s Commander CSF, told Armada International. What it provides, Capt Ouellet continued, is “more sensor fidelity and sensitivity, and obviously much more information to manage”.

There are three capability elements for the BQQ-10 sonar, Capt Ouellet explained. These are the passive arrays, an active intercept and ranging capability, and high-frequency active sonar and integrated towed array processing. In terms of lacing these together by collating and disseminating the data they collect, “the [Lockheed Martin] Submarine Fire Control System directly works with BQQ10 to enable the information to be used operationally,” said Capt Ouellet. In terms of the operational impact provided by the BQQ-10 capability, “the key benefit is to [be able to] more accurately differentiate multiple contacts from one another in a noise-heavy environment,” he said.

UMM The UMM fit effectively provides two key capabilities.

First, while submarines more traditionally might have operated as ‘rogue’ platforms, today there is an increasing requirement to integrate their unique capabilities and outputs into wider task group and joint activities. For example,

in terms of conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, responsive transmission of information to and from the boat is critical. This is a capability that UMM will augment for the Victoria class, said Capt Ouellet. It is understood that the system will provide near-real-time high-speed communications with shore.

The UMM’s mechanical structure includes the installation of two masts onboard the boats. The first mast provides the UMM communications capability. The second supports an advanced extremely high frequency protected military satellite communications (AEHF PMSC) capability, which will enable the delivery of secure, near-global communications for the submarines. This, said Capt Ouellet, will deliver “high-speed, two-way communications, which will improve our command-and-control of a Victoria-class submarine.”

The particular operational benefit delivered by the UMM fit is “limited internet-like capability, as well as enhanced connectivity with other RCN assets and [those of] allies, providing enhanced flexibility for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.” “[The fit] will enable the Victoria-class submarine to transmit and receive information at a much higher rate, reducing the time required to be spent at periscope depth, and hence reducing probability of counter-detection in operational scenarios,” he added.

According to UMM manufacturer L-3 Calzoni, the mast design and build offers a number of benefits, including the ability to be reconfigured to carry a range of sensors, the ability for the boat to run at high-speed while at periscope depth, a stealthy design, ease of fit and maintenance, and low lifecycle costs. The mast is also fitted onboard USN Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) and Ohio-class nuclearpowered guided-missile submarines (SSGNs).

Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

sea power

Wider capability In addition to these system upgrades, current modernisation activity onboard the boats includes a range of capability obsolescence modifications, such as adding a new autopilot system, improving the electronic warfare suite, and providing new compressor systems for chilled water and refrigeration. Upgraded capability for onboard monitoring of the health of the boats’ mechanical and electrical systems also is being added.

In the longer term, the VCM projects are looking at system and capability options in three core areas: improving the submarines’ contributions to task force operations at sea and joint force operations ashore; augmenting their survivability against threats anticipated to emerge in the future; and upgrading overall habitability onboard the boats.

HMCS Windsor, pictured off Halifax, Nova Scotia in December 2017, deployed to the EuroAtlantic theatre in 2018 where it supported various NATO taskings, including the ASW exercise ‘Dynamic Manta’ in the Mediterranean.

MK-48 TORPEDO Ultimately, when a submarine has identified a risk and, if required, has communicated with other assets to address the need to deal with the risk, the final step will be to prosecute the target. Here, the Victoria-class SSK’s principle offensive effector is the Mk-48 Mod 7AT torpedo.

The capability provided by the Mk-48 Mod 7AT is “again a huge step forward for the weaponry of the Victoria-class submarine”, said Capt Ouellet, adding that the Mod 7AT offers “a multitude of advantages” in operational capability terms, when compared to the boats’ original torpedo fit of Mk-48 Mod 4 weapons.

Windsor will be the first boat to be capable of operating the Mk-48 7AT. Capt Ouellet confirmed that first-of-class firing trials will occur later in 2020.

The 2,400-tonne Victoria-class boats have six torpedo tubes, and can be fitted with various levels of weapons load-outs depending on operational requirements.

armadainternational.com - april/may 2020 13

USMC

LAND WARFARE

A Marine infantry team practices tactical drills in a Future Immersive Training Environment Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration facility utilising Augmented Reality visors.

BUILDING A SYNTHETIC WARFIGHTING WORLD Many young soldiers have grown up with electronic gaming, but how can a military employ it across the spectrum of its fighting force with realism and in a combined arms virtual environment?

