Creating Dynamic Strikes
Imagine a battlefield where information is not transmitted across teams – dozens of threats could appear anywhere suddenly, and no one would be able to respond fast enough. To address this, our technologists worked with the SAF and developed the Command and Control Information System (CCIS) imbued with artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics.
Through a continuous development process where the system was updated continuously, our team developed the CCIS and integrated it with the SAF’s command post to provide commanders with a comprehensive situation picture of all sense and strike assets, as well as the disposition of adversarial forces on the battlefield in real time. Embedded in the CCIS is a recommendation engine that taps AI to recommend optimal warfighting solutions. This includes pairing the most suitable strike assets from across domains, generating plans, and tasking the assets to eliminate their target quickly and effectively. By harnessing technology, our team helps the SAF fight smarter and faster.
An in-depth understanding of our SAF partners was required to develop the engine. Head Capability Development (Military Info Domain) Sim Jian Ping explained: “We needed to understand complex ops procedures and mission requirements. With our strong ops-tech partnership with the SAF, our SAF counterparts helped us understand better and responded to our queries as quickly as they could, which enabled us to codify and build a recommendation engine that met the SAF’s needs.”
As part of the validation process, the team tested and refined the CCIS in a simulated environment in DSTA’s Imagine Future Centre, by creating a digital twin of the command post. A mirror of the actual assets, the digital twin enabled the SAF and our team to experiment with new operational concepts in a live virtual construct and prototype new features for the CCIS rapidly.
The system has since been utilised at Exercise Forging Sabre 2021, one of the SAF’s most complex and high-end overseas exercise held at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, US. During the exercise, the CCIS showed how it could ease the cognitive load of the battle staff and enhance the decision-making process to enable faster and more robust decisions for sense and strike operations.
Principal Engineer (Information) Kevin Po said: “It was surreal to witness how the software we developed helped strengthen coordination between SAF commanders and the various sense and strike assets. I also felt an immense sense of pride and satisfaction when I saw how the recommendation engine facilitated and streamlined the commander's decision-making process. At the end of the exercise, the commanders came up to us to share their confidence in the CCIS. I could tell that all of us were smiling from ear to ear, even behind our face masks!”