Marine Corps executes mission Digital threads primarily as an integrated MAGTF, organized to support the Marine rifleman. The integration of the MAGTF and the successful execution of mission threads rely on the effective exchange of critical information; communication, whether in the form of electronic data or voice, is critical to the exchange of mission-essential information. An effective network infrastructure is required in order to achieve effective end-to-end communication.
The goal of MAGTF digital interoperability is to provide the required information to the right participants at the right time in order to ensure mission success, i.e., defeating the threat, while improving efficiency and effectiveness. This approach provides the additional advantage of responsible spectrum use, which becomes increasingly important as spectrum demands increase, as technology advances, and as our MAGTFs continually operate in more distributed and disaggregated operations.
We continue to pursue integration and data exchange throughout various arenas: situational awareness; aircraft survivability; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ISR; fire support; and logistics by conducting continuous and iterative analysis of ever-evolving information exchange requirements IERs and the technological tools needed to satisfy those requirements. Network design must be based on IERs so that the right information gets to the right Marine at the right time.
In order to be digitally interoperable, a platform must possess and integrate the following four things to be digitally interoperable:
Sensors take information from the environment and turns it into digital data; examples include ASE aircraft survivability equipment, targeting pods, and a Marine’s situational awareness.
Computer processors take the digital data from the sensors and translate and format it for display or transport; examples include overhead in existing platform mission computers, additional processor cards in both related or unrelated systems, and standalone processors.
An interface that allows the system user to interact with the translated and formatted data from the processor; examples include integrated Multi-Function Display, a handheld electronic tablet, and a laptop computer.
Radios and associated antennas transmit and receive the translated and formatted data. Each of these components is required to fulfill the information exchange requirements in a constant integrated loop. The absence of a single aforementioned component breaks the loop.
Current enhancement and future procurement is the result of continuous end-to-end live and virtual analysis, through multiple efforts, of both USMC mission thread IERs and USMC platform capability over a period of years that has identified capabilities and capability gaps combined with an extensive analysis of alternatives.
The MAGTF as a whole employs four tactical data links that are fielded widely enough across the MAGTF that minor enhancements to platforms can greatly improve capability.
1. Next-generation Command and control C2 architectures employ agile voice/digital communications pathways to provide resiliency, increase the speed and volume of data flow, and accelerate decision making.
2. Intelligence. In a future operating environment, a next-generation intelligence architecture is able to sense and make sense of the entire operational environment.
3. Human decision-making will be supported by “big data” management and advanced analytics.
4. Fires. Capitalizing on a range of new weapons and sensors, next-generation fires are networked to leverage the benefits, while mitigating the limitations, of individual systems.
5. Manoeuvre. A next generation MAGTF expertly leverages maneuver across the five domains air, land, maritime, space, information/cyber/EMS electromagnetic spectrumof the future operating environment.
6. Force protection. In the next-generation MAGTF, all elements are aware of their multi-spectral signatures and actively conduct signature management.
7. Integrated and layered approach, employing various active and passive, force protective measures/methods.
8. Logistics/sustainment. A next-generation MAGTF is capable of providing distributed forces logistics and sustainment support across a dynamic and fully contested battlespace through responsive, agile, and multimodal methods/approaches.
9. C2 systems are a key element in leveraging and integrating current investments and systems both fourth and next generation to connect the network seamlessly between air and ground
10. Realising the potential of the MAGTF tactical grid, ultimately achieving sensor fusion across the MAGTF, similar to the individual aircrew experience in the F-35.