M

ilitary training is intended to develop the proficiency of the individual soldier in performing the tasks specific to their role in the unit. It also helps to bond the unit so that it can execute each mission.

The use of simulation and virtual reality has proved to be an effective tool for teaching soldier skills from weapons use and marksmanship, to crew gunnery, and driver training. However, these facilities are limited in number so rotating all soldiers regularly is nearly impossible

By Stephen W. Miller without significant expansion, particularly in synthetic training systems.

A further limitation for current systems is their limitations in offering realistic unit training. It is long established that ‘drilling’, the practice of repeating a required individual or unit action again and again, is the best way to ingrain the response essential when faced by that situation in the heat of combat. The challenge is in providing the capability and opportunity to maximise the ability to conduct these integrations. In addition ideally it would be valuable to even offer alternate scenarios to further the scope of the exercises.

14 armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

Repetition and representation of the many uncertainties faced on the battlefield provide the soldier with an advanced familiarity of what will be faced in actual field operations, and will learn to anticipate how they should respond.

GAMING Currently initiatives are aimed at capitalising on the state-of-the-art in gaming, displays, networking, the internet, and other maturing technologies. The objects are to provide a more realistic, distributed, and adaptable medium to conduct both individual skill training and

LAND WARFARE

small unit exercises. An added objective is to investigate the use of the same equipment the soldier will use to accomplish this training. The thrust of these efforts is toward the use of Augmented Reality (AR). This is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information. Taken to its most immersive level it can include multiple senses, including visual, auditory, olfactory (smell), haptic (touch), and somatosensory (tactile information), although currently the focus is largely on the first and somewhat on the second.

unit. These are difficult to achieve.”

STE is comprised of a common One World Terrain (OWT), Training Simulation Software (TSS) Training Management Tools (TMT) and common user interfaces. OWT is a collection of digital terrain data covering areas of the world that can provide a common 3D simulation ‘story world’ within which on-site training can be conducted.

With it a unit in Alaska could conduct ‘synthetic’ operations in a mid-eastern urban city. Darren Shavers, director for Business Development at Meggitt Training Systems, one of the contractors developing parts of the STE explained: “The objective is to structure a common system within which smooth conductivity is possible between training system components. The TSS, the STE’s “game engine”, uses open architecture and common application programming interfaces, or APIs, to deliver a centralised

USArmy

SYNTHETIC TRAINING The US Army has defined its effort as developing a Synthetic Training Environment (STE). The objective is to

design a cognitive, collective, multi-echelon training and mission rehearsal capability for the operational, institutional and self-development training. According to the Army blueprint, “This effort intends to bring together the virtual, constructive and gaming training environments into a single STE for Army Active and Reserve Components as well as civilians. The Synthetic Training Environment will interact with and augment live training.

The intent is for this training to be able to be conducted less at special facilities but rather by the unit itself at the point of need (PoN). Frank Ashe, a 30 year senior infantry non-commissioned officer and now capability manager for the Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Benning, suggested “unit tactical combat effectiveness is a factor of being fully manned, stability of positions, and having adequate training as a

IVAS, a head worn visor, is the heart of the squad level augmented reality training solution being developed for the US Army by Microsoft. It combines actual images with emplaced simulations while also linking members of the unit in close combat exercises.

armadainternational.com - april/may 2020 15

ZetaSoft/MetaVR

LAND WARFARE

Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainers (RVCT) are a further component of the STE. These represent other ground and air combat systems which are linked into the common OWT. Here the helicopter door gunner trainer shows the simulated out-the-window scene in both the HMD.

capability for representing and adjudicating each of the various simulation entities.”

Finally the TMT provides an intuitive, easy to use application that’s accessible anywhere and anytime to create training scenarios. It will automatically retrieve and transforms data, automating the generation and population of simulation databases.

AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) AR is the medium through which the soldiers experience the training environment in real time. It essentially provides an interactive experience where objects in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information. The Army and Marines already fielded the Squad Advanced Marksmanship Trainer (SAM-T) that immerses users in a virtual environment that is projected all around them on large screens. However, the goal of STE is to allow the same experience in any environment.

