How to maintain and support the capability of programmable electronics in post-modern armed forces?

How to maintain and support the capability of programmable electronics in post-modern armed forces?

1 Introduction

Programmable electronics proliferate the space of military operations. In post-modern operations information is an asset like men, material, will and competence. With right information processing one can multiply the effect of other assets. Within some current weapon systems over 60 % of their capability and price is based on programming and applications. IC -technology is spreading through out the post-modern force many times more than assault rifle did after the end of WW II. Consumer electronic industry and mass markets have made even military electronics and devices disposable or short lived, but programs are being updated, reconfigured, integrated and repaired with life-cycle extending ten´s of years.



In this writing programmable electronics means any type of processor or circuit that is executing an application in order to process information. Programmable electronics may be networked or standalone, within ICT -systems or embedded, COTS, GOTS or MOTS products. Any program may include errors or circuits in executing an application may end up in illogical status and start behaving in an unintended way. Programs and applications are reconfigurable and reprogrammable either as bigger structure or as small object or service.



Programmable electronics can be found for example in war heads, small arms sights, positioning and surveillance equipment, vehicles on ground, in water or in air, containers, all weapon platforms, fire control systems, intelligence technology, ICT -technology, automated systems, soldiers protective clothing, etc. With system of systems concept all these subsystems integrate into one coherent system that can yield bigger force than the sum of its parts.

2 Capability of system of systems is in information and programs

A modern combat system consists of sub-systems like weapons, sensors, soldiers, procedures, logistics, management and leadership. All these components are programmed and trained to create an effective fighting team – a system of systems with emergence of new capabilities. There is a greater trend of evolution where organism or society is more capable to adjust and survive in change with collaboration, specialization and creating bigger entities from smaller units. At some level of integration an emergence of totally new kind of capabilities is observed.¹ This is to be seen, if one studies evolution of military armament from system approach.²



Information and its sharing is one important enabler for system integration. Civilian sector has evolved and improved its productivity from early industrialization times with information sharing and processing. Paper mills and steel factories of today with extended chains of subcontractors are live example of integrated systems with new capabilities. Similar ecosystems can be found in finance (with surprising interdependencies between hubs), retail chains and production facilities (WallMart being one of the most famous) and global logistics networks (1-4 levels of different value adding roles in global supply chain).



Information and programming is enabling combat system also at subsystem level to new capabilities. U.S. Army is planning to utilize new capabilities of XM25 (target sensing detonator), XM2010 sniper rifle with 1 200 m range, Squad Mission Support System with autopiloted ATV, HULC (lower-body, electro-hydraulically-powered exoskeleton) or flying hummer.³ These component capabilities may enable unforeseeable capabilities after integration to larger systems. Those new capabilities may be strategical or operational advantage over other forces. In commercial world these are called disruptive innovations.

3 Programmability enables new capabilities but require special maintenance and development

Complexity is increasing in one component or subsystem, when specialized hardware (HW) and layers of software (SW) elements are integrated for better capability. Most often new military systems include mass products from other mainstreams like consumer electronics (game graphics, GPS -circuits, 3D -graphic accelerators), automation technology (sensors and buses), automobile industry (Vehicle Area Network or CAN), ICT -industry (operating systems, databases, general applications), health industry (pulse and body monitoring, telemedicine), logistics (intelligent packaging and transportation robots) or information queried from other public agencies (geography, weather, population, civil events). These features are combined with military components and configured for military purposes. Having a military system constructed with these subcomponents that have different lifecycles, update rates and vulnerabilities is challenging for maintenance and development organisations. When these complicated subsystems are networked to create first weapon systems and further combat system of systems, both their strength and weaknesses are combined. Maintenance must keep weaknesses at bay not to be exploited by opponent and strengths interoperable with other systems to maintain the leverage and emergence.

A network is different to maintain than a monolithic system

One can find following challenges in maintaining such interdependent system of myriad subcomponents⁴:

• commercial software requires daily testing and updating of virus fingerprint files to be able to resist possible malware coming with imported files or information from Internet
• commercial operating systems like Microsoft Windows requires monthly repair or update to patch discovered malfunctions and weaknesses
• generally used applications require quarterly updates to get rid of discovered malfunctions
• military applications may require annual update but they must be adapted to other changes of their platform and environment
• consumer electronic products are produced and marketed within weeks or months, so after the purchase, similar supplements are hard to find within the rest 5 years of capability lifecycle
• enterprise ICT -hardware products are produced within maximum of 18 months period so one has to procure substitutive devices following manufacturing cycles
• military hardware includes many civilian components so their sustaining features requires provider to buy a stock of components which inclines unit prices although total cost of ownership may be more efficient.
• Users may be rotated every 6 months in operation and conscript training where as professional soldiers may serve many years in same role
• Changes of Man-Machine-Interface is to be trained to users otherwise readiness is degrading. Standing armies do not have major problems but reserve armies continuation training or rotation cycle is shortened unless MMI is mimicking generally used interface
• Standing armies are using equipment all the time so wear and harsh environment will create losses between 4 – 7% of fleet annually
• Training new soldiers is even more consuming due mishandling and ignorance. Losses may reach up to 15% annually.
• Reserve troops programmable system of systems cannot be stored like piece of artillery, but in warm storage and online to be able to update stored systems and maintain compatibility with used systems
• post-modern battlefield or space of operation is more lethal than before so 20 – 40 % weekly losses may be anticipated in intensive combat. This requires combat service support to supply hardware with continuous flow and compatible with other parts of system.
• Within digitalized and programmable battalion task force combat system of systems at least one subcomponent is chancing weekly thus requiring either reconfiguration or integration of whole system.

