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Five Trends Will Stretch the Digital Boundaries of Defense

Accenture Defense Technology Vision 2015

We are entering the era of the connected solider. The Internet of Things (IoT) is helping defense agencies to make advances in how soldiers are informed, protected and connected. Technology is also helping to improve several areas that are critical to defense mission success: safety, efficiency, effectiveness, security and cost savings.

There is no doubt that technology has the power to transform businesses and governments all over the world. As part of the Accenture Technology Vision 2015, Accenture surveyed 2,000 business and industry executives, including 162 public service leaders, across nine countries to gather insights into the adoption of emerging technologies.1 The data showed that 74 percent of those in public service agree that industry boundaries will dramatically blur as platforms reshape industries into interconnected ecosystems. This blurring may affect defense from a collaboration perspective, but also by introducing potential threats.

This year, the Accenture Technology Vision 2015 explores how some leaders are flexing their digital muscle in new ways to improve operations and processes, and to form new connections with employees and customers. The defense industry, like many others, is no exception. Below, we explore five technology trends that show how defense is stretching its digital boundaries to deliver public service for the future.

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INTRODUCTION

Internet of Me: Individual Situational Awareness

As everyday objects are going online, so are experiences—creating an abundance of digital channels that reach deep into every aspect of individuals’ lives. It’s an era in which every experience is becoming a digital experience as ordinary “things” become intelligent devices.

The demand of the next-generation IT systems in defense will be to integrate the individual and their mission with a personalized and individual situational awareness, driving resourced informed decision making at all levels of command.

Information superiority and the ability to capture intelligence can influence who has the upper hand—whether in or outside a battle situation. The flow of data must be made as fluid as possible, as secure as possible and with mechanisms in place to visualize, personalize and analyze data for the warfighter.

Virtual technology is providing increased training efficiency for troops preparing for operations. The Army, Navy and Air Force departments use this 3D experience for combat simulation, and they have added it to their training arsenal as it offers a safe, effective way to train new recruits. Through the combination of Live, Virtual, and Constructive training exercises, soldiers can be “trained the way they fight” and are thus, better prepared for their missions.

The U.S. Army’s Live, Virtual, Constructive-Integrating Architecture system provides training and mission rehearsal opportunities to commanders and soldiers through a net-centric linkage that “collects, retrieves and exchanges data among Army training aids, devices, simulations and simulators (TADSS).” The integration of the Live, Virtual and Constructive TADSS with mission command equipment allows for better training events that prepare soldiers for their missions at less cost.2 In another example, virtual reality provides a safe environment to help soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.3

Virtual technology is providing increased training efficiency for troops preparing for operations.

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Outcome Economy: Intelligent Hardware for the Outcome Mission

Deeper levels of intelligence in hardware are helping to bridge the last mile between the digital enterprise and the physical world. As leading organizations come face-to-face with the Internet of Things, they are uncovering opportunities to embed hardware and sensors in their digital toolboxes. They are using these highly connected hardware components to give customers what they really want: not more products or services, but more meaningful outcomes. These “digital disrupters” know that getting ahead is no longer about driving activities—it’s about delivering results. The mission is no longer focused on the process, but the outcome.

Hardware can help tremendously in the defense sphere. Consider the magnitude of global defense forces—the manpower, the equipment, the processes and the technology needed to protect nations. How can machines make it easier to achieve mission results?

Intelligent hardware solutions used in defense can improve supply chain efficiency, which ultimately improves readiness and safety. For instance, Air Force aircraft laden with sensors

that collect data can provide useful insights via analytics that inform crews as to when and why to pull a craft for maintenance. The work is accomplished in a timely manner because workers know the work is coming, and the craft is back in the air more quickly. Surprisingly, the Accenture Technology Vision 2015 revealed that only 9 percent of public service leaders surveyed say their organization is using sensor data to interact with the world.4

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has become more outcome-oriented by using a solution that leverages ServiceNow, a services-management platform, to reduce the complexity of its IT and security infrastructure. When fully realized, the solution is estimated to save over 10 million man hours of lost productivity a year through process automation, automated provisioning of use access and cloud infrastructure and standardized forms to expedite software accreditation.

The solution dramatically improves time-to-value enabling a more agile USAF, which means that personnel are focused on achieving the mission and not waiting on IT systems. With the solution built on ServiceNow, the USAF is able to move IT administrators away from data entry and refocus their efforts to become digital warriors.

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When fully realized, the solution is estimated to save over

10 million man hours of lost productivity a year

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Platforms (R)evolution: Defense Ecosystems

Today’s new and evolving platforms essentially comprise well-defined architecture, governance and services and are underpinned by the latest digital “tools” – social, mobile, cloud, Internet of Things and others. Increasingly, platform-based organizations are capturing more of digital’s opportunities for strong mission execution. Rapid advances in digital tools not only are eliminating the technology and cost barriers associated with such platforms, but also are opening up this new playing field across enterprises and geographies. In short: platform-based ecosystems are the new dimension of mission.

Defense organizations want to revolutionize, standardize, consolidate and simplify platforms and upgrade to latest technology so they can best use all data produced. Cybersecurity, efficiency and savings motivate agencies to pursue IT modernization and consolidation efforts that realign the construction, operation and security of networks and systems into a joint/single information environment.

For example, the Joint Information Environment initiative (JIE) will help the U.S. Department of Defense modernize how the Department’s IT networks and systems are built, run and defended, allowing for a more cost-effective, secure and standardized architecture.5

Upgrading to a scalable platform enabled through a joint information environment allows agencies to have cyber situational awareness, use integrated cloud services anytime, from anywhere and they can employ multilayer security solutions that protect the technology perimeter from hackers, viruses and other more sophisticated threats that may compromise defense data. Multilayer solutions help control the data flow within the platforms (and with coalition partners) to allow partnering across military branches while also maintaining an increased level of security and resilience.

