HONOLULU—Lags in communication could undermine even the most advanced technology available, the deputy chief of Indo-Pacific Command warned Thursday.
“If we field cutting-edge compute and advanced software applications, but retain rigid, multi-layered bureaucracies requiring hours to authorize time-sensitive engagements, then we’ve negated our technological overmatch,” Lt. Gen. George Rowell, deputy commander of INDOPACOM, told attendees at TechNet Indo-Pacific. “No competitor on Earth can match America’s network of capable allies and partners. That network is our greatest advantage. It is our strategic center of gravity. But the old ways of connecting with partners are simply no longer sufficient.”
Upgrading military networks in the Pacific so the U.S. can quickly share battle details with allies has been a key priority in recent years. The command recently deployed the Pacific mission partner network, a unified version of a series of bespoke networks for individual allied or partner nations in the region. Throughout the year, the command has tested the network in military exercises, where it has shown progress and allowed better coordination, with fewer devices to toggle between.
Still, there are still gaps that need to be addressed to improve communications with allies and partners.
“We’re in the middle of a transition right now,” said Col. Michael Hlad, who leads the Defense Information Systems Agency’s regional field command in the Pacific. “We are migrating to a data-centric environment, helping our partners understand what does it mean to be zero trust? What are the key items that we need to agree on, let’s say, from an identity standpoint, a data standardization standpoint?”
While some nations are more technologically aligned, such as the Five Eye partners, the plan is to build a data-sharing environment malleable enough to bring in other nations as well.
“I don’t know what the coalition of the future necessarily looks like,” Hlad said. “So how are we, DISA, building a coalition environment that is agile and common enough that we can bring in those partners instead of making it brittle…where it’s just bilateral or just multilateral? We’ve got to bring that agility to [Indo-Pacific Command] as well as our partners, so they’re able to integrate for an [humanitarian assistance and disaster relief] scenario as well as a high-conflict scenario of the future.”
Getting to that common digital ground means agreeing on what tools and methods to use.
There must be “clear standardization of what that common architecture looks like,” Hlad said. “This only works if we get the data right. And we are still siloed.”
In addition to improving communication with allies and partners, one of DISA Pacific’s top priorities is to improve data transfer, speed, and security in the region.
“How do we have better transport resiliency in the Pacific so that we can make sure that the critical feeds and data are where we need them?…How do we deliver those for the warfighters in the Pacific so the data is closer to the operational need?” Hlad said.
The field command recently unveiled the Regional Network Operations Security Center Pacific—which aims to increase network support for INDOPACOM’s headquarters.
“That’s an enhanced [network operations center]. That’s an enhanced [security operations center]. That’s a regional service support desk, and that’s some data fusion capabilities that were not resident in this theater to synchronize,” Hlad said.
The idea is for the center to respond to connectivity challenges, including when undersea cables cut out and during electromagnetic spectrum or application disruptions.
The center has yielded a 20 percent personnel increase to assist in solving those connectivity problems, Hlad said.