To manage thousands of changes during an year, to distribute files or parts of programs daily, to configure and maintain availability weekly and to supplement hardware losses monthly, requires different maintenance and supply system than previous forces. Changes, born from variety of sources, must be integrated and tested:

1. technically at system level,
2. technically and operationally at system of system level and
3. again system of systems must be tested with vigorous field testing to minimize risks for safety.

Military logistics and service support must adapt best practices of civilian service production

This requires military force to adapt Information Technology Service Management (ITSM), which is ICT -industry⁵ best practice for supply chain management (SCM) and enterprise resource management (ERP).⁶ With evolving ITSM maturity, organisation can adapt ITIL, COBIT, SPSPR or eTOM processes or business frameworks.



With maturing ITIL -processes and COBIT -practices within eTOM -business framework, a military service provider can build supply chain management i.e. logistics, that enable specialization, networking and cost-effective service production while maintaining agility and sustainability during crises situations. Operational agility is gained by clustering providers as nodes, by having parallel options for production and by coaching providers to learn faster from chains experiences. This requires Lean⁷ -production in which customer, user or supported is driving the value of entire chain and optimizing the support with continuous improvements.



Understanding the complex and continuously changing combat system of systems, requires system engineering view with architectural framework. In this understanding combat capabilities and procedures are combined with information and technical structures and human users forming intertwined structure and sometimes non-linear system. Architecture should be followed with modelling and simulation as far as possible to understand major interdependencies and to find possible non-linearities before commencing the production. Modelling and simulation is a definite requirement to understand software defined systems (like Software Defined Radio, Software Defined Network and Virtualized infrastructures) operation and integration requirements.



Component level production and testing may follow traditional Waterfall development and testing defined by CMMI, but as software development gets more agile, more test-driven programming is deployed and changes are better managed within programming sprints. System of systems change approval requires small world Alpha and Beta testing. Alpha -testing should be carried out in a separate miniature combat system of systems, where partly in laboratory and partly semi-field conditions each component is presented. This may be called as integration or reference tests for system of systems. Beta -testing is following a successful Alpha -test with pilot unit of real world users, maintenance and administrators. This is again a small world test, but together with simulation testing and Alpha -testing they assure that a manageable level of risk may be approached before Change Advisory Board makes decision to field a change or increment of new capability following the ITIL -service support processes. Lean -development should be utilized with every feedback. Even previously fielded increments of capability should be retested again in Alpha-environment, monitored in big world and user feedback should be collected to further improve the entity of combat system of systems.

4 If programmable electronics require continuous maintenance and testing procedures, why not use those also for development of combat system of systems

As previous chapter did describe, an agile maintenance and sustaining system for delivering changes of configuration, updates of software, supplements of hardware or bytes of new information, one may harness these procedures also to deliver new capabilities by investment programs. Since post-modern combat system of systems is not to be purchased readily from any shelf, but sub-systems may be both COTS, GOTS and MOTS⁸ products. There may be hard to find a single company that can be burdened with integration responsibility. This requires a new methodology for Military system providers to manage development programs as supply- or ITSM -chain. eTOM -telecommunication industry business model offers usable framework for this kind of methodology. ITSM -model includes customer driven capability development and eTOM -defines a structure for more strategic development with both shareholder and stakeholder views. This development is not only product or service oriented, but considers also the development of the capability of entire supply chain. Thus Military is having a status of network hub for military capabilities development and sustainment.

Spiralling is the method to develop intertwined system and seek for emerging capabilities
The combat system of systems is an organism that is improved with increments and seldom all by once. Thus investing development suites to agile maintenance procedures and gains from its vigorous testing and configuration management process. Development programs must include all lines of operation of combat capability (Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, Leadership and Learning, Personnel, Facilities, Information and Integration) because of their intertwined nature in military force. The spiral development method has proved to be most effective way to develop capability increments and field them through series of tests followed by adjustments that are driven by feedback from each phase of testing. The spiral development and DOTMLPFII -capability building is elaborated further in an other article.⁹



Combining maintenance improvements by Lean -development and capability investments by spiral development, organization is coping better with continuous changes and is able to try and learn new ways of executing their tasks. This strategical agility supports the sustainment of emergence and keeps one ahead of his adversaries. There is a major advantage, if one party can improve his force twice a year, when other party is able to update force only every 5-10 years. This advantage is found also in post-modern industry or customer driven commerce.