To do so the US Army has selected Microsoft to build an Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) based on its commercial HoloLens 2. According to a soldier that has used a prototype, “the headset visor displays 3D images, information, the wearer’s location, a compass heading and representations of other squad members also wearing headsets. The system shows a reticule

for aiming a weapon, or one can the aim the weapon itself through the visor.” The IVAS offers both daylight and thermal viewing. The later is provided by a small thermal sensor developed by the firm FLIR which is mounted on the front of the system. The current configuration remains incompatible with the combat helmets so efforts are focused on reducing the size and refining its performance.

Although IVAS is still in development it has been trialled in the field by soldiers and Marines. A report on one exercise the participants particularly reflected on the training value and their use in tactical drills and mission rehearsals. Using the OWT or a customised scenario, the squad can practice in whatever environment or tactical situation it desires. The system allows for introducing specific situations, such as encountering non-combatants or responding to an ambush. In its training mode, IVAS projects simulated enemy ‘avatars’, much like commercial games that move, shoot, and react to ‘hits’ from the soldier’s weapon. The participants can rerun a game to fine-tune their skills and teamwork as well as play-back, review and critique each exercise and the actions of each member. The relatively self contained nature of this approach permits a number of exercises to be conducted over a given period.

The current focus is on the small

16 armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

dismounted combat unit, particularly on the squad and fire team. This equates to a maximum of nine to 13 soldiers although most efforts so far have been fire teams of four to six people. In addition, since as Ashe reflected, “at the squad the fight is still a line of sight affair”, and AR is well suited to represent their situations. Early soldier testing is providing ‘real-world’ feedback that is incorporated by Microsoft into the IVAS prototype evolution. In public statements Brigadier General Anthony Potts, Army Program Executive Office Soldier, stated that “the development team is listening to soldier criticisms and suggestions with requirements being changed based on their inputs.” For example, the original need for 900 metre range was viewed by soldiers as far greater than needed while the peripheral view was too narrow. As a result these were changed to 300m but with an 80 degree field of view.

These prototype field demonstrations have been scheduled throughout the development process and have been important in defining.

The STE is viewed as a dynamic tool that will incorporate additional capabilities and expand the repertoire of contributors to the battlefield. Meggitt’s Shaver indicated that “the company has a contract to determine how to incorporate the soldier’s actual weapons into the STE. Ideally this could include marksmanship.” In November 2019 Raytheon unveiled an immersive Synthetic Training Environment Soldier Virtual Trainer (STE SVT). Harry Buhl, lead investigator, Synthetic Training Environment at Raytheon explained that it uses virtual reality to train dismounted rifle squads in multiple scenarios while using their service weapons. The trainers can be powered by a headset and a laptop and being cloud enabled are accessible where ever needed.”

COMBINED ARMS Another important consideration is reflecting the application, contribution and target effect of non-kinetic weapons which include exploding ordnance and indirect fires. In particular the need is to incorporate short range (counter defilade) like the 40mm launched grenade and indirect fires like mortars and artillery as well as direct fires of weapons like the Carl Gustav and even guns on main battle tanks (MBTs) and infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). The adage that an army

LAND WARFARE

Synthetic Environment (CSE). It is the CSE that enables the RVCTs, the Soldier Squad Virtual Trainer and the IVAS to work together. VT MAK, a subsidiary of the Singapore company ST Engineering, is providing these pieces. Dan Brockway, vice president of Marketing and Information Systems in a VT MAK release explained: “MAK CSE solution ‘VR-Forces’ is based on the MAK Suite of simulation software.

It provides a unified simulation engine for both computer generated forces and player-controlled entities. Components use the VR-Vantage visualisation engine for 3D rendering, 2D tactical maps and ensure consistent displays throughout the system. In addition, we use the common MAK Earth terrain engine to import, load, or stream whole-earth terrain data from VR-TheWorld Server, which acts as the interface to STE’s OneWorldTerrain dataset.

The MAK CSE will be deployed on-premise and in the cloud to support training at the point of need.” Raytheon’s Buhl further suggested that “a critical piece of STE will be how all these components are integrated.

This challenge is complicated by the need to assure the actual model of equipment employed by the unit training is actually represented. Given the diversity of some

equipment issues issued to different units this is a valid concern that will need to be accommodated”.

STE STATUS AND PROMISE Three Army divisions and 24 Marine Corps battalions, the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, as well as a number of US Special Forces have already begun using the One World Terrain capability.

