Capt. Aris Papanicolaou of the Canadian Armed Forces manages the air battle space from 22 Wing North Bay on January 25, 2024. The Canadian Air Defence Sector, part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, recently completed a demonstration of cloud-based, command-and-control technology that will allow for faster, more informed decision making. MST. CPL. JIM SAUNDERS/CANADIAN ARMED FORCES
THE WATCH STAFF
Canada is nearing implementation of a cloud-based command-and-control system, a major technological upgrade that will quicken battlefield decisions and offer real-time artificial intelligence-powered suggestions for military action. Canadian Air Defence Sector (CADS), part of the binational North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), carried out a demonstration of the new cloud-based, command-and-control (CBC2) software integrator in late January 2024, according to a NORAD news release.
The demonstration took place at the 22 Wing/Canadian Forces (CFB) North Bay in Ontario. The event marked a milestone in the service’s modernization of tactical command-and-control capabilities and was attended by high-ranking Canadian and U.S. military officers, including Lt. Gen. Eric Kenny, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). “To meet future defence and security challenges alongside our Allies, the RCAF must leverage innovative technologies like cloud-based command and control. These technologies represent significant capability increases in areas key to modern air and space forces. CBC2 incorporates state-of-the-art solutions to enhance NORAD’s effectiveness and will revolutionize the way we operate.”
CBC2 processes far more data than traditional network-connected, command-and-control systems, giving leaders a better sense of the battlespace in all domains. Improved communication and artificial intelligence (AI) technology develops “courses of action from which leaders can make high quality and faster decisions that improve operational outcomes,” according to the release.
“This technological development will provide our operators with the latest tools to efficiently maintain detailed situational awareness of the battlespace and contribute to improving NORAD’s rapid response to potential threats. It’s a technological leap we are all excited to see come online,” said Maj. Gen. Iain Huddleston, commander of the Canadian NORAD region, who also attended the demonstration.
During the next months, CADS will work with the U.S. Air Force’s software developers to improve the system, giving operators a chance to provide feedback before it becomes fully operational in the protection of the North American homeland. The CBC2 technology is already in use in NORAD’s Eastern Defense Sector and will be rolled out in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington in 2024 and 2025.
Canada’s CBC2 contribution is part of the country’s $27 billion, 20-year NORAD modernization plan announced in 2022. The plan also calls for next-generation sensors, advanced air-to-air missiles as well as infrastructure upgrades and scientific and technological research. The CBC2 system is part of the U.S Air Force’s effort to implement the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), which depends on more and faster connections between planes, troops, ships and command centers around the globe. The systems are a key part of a globally integrated multilayered defense strategy.
“Instead of an air battle manager having to consult different screens or systems for different sensor inputs or data, CBC2 brings together those inputs,” a NORAD official explained to Air & Space Forces Magazine in 2023 before its rollout in the Eastern Sector. “The effect is a more streamlined connection between sensors, systems and decision-makers.”