Network Centric Warfare: JP2030 reaches its next stage | ADM November 2011

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Gregor Ferguson | Sydney

The Government has granted 2nd Pass Approval for the next stage of Joint Project 2030 Ph.8 – Joint Command Support Environment (JCSE). However, defence materiel minister Jason Clare’s media release in late-September announcing this milestone didn’t say who the chosen contractor would be.

“The Government has … approved enhancements to information and communications technology infrastructure at Headquarters Joint Operations Command [HQ JOC] as well as software upgrades to better support military planning,” he said.

“The enhanced command and control system will also allow better communication between operations staff and troops, particularly commanders and Special Forces. Defence will purchase commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software products which will then be integrated to meet requirements.”

The element of JP2030 Ph.8 in question is the so-called Evolution 2, for which tenders closed in October 2010, with a contract due in mid-2011. Evolution 1 was delivered last year and is undergoing what amounts to a spiral development program, while Evolution 3 will not get under way until the first two are implemented and reasonably mature.

This project structure makes considerable sense given the complexity of JP2030 and what defence is trying to achieve with it. Earlier phases of this project have delivered a range of command support system to the ADF over the past 10-15 years and Phase 8 is designed to update the system to reflect major changes in Defence’s higher command arrangements, particularly the establishment of HQ JOC, and the evolution of computer and communications technologies.

Phase 8 aims to deliver eight specific capability elements:

  • Joint Operations Portal (JOP) – This is based on Microsoft Sharepoint and is the core of Phase 8. It provides the infrastructure into which all other capability elements can be integrated.
  • Joint Planning Suite (JPS) – This provides a series of specialised tools to assist staff with the planning of military operations.
  • Preparedness Management Information System (PMIS) - This will provide customised business intelligence tools that allow Defence to assess the costs associated with maintaining preparedness levels, as well as informing commanders on the state of readiness of forces.
  • Situational Awareness Common Operating Picture (SACOP) – This provides an integrated and fused situational picture for senior staff, to allow them to maintain awareness of Australia Defence Force activities across multiple areas of operation.
  • Special Operations Command Support System (SOCSS) – Under Phase 8, there is further enhancement of the SOCSS tools purchased under earlier phases of JP2030.
  • Air Command Support System (ACSS) - This will be further refined from the products delivered under earlier phases, and integrated into the Joint Command Support Environment.
  • Geospatial Tools – Planning staff will be provided access to geospatial tools, acquired in conjunction with JP2064, to support the planning of operations, through the provision of relevant electronic mapping and imagery.
  • Intelligence Tools – These tools, acquired in conjunction with DEF 7013, will assist planners and intelligence staff to better analyse the operational environment and threats that may be encountered.

Defence has adopted an evolutionary development and implementation model. Rather than try to define a whole system and then try to develop, integrate and deliver it in a single, unwieldy lump, under Phase 8 Defence plans to implement the upgraded JCSE in three ‘Evolutions’. As noted in ADM’s November 2010 edition, each Evolution will consist of an initial release and at least one upgraded release, shaped by and adopting the current state of the art in ICT.

This approach allows a graduated approach to requirements definition and approval: the customer has a very clear view of his requirements for the next step of the process and the contractor can estimate costs and risks accurately.

Following an open tender in 2006 CSC Australia was appointed prime systems integrator to would implement a clean-sheet approach to the new JCSE architecture, albeit one which contains elements of Thales Australia’s successful legacy system. CSC is responsible for ‘above the line’ work – defining the systems requirements and architecture and then integrating, testing and delivering the finished system. Including work already under contract at the time of writing, Phase 8 is worth an estimated $300-$350 million.

Also appointed was a five-strong panel of contractors who would compete for the ‘below the line’ contracts to develop discrete applications and packages of functionality: Lockheed Martin Australia, BAE Systems Australia, Thales, Saab Systems and Brisbane SME KoBold.