Major General Maria Gervais, director of the Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Team has suggested that other elements of the STE could be arriving at selected bases as early as 2021. However, the target for initial full operational capability is 2023.

STE is ambitious in that it seeks to provide an integrated common training in a form that provides the ability to apply the historically proved principle that military training should prepare the soldier and unit for combat by exposing them to the realities likely to be encountered. It should then provide the means for them to practice their appropriate response and to be able to perfect those responses so that they are ingrained and second nature. STE seeks to capitalise on state of the art technology to achieve this.

USArmy

needs to train as it intends to fight is well established. The corollary that soldiers will fight as they were trained may be more critical. Especially in the stress of combat soldiers will revert to what they are familiar with. Therefore it is important that the capabilities of the many weapons that support the squad be represented in the STE. The US Army is pursing reconfigurable collective trainers as a partial solution to providing this. It has been assessing prototypes for aircraft, armoured vehicles and infantry weapons systems trainers. A Reconfigurable Virtual Collective TrainerGround (RVCT-G), is being evaluated at Fort Riley for M2 Bradley and Stryker crews. Other RVCTs are being trialled for other infantry weapons like the M3 Carl Gustav. Trainers linking to the STE are also being provided for helicopters. Kyle Zick, director of business development at Bugeye Technologies, shared that they “have provided mixed reality rotorcraft reconfigurable cockpit systems, man-in-the loop Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), as well as virtual reality door gunner trainers.”

Two essential pieces of the STE are the TSS and TMT. When combined with One World Terrain they form the STE’s Common

The ability to include the various weapons in addition to the infantry small arms in the STE exercises is important in that it the allows soldiers to incorporate them and their specific capabilities and contribution to the unit mission.

armadainternational.com - april/may 2020 17

Galvion

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

The Squad Power Manager can draw power from any source using built-in intelligent power management software to power a variety of equipment and recharge batteries simultaneously.Â

MORE POWER TO YOUR ELBOW

Methods of suppling power to soldiers in the field to support all of their personal electronic aides and being redefined - sometimes radically.

P

ower has become a very important requirement on today’s battlefields. The demands for electrical power have grown exponentially over the last decades. A particular challenge has been in portable power for the individual soldier and small units. The entire rifle squad in the 1970s had few items requiring batteries, possibility one short range radio and a night vision scope. Today each rifleman has these and more with the commensurate need to power them. Added to these are electronic sights, rangefinders, laptop computers, and communications

By Stephen W. Miller gear. Such devices must be prepared to operate 24 hours over several days.

Achieving the promised capabilities offered by these technologies is directly linked to solving the power dilemma.

Typically, soldiers tend to carry batteries for a 72-hour mission. This reflects both the importance of assuring their electronics and communications are available and also concern over reliable and timely resupply.

With battery life lasting at most around eight hours, multiple batteries are needed over a mission’s duration, as well as a number of different battery types.

A United Kingdom Ministry of Defence

18 armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

(MoD) study found that on average each combat soldier carried around 26.5lbs (12kg) of batteries for a 36 hour patrol. A Canadian Army analysis found soldiers carried as many as 51 AA batteries and CR123 batteries for a 24 hour mission. Improving how power is provided to the soldier has the objective of both reducing this load as well as the quantity of batteries required.

Portable power is not just a military concern. It is also a limiting factor in many promising new commercial personal technologies. Just like the military these are seeking longer battery charges, faster and more possibilities for recharging, extending

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

POWER MANAGEMENT Marnie Blanshay director, Marketing for Galvion states that “energy efficiency at the individual level not only ensures power is available when it is needed but also has major impact on the energy consumption at the mission level”. The company has focused on solutions to efficiently manage power at the soldier and squad. Its Nerv Centr power supply and management products reduce weight and equipment volume while increasing energy redundancy. The objective is to offer an integrated system to store, deliver and harvest power with slim lithium batteries as well as the Squad Power Manager (SPM),

Individual Power Manager (IPM) and customisable intelligent Adaptive Battery Charger (ABC). All are designed to draw from any source while both powering multiple devices and recharging batteries simultaneously from solar panels, vehicles, or line power.

