Challenges Facing C4ISR Integration for the Military

C4ISR success depends on interoperability, enterprise culture

Booz Allen partnered with government market research firm Market Connections Inc. to assess the challenges the military faces with Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR).

More than half of survey respondents saw interoperability across military organizations as a problem that cannot be solved without the true integration and networking of C4ISR. They also indicated an integrated approach to C4ISR would benefit their organizations.

Survey respondents cited process and budget as the top challenges of working with legacy C4ISR systems. The technology challenges respondents face are primarily related to cybersecurity modernization and technology insertion concerns.

The concept of Integrated C4ISR through Enterprise Integration especially resonates with the Air Force. Almost three quarters of Air Force survey respondents indicated Enterprise Integration would benefit them, versus just over half of total respondents.

“A @BoozAllen assessment of military challenges found C4ISR systems didn't consider the ability to share information”

Two-thirds of respondents agree:

Incremental delivery of modular systems with integrated capabilities can enable rapid insertion of new technologies (65%).
Designed-in cybersecurity that infuses solutions with organic unified and multi-layered defense can strengthen cybersecurity because interoperability will be designed into systems from the beginning (64%).
Government-owned, open architectures and standardized interfaces can allow a "plug and play" environment that will give wider access to commercial technologies (64%).

Until recently, many C4ISR systems were designed to meet specific mission requirements, but did not take into consideration the ability to share information or interoperate seamlessly with systems outside of their mission space. As opportunities and requirements for collaboration grew, these systems were expanded and modified after they were built and fielded, typically with proprietary technology.

Warfighters and the organizations that support them need "Integrated C4ISR," in which the individual pieces are designed as part of an enterprise system from the start. Integrated C4ISR is distinguished by five major features:

Government-owned, open architectures and standardized interfaces.
Agile, incremental delivery of modular systems with integrated capabilities.
Collective forums that bring together operators, acquisition professionals, and engineers to support agile development of solutions that are tailored to operational and technical requirements.
Designed-in cybersecurity to infuse solutions with organic, unified, and multilayered defense.
Enterprise-oriented culture.