Precise situational awareness, improved coordination on the battlefield and real-time networking of troops: Battle management systems are indispensable for the soldiers of the future. An interview with Sven Trusch, Managing Director of Systematic GmbH.
After extensive preparatory work, the time had come last November: the The Austrian Armed Forces finalized the purchase of digital command and information systems from the Danish manufacturer Systematic. In a first step, more than 1,000 licenses for a battle management system and a further 500 licenses for a tactical command and control information system are to increase the troops’ effectiveness. According to information from Militär Aktuell, the Austrian armed forces had already procured a few licenses for the fighter command in the mid-2010s and gained initial experience with them.
Mr. Trusch, what exactly did the armed forces procure?
Essentially, it’s about our software products from the SitaWare suite, specifically the battle management system SitaWare Frontline and SitaWare Headquarters – a command information system for stationary and deployable command posts. We also provide services to successfully implement the software in the armed forces as part of a joint project.
For a better understanding: The entire order is “only” about the software licenses, the required end devices do not come from Systematic, right?
Correct. We are a pure software company and we only supply software applications. In order to make the best possible use of the military capabilities of this software, it must be set up on an appropriate platform. This is not supplied by us, but of course we support the armed forces with the implementation. The aim is to enable the Austrian armed forces to conduct digital combat at the end of the day.
What is the timetable for the introduction? And how long will it take for the new system to be fully integrated?
This varies greatly from user state to user state. There is also the question of when such a project is actually completed. The software is constantly being further developed and the armed forces naturally want to implement the new capabilities and functionalities. As a rule, this is simply done via updates, but depending on the improvements, training may also need to be improved or new training courses may be required.
But the product is always up to date?
Yes, the armed forces are getting an “evergreen solution”, i.e. a solution that is always up to date. All in all, the implementation can be seen as a digital transformation process – with no real beginning or end.
Who initiates the further developments mentioned? Do they come from within the company or does Systematic implement them at the request of users?
We are in regular contact with our user nations and receive a lot of valuable feedback, as well as many ideas for future functionalities, which we then analyze and often put to the test using prototypes. We also hold a global user forum every two years, where customers can exchange ideas with each other. Many nations face the same challenges and can therefore support each other in solving the problem.
According to official information, your software is used by 50 countries. To what extent do the armies adapt the software to their specific needs?
Our core software is the same for all users – regardless of whether we deliver to the USA or Austria. However, there are open programming interfaces, known as APIs, at various levels within the software. And our customers can use these as part of a software development kit to extend and customize the software. As the manufacturer, we can implement these extensions on request. However, the armed forces often integrate existing solutions themselves or the adaptations are made by third parties, i.e. integrators or local industry.
“With artificial intelligence, the entire field of decision support can be completely rethought.”
Sven Trusch, Geschäftsführer der Systematic GmbH
Do you see any new developments and digitalization trends that will definitely find their way into software in the future and shape the military IT systems of tomorrow?
Definitely. In our research, cloud and edge computing and artificial intelligence are currently the absolute hot topics. There are many advantages associated with this. While we are still very data center and server-oriented today, with cloud computing it is comparatively irrelevant where the servers and data are located. However, in order to be able to use this, you have to segment and scale the systems sensibly, which is definitely a challenge in the military sector. And with artificial intelligence, the entire field of decision support can of course be completely rethought. This greatly improves the efficiency of operational planning and command.
The Austrian Armed Forces have not exactly been known as a “frontrunner” in the field of digitalization. With this in mind, can the software be used to its full potential straight away or do the armed forces still need to create any prerequisites for this?
The armed forces should not be underestimated here. There have been several digitalization projects in the past, including in the area of command and information systems, which have provided good insights and trained personnel accordingly. Personnel and structures are therefore already in place and we can now build on this with our battle management system.
What new possibilities does this open up for the armed forces on a practical level?
This gives the armed forces the capability for networked operational planning and management. This is accompanied by an increase in efficiency, as many tasks that have to be done manually today can be completed digitally in the system in future to save time. The key point, however, is that our system allows information to be shared digitally, seamlessly and immediately on the battlefield. We network the individual information nodes – such as sensors and effectors – and digitize the entire chain of effects. This results in a common situational picture at all command levels.
A key criterion for the armed forces during procurement was compatibility with similar systems in other armed forces. How easily or extensively can this compatibility be achieved in the event of an incident?
Internationally, SitaWare has established itself as the de facto standard for interoperability. With the aforementioned 50 user nations – 18 of which are in NATO – interoperability with the product comes virtually free of charge and extensive interoperability standards exist for the exchange between them.
“The aim is to enable the Austrian
armed forces to conduct digital combat
at the end of the day.”Sven Trusch, Geschäftsführer der Systematic GmbH
Do you have any other products that could be of interest to Austria and the armed forces?
Our motto is “start small and scale it, not big and fail it”. I therefore think that the Armed Forces would be well advised to focus on the core in the start-up phase of the project and build up the capabilities one by one. Of course, there are other areas where we can and want to provide support.
Namely?
I see potential in the area of digital fire support for artillery, for example. We offer modules that digitize the entire artillery chain and fully integrate it into the battle management system. One topic could also be our new product SitaWare Insight with interesting functionalities in military intelligence. SitaWare Insight is also a data platform that can be used to process data of all kinds. While today’s command and control systems are very map-centric, the command and control systems of the future – like SitaWare Insight – will be data-centric. This offers new possibilities for processing mass data – but also for deploying troops in the best possible way.
Here for more army news and here to further news about Systematic.