Currently Lithium-Ion are the principle portable batteries. Its high energy density is its chief advantage. However, it has limitations on power duration, charging time, battery memory, overheating and both safety and disposal concerns. An alternative approach are Zinc Air batteries, a high-capacity, non rechargeable battery that can be used for direct power, as a portable charger, or in a hybrid with other power sources. Zinc-Air batteries had twice the energy density as Lithium’s at their stage of development in the early 2000s and are claimed to be inherently safe for storage, transportation, use and disposal. “Danger of fire and explosion is significantly lower than any other battery technology,” stated Felix Frisch, vice president Marketing and Sales at Epsilor Electric Fuel. “However as the price of lithium dropped and capacity increased the Zinc-air lost favour. Its wider scale use was also limited by the difficulty in recharging them.” However, researchers at the University of Sydney (Australia) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) have made progress in addressing this issue.

Another approach to addressing the soldier power limitations is providing for field recharging of the batteries. This allows changing out used batteries for ones that have been recharging thereby reducing the need to resupply batteries.

Accomplishing this is simpler for mechanised forces or soldiers with access to a tactical vehicle.

Acknowledging the benefits of this approach the French infantry combat system FÉLIN, developed

by Safran Electronics, includes a vehicle integration kit which provides

power to mounted soldiers’ systems. A number of other portable tactical battery chargers are also offered.

Israel’s Epsilon range of battery chargers include desk-mounted to portable ‘suitcase’ models, as well as tactical vehicle-mounted chargers. The company’s portable charging solutions can use any portable energy source including primary and reserve batteries, solar panels and fuel cells. Its MC9001 Li–Ion Battery Charger auto senses the battery type to assure correct charge profile and is capable of charging up to 16 batteries in 14 hours. The US Army’s Universal Battery Charger (UBC) being manufactured

by Thales offers simultaneous charging of multiple battery types. According to company literature its “UBC can accept not only radio and device batteries but also the SWIPES conformal batteries as well as having standard USB ports for

The Soldier Worn Integrated Power Equipment System (SWIPES.) seeks to provide a more efficient and ergonomic solution to distributing power to the various electronics and communications equipment that each soldier may carry. Being manufactured by UEC, it has been fielded by the US Army and used in limited numbers in combat.

UEC

the overall battery life, reducing the size and weight of batteries, and improving safety. An additional area is in introducing alternate and/or complementary power sources.

One US Army focus has been on the individual soldier using a single carried power source connected to multiple devices.

This Soldier Worn Integrated Power Equipment System (SWIPES) has been employed in combat. It is battery agnostic using standard military batteries carried in a rucksack or, for the infantry, a special conformal battery that is worn typically under body armour. At 2.2lbs (1kg) pounds) the 150wH Conformal Wearable Battery from UEC-Electronics (ex-Palladium Energy)) is claimed to “provide power to all integrated equipment on an individual for 36 hours continuously or 24 hours continuously if transmitting data.” Its form fits to the wearer while a central hub and cable management system distributes power to the radio, personal display, night vision, and other worn devices. SWIPES allows more efficient use of power and eliminate the need to carry spare batteries.

Power is provided to the radio through a smart charging cup seated in the bottom of the radio pouch. The radio battery remains intact but is provided a trickle charge assuring it is fully charged. Improvements to the approach have included SWIPES Lightweight Improved Releasable Plate Carrier (LIRPC) also developed by UECElectronics (ex-Electric Fuel Battery Corporation) that accommodates cable management inside the carrier shell reducing snag points, freeing up valuable MOLLE space and allowing easy access to power systems, headset cabling and concealable antenna.

armadainternational.com - april/may 2020 19

Rheinmetall

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

The introduction of electronic devices in current individual soldier systems like the German Future Soldier Expanded System (idZ-ES0 shown, ranging from night vision and improved sights, to GPS, handheld displays and other systems have enhanced each soldier's capabilities on the battlefield. The limiting factor has become the numbers of batteries and different types required to power them.

charging phones and tablets.” It provides for fast charging of up to eight batteries simultaneously while indicating the state of charge and state of health of each. Weighing 6lbs (2.7kg) it is either man portable or vehicle mounted and has a built-in solar mode to draw power from a solar collector.

Bren-Tronics has provided its BTC-70100 Advanced battery charger to the US Marines. Under 22lbs (10kg) it charges eight BB-2590/U batteries charged in less than three hours and 16 Conformal BB-2525/U batteries in less than three and a half hours.