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Intelligent Enterprise: Command and Control Above the Weapons Systems

Huge data and smarter systems mean unprecedented mission execution. How we coordinate and apply our weapons systems around the world as a whole can be its own weapon system—responding to asymmetric challenges with the full power, might and speed of defense capabilities from traditional weapons deployment to integrated intelligence to efficient use of economic power.

The next level of operational excellence and the next generation of software services will emerge from the latest gains in software intelligence. Until now, increasingly capable software has been geared to help commanders and defense leaders make better and faster decisions. But with an influx of big data—and advances in processing power, data science and cognitive technology—software intelligence is helping machines to make even more, better-informed decisions.

Defense leaders must now view software intelligence not as a pilot or a one-off project, but as an across-the-board functionality—one that will drive new levels of evolution and discovery, propelling innovation throughout the enterprise.

The defense industry is taking note, using intelligent technology to minimize human casualties. Installing CCTV in unmanned areas, mounting mobile cameras on vehicles and using drones to capture surveillance video can help in proactively notifying defense forces of threats.

When coupled with analytics that apply computer vision algorithms to video surveillance feeds, video footage can help maximize situational awareness, streamline operations and enhance response capabilities for soldiers. These technologies will only increase in popularity as systems continue to get smarter, and the technology continues to become more affordable.

The Singapore Government realized that analytics could go beyond merely spotting existing patterns of behavior—it could help the city better understand, prepare for and react to future events. Singapore is using a video analytics service platform to connect existing and new sensor infrastructures (including dozens of CCTV cameras), apply computer vision and predictive analytics to surveillance video feeds to detect various events and generate operational alerts for six government agencies.

Singapore has achieved greater than 80 percent accuracy using just five video cameras in one of Singapore’s busiest metro interchange stations. The city has increased operational support, anomaly detection through social media monitoring and analytics and real-time decision making.6 Defense organizations can similarly enhance their surveillance techniques in military bases, depots, airports and other defense facilities.

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Workforce Reimagined: Collaboration at the Intersection of Humans and Machines

Digital and physical worlds are increasingly colliding and connecting. Advances in robotics enable machines to not only communicate with humans, but also work side-by-side with them. But it’s the collaboration between both—more so than their division of labor—that has the potential to produce better outcomes than either could separately across the defense community.

The push to go digital is amplifying the need for humans and machines to do more, together. Advances in natural interfaces, wearable devices and smart machines will present new opportunities for companies to empower their workers through technology. This will also surface new challenges in managing a collaborative workforce composed of both people and machines. Successful organizations will recognize the benefits of human talent and intelligent technology working side by side in collaboration—and they will embrace them both as critical members of the reimagined defense workforce.

Determining how machines could best supplement operators’ analysis has clear mission-critical implications in an environment characterized by a massive and growing influx of data.7

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In the defense world where budgets are going down and the cost of equipment is going up, there is ripe potential for robotics to take on challenging physical tasks and perform them more efficiently or safely.

The U.S. Air Force is exploring the potential of human-machine teams. The Air Force issued a presolicitation for innovative research into human-machine collaboration in analyzing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data. The focus is on understanding the reality of the human experience in this area—both strengths and shortcomings. Determining how machines could best supplement operators’ analysis has clear mission-critical implications in an environment characterized by a massive and growing influx of data.7

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For more information, contact:

Antti Kolehmainen Managing Director, Accenture Defense Services antti.kolehmainen@accenture.com

Dr. Valtteri Vuorisalo Offering Development Manager, Accenture Defense Services valtteri.vuorisalo@accenture.com

Joe Chenelle Senior Managing Director, Accenture Federal Services joseph.d.chenelle@accenturefederal.com

Follow us @AccenturePubSvc

1 Accenture Technology Vision 2015; http://techtrends.accenture.com/us-en/it-technology-trends-2015.html

2 United States Army; “Live, Virtual, Constructive-Integrating Architecture (LVC-IA),” November 9, 2012, accessed May 8, 2015 http://www.peostri.army.mil/PRODUCTS/LVCIA/

3 Mark Pomerleau; “How Virtual Reality Helps Treat Soldiers with PTSD,” Defense Systems, March 13, 2015, accessed May 8, 2015 http://defensesystems.com/articles/2015/03/13/army-virtual-reality-ptsd-treatment.aspx

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5 Henry Kenyon; AFCEA; “Joint Information Environment is Under Way;” September 16, 2013; http://www.afcea.org/content/?q=joint-information-environment-under-way

6 Accenture; “Creating the right image in the intelligent city;” http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-creating-right-image-intelligent-city-summary.aspx

7 Joey Cheng, “Air Force Wants Human-Machine Teams for ISR Analysis,” Defense Systems, July 23, 2014, accessed May 8, 2015 http://defensesystems.com/Articles/2014/07/23/Air-Force-

human-machine-ISR-analysis.aspx?admgarea=TC_C4ISR&Page=1

About AccentureAccenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 323,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

Keeping up with the curveDigital disruption is accelerating exponentially, so businesses and governments alike must quickly decide how to use digital to their advantage. The potential uses for digital in defense are immense, so the industry must proactively maximize the latest technology to improve support functions. As the defense industry stretches its digital boundaries in the coming years, it will reveal new opportunities for using digital in revolutionary ways to deliver public service for the future.

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