The first Evolution of JP2030 Phase 8 saw the establishment at HQ JOC of a Joint Support Organisation, including a service desk, business analysts and training team. The first elements of operational functionality were also included: the Joint Planning Suite (JPS); the Joint Operations Portal (JOP); and the integration and security accreditation of an innovative logistics planning tool developed by DSTO, CSC and Consunet called VIPA, for Vital Planning and Analysis.

In each case the functional specification and system architecture were developed by CSC and the tender evaluation was handled by the DMO, with CSC providing subject matter expertise in support. Lockheed Martin won all four Evolution 1 contracts.

Defence made these functions its priority because these are extremely useful planning tools which HQJOC had previously lacked; they simplify and make more accurate the process of estimating the resources and costs associated with operational planning options. Also, as the HQ organisation was being streamlined, JOP and JPS provided a mechanism for realising genuine organizational efficiencies. Releases 1 and 2 of this first Evolution have already been rolled out and are performing well, according to a defence spokesperson in Canberra. Each successive Release is meant to deliver an incremental increase in capability, and ADM understands a number of user issues identified with the JPS have been addressed as part of Release 3. 

Defence hasn’t disclosed which specific functions will be implemented under Evolutions 2 and 3, though ADM understands that Evolution 2 will include further enhancements to the JPS and JOP, along with the SOCSS and Common Operating Picture (COP). Like Evolution 1, the development contracts for Evolution 2 are expected to be awarded to a single tenderer in order to simplify contracting and systems integration.

Evolution 2 is expected also to see the extension (or possibly replacement) of HQ JOC’s Joint Support Organisation (JSO). It’s not clear how this will be contracted: the original JSO contract was a stand-alone element outside the formal ‘shopping list’ of capabilities sought under this project.

While Evolution 1 is now into its 3rd Release, ADM understands that Evolutions 2 and 3 will be delivered in two releases with a greater interval between them: one of the lessons from Evolution 1 (as from similar projects such as Land 75 – Battlefield Command Support System) is that an evolutionary development process requires sufficient time for each new release to be tested and demonstrated properly before potential capability enhancements are identified and implemented.

The remaining functions will be acquired in successive Evolutions under separate tenders; details of what each one consists of haven’t been disclosed. The RFT for Evolution 2 was due to close on 5 October with a contract due in early-mid 2011 and ADM understands this will focus on. These will be delivered in two releases, rather than three, as one of the lessons from Evolution 1 has been that the cycle time for three releases doesn’t really give time to test and demonstrate properly before the next release is due. This proved true of the BCSS program which also went from a six-monthly technology refresh cycle to a 12-month cycle for much the same reason.

According to a Defence spokesman the definition process for Evolution 3 is scheduled to commence in early 2012 with the remaining capabilities progressively being implemented during 2015-16. As noted above the Geospatial and Intelligence tools which will form a part of the new JCSE will be acquired under separate DCP projects: JP2064 and DEF7013, respectively. While these will provide an essential data stream for JCSE operators, these capabilities have their genesis in other DCP projects and so will be acquired separately, though probably integrated into the JCSE by one of the five ‘below the line’ panellists.

The 2011 DCP includes a new component of JP2030 – Phase 9. This will continue the process of integrating legacy command support systems into a single, integrated environment. This phase will also extend the JCSE laterally, into the maritime sphere, and downwards, into the space currently occupied by the Battlespace Command Support Environment (BCSE). The clear implication here is that this will support the amphibious force and its command elements embarked on the Navy’s new Canberra-class LHDs.

The 1st Pass Approval milestone for Ph.9 is now scheduled for 2014-16, and a Defence source says this schedule is not linked to that for the entry into service of the LHDs. It’s also not clear at this stage to what extent Ph.9 is required to interface with the Saab 9LV Mk3E Combat Management System which will be installed on these ships. Interestingly, while Saab is also prime contractor for the extant BCSE under Land 75, Elbit in 2010 won the contract to supply a new Battle Management System (BMS) under Ph.3.4 of Land 75.

By the time Ph.9 gets under way both Elbit’s BMS and Saab’s LHD combat system should be in service.   

Subject: Joint

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