Key Takeaways:

• SAIC has helped the U.S. Air Force develop the initial cloud-based command and control (CBC2) capability for the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), integrating data from Department of Defense and Canadian radar feeds.
• Enabled by the creation of a secure and shared mission partner data environment in the DOD cloud, the capability in ABMS will help reduce cognitive burden and workloads for command center operators and decision-making times for battle managers.
• The data environment is a prelude to additional technical innovations and development support we are providing to help scale up CBC2 capabilities for the Air Force and to support its line of effort for the DOD's combined joint all-domain command and control (CJADC2) warfighting concept.

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Integrating and processing data on more than 800 Department of Defense and Canadian radar feeds, SAIC is helping the U.S. Air Force lessen manual and cognitive loads on command center operators while bolstering situational awareness for air defense. SAIC, as lead integrator, supported the Air Force’s Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management (PEO C3BM) in developing the initial cloud-based command and control (CBC2) capability for the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). This capability will be delivered to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).

The ABMS digital network connects the Air Force’s defense assets and enables rapid sharing of operational data for faster and better C2 decisions. ABMS is the Air Force’s contribution to the DOD’s execution of digitally interconnected, information-driven warfighting by all its armed services and coalition partners, known as combined joint all-domain command and control or CJADC2. In support of CJADC2 development, SAIC is working with the Air Force and other DOD armed services and combatant commands to deliver digital infrastructures and capabilities for sharing both classified and unclassified data across networks and domains.

Battle managers and commanders require access to expanded data sources that significantly reduce decision times, and this key need drives SAIC’s efforts. ABMS and other CJADC2 systems being developed will replace incompatible and stovepiped legacy C2 systems that require manual handling of data between computers, which delays decision-making. SAIC’s infrastructure modernization and systems integration work breaks down these silos and merges critical data streams through interoperable networks, unified information domains and data environments.

Serving PEO C3BM, we help establish the foundational architecture and digital infrastructure to securely exchange data and host mission applications. Part of that work involves bringing together the U.S. and Canadian air defense networks with a way to securely and safely furnish each with appropriate secret-level classified information in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) DOD cloud.

Bridging partners’ operational networks

The solution involved federating the networks through the development of a new secret releasable (S/REL) data environment that serves as a shared information domain. Our team, working alongside PEO C3BM, integrated AWS’s native data delivery and infrastructure services so that tactical information up to the secret level can flow across security domains and into the S/REL environment residing inside AWS.

Taking advantage of synergistic development opportunities

SAIC is also the prime industry partner on the Air Force-managed Cloud One enterprise multi-cloud for DOD, supporting the delivery, operation and management of secure computing environments and applications for mission owners. Our role allowed us to use the assets, infrastructure and platform work on Cloud One to accelerate the operational capability and approval of the S/REL environment.

Cloud One currently consists of Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud and AWS, with an enterprise identity, credential and access management system. We leveraged this system, infrastructure and platform code along with Cloud One’s authorization to operate (ATO) to reduce development time and cost for PEO C3BM. This opens opportunities for other mission systems in Cloud One to use the IL 6 data enclave and cross-domain solutions.

Realizing these inter-program synergies is one way SAIC demonstrates its value to the Air Force as a strategic partner on multiple fronts for CJADC2. Our implementation of the S/REL environment demonstrates the groundbreaking tactics required to overcome system integration complexity. In addition, we are a member of the ABMS Digital Infrastructure Consortium, where we help steer the Air Force’s strategies for secure data processing and handling, zero trust cybersecurity and connectivity with DOD and coalition partners.

The final result is machine-to-machine integration and automation of data movement across the Air Force and across multiple classified domains. This equips battle managers with significantly more sources of information while providing a clearer, more unified operating picture. Seamless data sharing with partners outside the service improves everyone’s ability to make sense of threats and take action to defeat them in a timely and effective manner.

SAIC is proud to play a part in building this future Air Force C2 capability. The S/REL environment is a preview of ongoing technical innovations and development support we are providing to PEO C3BM, as it aims to expand and scale up cloud-based C2 capabilities across the Air Force. We are aligned with the vision for ABMS to integrate various operational data sources and establish multiple intelligence signal fusion for homeland defense.

Learn more about how we support customers with solutions and capabilities for CJADC2 at SAIC's CJADC2 page.