US Army Data Infrastructure Works But Gaps Remain, Official Says

The concepts and technologies on the U.S. Army tactical data infrastructure enabling synchronized connections among corps formations are sound, according to Col. Matthew Paul, project manager for mission command at Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical. 

Reviewing the service’s participation in the recent Talisman Sabre exercise in Australia, Paul told DefenseScoop that the Army still has “some work to do” in the data ecosystem’s gap between where data resides and where soldiers operate. The other learnings from the exercise included data visualization and the information a commander might want to see in a common operational picture.

According to Paul, the next steps call for scaling the Army’s tactical data ecosystem using a hybrid cloud infrastructure, DefenseScoop reported.

The official said strategic planning is important for where the master data nodes should be in the data infrastructure. The work on the data plan will involve several partners including the Network Cross Functional Team and the Army Software Factory.

Further tests of the Army’s data infrastructure are being considered, such as in the service’s Project Convergence exercise, Paul said.