The U.S. Army has been trying out Booz Allen Hamilton‘s [BAH] Modular Detachment Kit (MDK) in the Project Convergence 2022 (PC 22) experiment in the western United States and the Pacific.
Project Convergence is the Army’s contribution to the DoD’s envisioned Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) architecture.
During PC 22, U.S. Air Force and Army soldiers have been testing so-called Tactical Operations Centers-Light (TOC-Ls), which are designed as lighter and more deployable than previous TOCs. MDK, which Booz Allen has said includes eight tailorable modules, is one option for TOC-L.
The MDK “utilizes scalable, decentralized C2 and sensor nodes and remote voice and data communications to deliver a common operating picture” and, being smaller, is less detectable/more survivable, the Army said.
“The modular nature of the kit means warfighters can select and deploy only the capabilities they need for a specific operational environment, minimizing costs and optimizing transport efficiency,” the service said. “The Modular Detachment Kit also leverages new technologies and open architecture framework to support increased data storage and an expanded range of data and communications assets, allowing for easier connection and integration with sister services and multinational partners…The system’s diverse set of modules, which address various needs for C2, datalink, radio, radar and multi-mission operations capabilities, and ability to track air, land, maritime, space and cyber resources, make it well-equipped for deployment to a challenging, multi-domain environment – the precise type of environment that Project Convergence 22 is replicating.”
Large, stationary command and control centers, such as the ones the U.S. operated in Iraq, “will not survive” in conflicts with potential advanced technology adversaries, Army Chief of Staff James McConville said last week (Defense Daily, Oct. 21).
Moving away from the potential of any single command and control point of failure appears to be a priority for U.S. military planners.
The Army’s sister services, Australia, and the United Kingdom are also participating in PC 22. Army and U.S. Marine Corps officials have said that a central part of PC 22 is moving away from “kill chains” to “kill webs” in which U.S. military and allied forces share relevant targeting data in seconds through artificial intelligence.