It can draw power from AC (90-264Vac), DC (11-22Vdc, 46A), or Solar with MPPT. The company has also developed its BTK70819-5 Soldier Portable Charger Lite (SPC) Kit w/Tan X90 Adapter a smaller, lighter 14.66lb (6.65kg) version of the SPC universal battery charger.

Solar charging systems for batteries have become both readily commercially available and affordable. They can be adapted to military BB and UB-series lithium ion, nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and NiCad batteries. Some use a Charge Cap, a ruggedised, sophisticated, solar powered battery charger that connects to the solar panel and battery, processing voltage and current from the panel. Use of smart charging technology prevents the battery over-charging, a LED bar

graph indicates Time-to-Charge or Timeto-Discharge under steady state conditions, and a full set of LED lights that indicate the status of the system. Accessories broaden the end user’s applications, for example, recharging a PRC-152 handheld radio battery, or recharging the battery from the 24-volt DC NATO vehicle connector/port.

In sunshine a system can typically recharge one BB2590 or a BB390 NiMH battery from empty to full in approximately three hours.

New changer approaches are not the only improvements being sought. Saft Groupe is looking at improving the rechargeable lithium-ion systems. A problem for soldiers in the field is their inability to determine the amount of a battery charge remaining.

Rather than have it go dead in the middle of a mission they will replace them. Saft military Li-ion battery packs address this concern with protection charger fault features and an LED or LCD fuel gauge.

Saft’s EcMC2 constant current / constant voltage charger family are also fit with State-Of-Charge (SOC) / State-Of-Health (SOH) indicators, SMBus communication or 2C communication.

ALTERNATE POWER Research is underway to find more efficient battery solutions. One of these is the aqueous lithium-ion battery. Dr. Arthur von

20 armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

Wald Cresce, a materials engineer at the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory, has explained that this technology uses a lithium salt that is not heat-sensitive, allowing the battery to be stored at a much wider range of temperature and is also a non-flammable. Cresce and his team have created an aqueous lithium-ion battery prototype with a maximum potential of four volts - the same amount of energy found in typical lithium-ion batteries.

These batteries could have less bulky protective packaging reducing their weight.

It is hoped that the design can be refined for manufacture and fielded between 2026 and 2028.

Power Japan Plus has launched a new battery technology called Ryden dual carbon. It not only lasts longer than lithium but charges twenty times faster. The battery will last 3,000 charge cycles, and are safer with a lower chance of fire or explosion.

These batteries can also be manufactured using the same factories as lithium batteries. This means it won’t require a huge investment by industry to change production. The carbon materials are also more sustainable and environmentally friendly than current alternatives.

The Spanish company Graphenano has introduced a graphene polymer battery.

Jenax

Dubbed Grabat, the batteries will have an energy density of 1,000 watt hours per kilogram (Wh/kg). In comparison, lithium batteries generally have an energy density of 180Wh/kg. Grabat also charge 33 times faster than a standard lithium ion battery.

Lithium-ion charging is limited by its tendency to heat-up. Researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick developed a precise test of Lithium-ion batteries’ internal temperatures and their electrodes potentials permitting safe charging up to five times faster. It has been tested on commercially available batteries.

Dr Tazdin Amietszajew, who led this research, said: “This could push battery performance limits where rapid recharging is paramount” SOLDIER POWER A number of industry initiatives offer the potential to further advance the way soldiers can be supplied with portable power more efficiently. Jenax in the Republic of Korea is developing J.Flex, a

Optimising batteries for wear by the soldier places new requirements on their design and configuration. Low weight and flexibility are two of these properties. Jenax in the Republic of Korea have developed J.Flex a flexible lithium polymer battery that can fully bend and move without sacrificing power. It can be designed into a belt (shown) or as a flexible sheet integrated into a pack.

Flexible Lithium Polymer Battery. It is a power source that can fully bend and move without sacrificing power. This innovative flexible, solid-state, fast charging, rechargeable lithium-ion battery can be bent or rolled to any form. J.Flex can be as

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

thin as 0.5mm (suitable for sensors), and as tiny as 20x20mm or as large as 200x200mm.

These characteristics lend themselves to the incorporation of power cells directly into a soldier’s equipment. J.Flex could be used in a uniform or pack without hampering the soldier’s movement. At CES 2020 a consumer technologies expo in Las Vegas, EJ Shin, head of strategic planning at Jenax stated. “We’re putting batteries into locations where they couldn’t be before.”

