Imagining the Future

With a fast-moving tech landscape and constantly evolving operational environment, we searched for new ways to co-create solutions with our SAF partners rapidly to meet defence needs.

For that, we conceived and set up a collaborative space dubbed the Imagine Future Centre (IFC), allowing technologists and operators to come together to develop new warfighting concepts and solutions for next-generation systems. 

The IFC in action!

To enable experimentation and exploration of emerging technologies, we equipped the IFC with a variety of IT hardware and software, including tools for coding, testing and integration, containerisation frameworks, machine learning frameworks, as well as modelling and simulation tools. We also adopted a modular design to enable easy reconfiguration of the space for various experiments or development concepts.

A key example was Exercise Forging Sabre 2021, where a digital twin of the command post – a mirror of the actual assets in a virtual 3D environment – was set up at the IFC. Harnessing modelling and simulation technologies, the virtual replica allowed our team behind the Command and Control Information System (CCIS) to work closely with their SAF counterparts to prototype new features rapidly and leverage an agile development approach.

A prototype of the CCIS at IFC.

“With this collaborative space, we can test and validate ideas quickly, while also addressing operational needs closely. We can also simulate mission scenarios, evaluate new operational concepts, and make improvements iteratively based on constant feedback from the operators, before actual implementation,” said Head of Capability Development (Military Info Domain) Sim Jian Ping, who fielded the CCIS.

The IFC is ideal for discussions too!