5 If one can update a combat system of systems once a day for maintenance reasons, what can be achieved if frequent reprogramming or reconfiguration is introduced in operations

As the space of operation is widening into new spheres like cyberspace, there are:

• fewer soldiers to monitor events,
• numerous automatic sensors and unmanned platforms that are substituting human beings,
• more surprises since “clean fighting” is rare and most of the operations are conducted amongst people
• more stake holders to be taken into account. ¹⁰

In a more complex space of operations fighting following only one kind of tactics may end up with unintended results. A Force, that is projecting power, must be agile to be fitted into an operation, to be able to identify lessons and learn to adjust standard operational procedures according to needs of situations. When soldiers have to change or adjust their Rules of Engagement (RoE) or Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) so should their whole combat system of systems. In order to do this machines of war must understand human information and ontology. They must adapt to changes of battle field with reprogramming and distribution of altered applications.¹¹

Reprogrammable system of system can be educated to new procedures or understanding during operation, if maintenance structure is enabling the following functions:

• All configurable items (sub systems) are connected to delivery system within reasonable window of upgrade. This is to maintain interoperability within system and to enable agility for troop establishment during fighting.
• There is a change management that is aware of situation to balance requirements for change with requirements for availability.
• There is test procedures and A – B -test environments to verify each iteration in small world conditions and interoperability requirements.
• There is a structured way to develop capability of the system of systems with small iterations and not only by monolithic update procedures.

The combat system of system can learn new things overnight, if:

• programming is following the basic principles of Resource Description Framework (RDF) and information is modelled utilizing Knowledge Models with many layers of Ontology abstraction,
• managing applications and information like services calling them on demand with Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP),
• constructing of user interfaces is following the portable method of HTML 5,
• all applications are using virtual structures to run on. Not on particular Operating System, which is tailored to a defined hardware,
• development is orchestrated using Scrum -method to enable iterative programming within short time frames.

Men and Machines can learn new things and procedures over night

This ability of troops and their combat system of systems to learn new things enables them together achieve something that Napoleon utilized when riding through his troop in the night before main engagement to give last advice and changes of his plan of operations. Now the whole force (men and machines) is able to embrace new things over night. This opens new possibilities to more initiative commanders since continuing emergency also introduces more possibilities to utilize own capabilities (like German general staff officers did in last phases of II WW). To be able to commence synchronized changes is one approach of capability development. Another approach is troops ability to team up with each other and develop a particular way of fighting most suitable for them. This supports human ability to improve team work with training, interaction and proximity, which is a strategic advantage for most team sports.

6 Programmable capabilities create new possibilities for tactical and strategical advantage

The new way of maintaining programmable capabilities in a force consisting of systems and men is building tactical advantage on the basis of learning. If both men and machines can learn new things over night, apply force tailored to situation or in a surprising way, there is tactical possibility to have an advantage over adversary.



The ability to change capabilities of the whole fleet of systems with both Lean improvements by users and Strategic improvements by investment programs is creating an strategical advantage. Programmable capabilities of the force creates cost-effective method to be continuously ahead of adversaries updates. Since this capability is not purchasable but creatable, it is hard to copy thus a good base for sound strategy.



With more agile and iterative change process one is able to detach people and assets from monolithic upgrades to do more productive work in operations and training. Which again enforces combat system of system to evolve, specialise and fit differently to each situation or operation. The end state is more cost-effective force and force projection.

Referencies:

1 Joseph Needham:Integrative levels: a revaluation of the idea of progress. Oxford: Clarendon Press 1937

2 See article Juha Mattila: How to enhance capabilities of a complex military battle system by C4I development. http://c4isys.blogspot.ae/ 2013

3 http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/12/new-technology-for-us-army-from-2011-to.html

4 Experiences gained during Finnish Army Battle System 2^nd and 3^rd generation digitalization programs

5 Defined by OECD in September, 1998

6 ITSM is developed and promoted internationally and in some countries by interest societies called itSMF.

7  "Lean," is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. Working from the perspective of the customer who consumes a product or service, "value" is defined as any action or process that a customer would be willing to pay for. By John Krafcik 1988

8 Commercial, Governmental or Military Of The Shelf

9 Juha Mattila: How to enhance capabilities of a complex military battle system by C4I development. http://c4isys.blogspot.ae/ 2013

10 Juha Mattila: Post-modern confrontations, conflicts and their management 2013.

11 G. Scott Taylor: Beyond the Battlefield: Institutional Army Transformation Following Victory in Iraq 2012. “Change is achieved through a continuous cycle of adaptive innovation, experimentation, and experience. In Iraq, out of necessity while in contact with a dynamic enemy, the Army transformed on the battlefield with radical changes in doctrine, organization, training, and materiel, which significantly enabled battlefield success.”