The company is looking at beginning production in 2020.

THE FUTURE Finding solutions to individual soldier and small unit power is a critical factor in determining to what degree advanced electronics can realistically be employed by the soldier on the battlefield. Without sustainable power they are of little use while there are limits to how much more the soldier can carry. Without a power breakthrough the gains from electronic and computing could easily be curtailed.

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ARMADA COMMENTARY

PANDEMIC ILLUSTRATES NETWORK FRAGILITY

2

Andrew Hunter

020 is the year that every networked citizen of the world is going to learn about the power (and fragilities) of networks. The cause for this sudden revelation is a surprise: a global viral pandemic caused by a new Corona virus, COVID-19. This pandemic appears to have arisen from viral contamination at a wild animal market, an occurrence which has likely been happening periodically in some fashion for roughly a thousand years of human history. But what’s different this time is the growth of network infrastructure that makes ‘social distancing,’ the phenomenon of avoiding close personal interaction with other people to limit and slow down the transmission of the virus, an actual practical reality.

When it is fully possible to conduct at least 80 percent of business and roughly 70 percent of all personal errands without leaving the safety of home, we see a developing pandemic response quite unlike the past.

However, there are also real limits on what modern networks can do.

The key to the emerging response to COVID-19 is the development of massive network and IT infrastructure that allows many business people to work remotely, as well as the development of the logistical networks that deliver a panoply of products to your doorstep in as little as a day (in normal times). These new capabilities, both of which have only fully come into being in the last decade, are central to how societies around the world are coping with the disease. Workplaces are shifting to telework, and schools and universities are shifting to online classes where they can.

For those remaining at home, groceries and supplies can be delivered to their door, although this has now been stretched to

weeks in some instances. These capabilities have fundamentally changed the cost/ benefit equation of pandemic response because closing offices and schools doesn’t necessarily mean completely stopping work and classes. And when it is possible that work and life can go on without gathering in large groups, it becomes clearly irresponsible not to switch over to remote options. Subsequently social pressure builds on other businesses that can’t so easily be done remotely, like restaurants and gyms, to close also. So while the networked environment lowers the economic cost of pandemic response in many ways, the overall economic impact of the response is much harder to determine.

Just so has the power of networks changed the cost/benefit equation for military conflict. Networked warfare has led to significant increases in the effectiveness of military operations.

Operations that once offered an uncertain risk of success at a high cost, such as bombing German industry in World War II which had modest practical success at the cost of thousands of lives, can be contrasted with the potential to target industrial facilities with cyberattacks with relatively good odds of success and potentially no direct causalities. Such a dramatic lowering of the costs of a military action might seem likely to encourage more aggressive military action. But another effect is also in play. Given the availability of relatively low-cost options in a highly networked environment, the mass air attacks of World War II that were so costly in terms of lives and material are essentially unthinkable for today’s commanders. This effect extends, to a meaningful extent, even to infantry operations. While infantry operations can’t

22 armadainternational.com - april/may 2020

be performed remotely in the same way that air operations can, nonetheless the aversion to high casualties that increasingly permeates society puts significant limits on what is perceived as acceptable losses in ground operations compared to the past.

Ultimately, this may limit wealthy nations’ overall appetite for military operations deemed non-essential by the public, despite their lower nominal costs in lives and treasure in a highly networked world.

The other lesson of the current pandemic is that sophisticated networks, although astonishingly capable, are also vulnerable. And when they fail or are overburdened, they often do not degrade gracefully. In the case of the pandemic, we see that when severe medical case loads exceed the capacity of our sophisticated medical networks, for example when the number of cases exceeds the number of available ventilators, mortality rates can skyrocket. And if all the telework and online classes overwhelm network infrastructure, crashing internet service, it is likely to undermine not just the new telework that is happening, but a broad swath of internet traffic that would have otherwise not have been directly affected by the pandemic.

And the sophisticated networks themselves could suffer if the pandemic hits a high enough percentage of the people required to keep the network operational. Even so, highly capable military networks, like the GPS system, are vulnerable to failure, attack, spoofing, and jamming. The impact of losing this network capability could stymie operations throughout almost every domain of operations. This likely tells us that network design is a key issue, and that resiliency is as important a criterion for network design as effectiveness.

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