The U.S. Air Force’s B-21 Raider stealth bombers, sixth-generation fighter jets, and cruise missiles will no longer operate as individual systems that perform narrowly configured combat functions. Instead, they will function as integrated “nodes” within a larger and interconnected “meshed network.”

This idea is the conceptual foundation of the Air Force’s evolving Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) network, which aims to enable real-time data processing and transmission at the point of collection. The foundation of much of this is purely speed. The faster and more efficiently time-sensitive information can be organized, analyzed, and transmitted, the shorter the “sensor-to-shooter” cycle is. Senior Air Force leaders refer to this as warfare at the “speed of relevance,” an approach that connects any sensor to any shooter across a wide range of operations.

Perhaps a forward operating drone identifies threatening enemy armored vehicle formations across the other side of a mountain ridge. The drone may be able to process volumes of information and identify the targets before a human operator directs it to attack the enemy formations. However, with ABMS—the Air Force’s contribution to the Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept—the same drone could also send real-time target specifics to nearby fighter jets or ground forces, essentially creating a multi-domain “kill web.”

“This imperative is the Department of the Air Force component of Joint All Domain Command and Control. It is intended to better define and focus DAF efforts to improve how we collect, analyze, and share information and make operational decisions more effectively than our potential adversaries,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall recently said.

Kendall’s emphasis on ABMS and Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), both of which are listed as one of seven key directives for the Air Force, is informing the ongoing development of several emerging programs, including the B-21 bomber and Next Generation Air Dominance programs. These programs are being developed with advanced high-speed computer processing and data link technology that is aimed at ensuring AI-enabled algorithms can discern relevant data from vast volumes of information and securely transmit it.

“What enables our aforementioned ABMS investments to be successful starts with the ability to acquire targets using sensors and systems in a way that allows targeting data to be passed to an operator for engagement,” Kendall said. He added that “for the scenarios of interest it all starts with these sensors. They must be both effective against the targets of interest and survivable.”

ABMS will allow a decentralized and closely networked force to cover a wide range of operations without needing to compromise latency. This will be made possible by sending everything through one centralized command and control hub. Operating this way can also increase survivability by ensuring continued network functionality in the event that one “node” gets destroyed or damaged.

Kris Osborn is the Defense Editor for the National Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

Image: Reuters.