How We're Taking Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) from Concept to Reality

Three main functions underpin JADC2: the ability to Sense a threat; make sense of that threat; and decisively adjudicate actions against it. Nearly a year ago the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Dr. Kathleen Hicks, signed the Department’s JADC2 implementation plan, formalizing the DoD’s imperative to bolster the informational and decisional advantages of our Joint Force Commanders by way of JADC2. Fast-forward a year later, and here is a sneak peek at how Lockheed Martin Space is answering our nation’s call to action.

‘Sense’

We have successfully engineered a mid-size satellite bus — the LM 400 (currently undergoing final testing) — that is scheduled to launch later this year. The LM 400 is arguably one of the most versatile mid-sized satellites ever produced and is capable of remote sensing, satellite communications, imaging and advanced radar. The LM 400 is already under several contracts, most recently being named as one of the satellite buses supporting the U.S. Space Force’s planned Missile Track Custody program in medium earth orbit. The LM 400 reduces non-recurring engineering, which in turn will speed up production timelines and increase the capacity for faster on-orbit delivery. As a result, we can enable greater proliferation efforts, which translates into enhanced resiliency and more robust sensing capabilities that can operate in Low Earth, Medium Earth and High Earth Orbits. Also worth mentioning, the LM 400 conforms to Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) standards to promote interoperability and rapid information sharing that will help battle management command and control by providing the clearest common operating picture across all domains (Air, Sea, Land, Cyber and Space) and services.  By following MOSA standards and Universal Command and Control Interface (UCI), our tactical ISR satellites will readily connect with other warfighting platforms and battle management systems, which will help facilitate the making sense component of JADC2..

‘Make Sense’

Last year, I participated in a JADC2-centric panel at the Mitchell Institute’s first-ever Space Power forum. I challenged forum participants to think beyond the traditional parts of space architectures (minus the launch segment) and instead think of each part as a distinct, autonomous node that is capable of processing information and transmitting data at the speed of need and the speed of relevance. At Lockheed Martin Space, we are fully leveraging SmartSat ^TM to perform onboard data processing, greatly reducing the time it takes to get actionable data into the hands of mission operators and decision-makers on the ground. After all, one of the primary goals of JADC2 is to get the right information to the right person at the right time using any available sensor or network while avoiding data paralysis.

‘Act’

A few months ago, one of our self-funded Independent Research and Development Programs (IRAD) —Pony Express II — completed a successful drone-based technical demonstration where they employed delay-tolerant mesh networking; Lockheed Martin’s mission-flexible SmartSat^TM distributed application technology; and HiveStar^TM autonomous mission tasking capabilities to enable a comprehensive bid-to-auction mission scenario (similar to the popular transportation app Uber). More pointedly, the demonstration simulated a fifth-generation fighter jet sensing a credible threat; rapidly relaying threat information across multi-domain platform sensors; while swiftly transmitting plausible solution sets to the command authority to allow them to act based on available weapons capabilities and desired effects, all within the threat envelope. Spoiler alert — the desired outcome was successfully executed, which is why we are excited about the Pony Express II on-orbit tech demo scheduled for later this year!

Moving Forward

Space will continue to play an inextricable and inexorable role in bringing JADC2 to full capacity, which in turn will give our tactical warfighters a decisive advantage by allowing them to fluidly operate in contested and denied environments. After all, we owe it to our nation’s warfighters to fearlessly innovate and fiercely collaborate across all of our business areas to outpace emerging threats, uphold our nation’s credible deterrence and, if necessary, give our warfighters the upper hand to defeat potential adversaries at anytime and anywhere around the globe.

That means continuously improving the technical readiness levels (TRL) of JADC2-enabling technologies like persistent communications, artificial intelligence & machine learning (AI/ML), secure cloud & edge computing, electromagnetic techniques, cyber hardening as well as systems integration to allow critical capabilities to be fielded faster. It also includes partnering with other companies to collectively bring our best forward as well as the keen integration of commercial-off-the-shelf technologies to deliver sought-after capabilities to our customers faster than ever before.  Make no mistake, the concept of JADC2 transcends one company’s undertakings; nevertheless, we are honored to be doing our part to make JADC2 a reality.