International cooperation and the importance of communication means that modern military operations rely on cutting-edge defense technology solutions. The right combination of software, cloud computing and hardware systems is changing the future of combat and helping decision makers execute more successful missions. As military theaters continue to evolve, we expect to see technology play an even greater role in the future of combat operations.
New defense technologies form a key part of modern defense strategies. By protecting personnel, securely sharing information and providing the data weapons need, new defense systems have come to be an important military capability. In this article we’ll be taking a look at just some of the ways modern defense solutions are changing the future of combat.
Planning More Successful Missions
When you hear the term defense technologies you probably think about the weapons, payloads and sensors being used by military operators. While modern weapon systems have advanced rapidly, the real power behind defense technologies is information integration systems.
Planning successful missions has always been a challenge. When decision makers are located far away from deployed troops, it’s critical that they are able to access high speed, secure data streams. Knowing what’s happening on the ground is the best way to ensure forces are properly deployed and that operators are protected during tactical operations. Defense technology solutions play a key role in mission planning. By providing a secure highway for high resolution data to be passed between deployed forces and decision makers, defense communications platforms ensure that vital information is always available.
Improve Readiness and Agility
Coordinating military operations is no small feat. Moving thousands of personnel and major land, sea and air vehicles is a collaborative feat. But, when the pressure is on, it’s important that these forces are ready to respond immediately to new threats and emerging situations.
New defense technology solutions are helping military forces improve their readiness and allowing them to plan for any situation. The mission planning environments built into modern defense technologies make it simple to establish frameworks that accelerate the deployment of forces. With mission frameworks already in place, decision makers can quickly integrate the real-world data that comes in as new threats emerge. The data can be plugged into existing mission templates, allowing forces to be deployed and critical instructions to be shared rapidly. This is especially useful for non-combatant operations where military forces are used to respond to situations such as natural disasters. There is often a multinational component to disaster response, and the ability to rapidly share data and mission templates greatly improves the readiness and agility of modern forces.
Defense Technologies with Security Built In
The availability of data is powering the future of combat. That makes it simpler to deploy forces and achieve successful mission outcomes, but it also poses a new threat to operators: cybersecurity.
The data being constantly shared between troops and headquarters is a tempting target for enemies. If the wrong people access that information, it can compromise the safety of personnel and render any mission planning useless. Modern defense technology solutions come with military-grade security built in. Using sophisticated authentication systems, defense technologies ensure all users are authorized, every step along the way. These systems are flexible enough to be tailored to suit different military organizations and structures, and they make it simple to securely share information with external mission partners.
Stay Connected in Challenging Environments
While cybersecurity is a pressing issue for military organizations, it’s not the most challenging aspect of an operation. Rather, military forces often work in some of the world’s harshest and most remote locations. While satellites provide a means to communicate with headquarters from anywhere in the world, these networks are often slow to transmit data, and there must always be spare bandwidth for critical communications. In locations where networks are disrupted, disputed or intermittent, defense technologies need smarter ways to convey data to decision makers.
Modern defense technology solutions get around this through powerful AI systems. These systems interpret and transform the data passing through the system, compressing files to the lowest possible size. This means data can be shared to remote locations to keep all mission partners connected. For instance, the right data sharing platform could keep patrolling naval ships connected to each other, to headquarters and to troops on the ground. This level of information sharing means that everyone has the data they need to make decisions and deliver more successful mission outcomes.