Accelerator First Innovation Fund network event Session 1

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Defence and Security Accelerator

Defence and Security AcceleratorDefence and Security Accelerator

Innovation fund themed competitionRevolutionise the human information relationship for Defence

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Accelerator briefing Rob Solly, Head of the Defence and Security Accelerator

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A UK Defence and Security-wide organisation, hosted in Dstl

Providing customers with innovation-as-a-service • access to innovative ideas• accelerating the development of tangible solutions

Working with our customers -• to build advantage for the defence and national security of the UK• generating economic value for our nation

Who are we?

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A simple and straightforward way to bring your idea to UK Defence and Security customers

• no long applications; no wasted meetings and no questions over who owns the idea

• we will connect you with end users who have real needs• we will offer funding to develop, experiment and prove your

concept, and provide access to demonstration facilities• our experienced Innovation Partners will help you achieve

successful outcomes

Why work with us?

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How to work with usWe will run regular themed competitions to address specific Defence and Security challenges

• funded by the Innovation Fund and other customers

The Accelerator Enduring Challenge more broadly captures potential innovations that address the most important issues for Defence and Security

• launched last month in London

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Ideas Exploitation

Users & Investors

Innovation Fund

Fund

Advice & AccessAdvice & Access

Wider Innovation Initiative

Fund

Colla

boration

Suppliers & Inventors

Our role

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Accelerator Capability delivered to Defence and Security community

Improved understanding potential markets Marketable products

Procurable solutionsImproved understanding potential solutions

Suppliers & Inventors

Users and Investors

Ideas Exploitation

Collaboration to accelerate Exploitation

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How are we evolving from CDE?We will extend our reach to anyone with innovative ideas

• technology and non technology based ideas welcome• multiple points of entry for suppliers

We will develop enhanced collaboration mechanisms• virtual and physical, ideas generation and experimentation

We will increase our focus on exploitationExperimental approach

• developing our capability as we operate• we are keen to hear your ideas!

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Setting the defence context

Joint Warfare DirectorateJoint Warfare Directorate

Defence and Security Accelerator23 February 2017

Joint Warfare Directorate

The challenge the distinction between war and peace and ‘home’ and ‘away’ are

increasingly blurred a whole of government ‘cooperative approach’ to protect the UK and

her interests


The environment explosion of - data, processing power and connectivity rapid development of - range, precision, lethality, choice of effects,

stealth…… proliferation of - unmanned systems, autonomous systems and

robotics exploitation of - military and commercial space

http://www.google.co.uk/url?url=http://www.euintheus.org/press-media/biggest-ever-cyber-security-exercise-in-europe-today/&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjusr3QvN7NAhXKCcAKHakeBtkQwW4IIjAG&usg=AFQjCNFlA_d-RQb59Q9M1ymiZpomxD4g5w

http://www.google.co.uk/url?url=http://www.reliabills.com/Blog/reliabills-a-safe-option-in-today-s-cyber-threat-world&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjusr3QvN7NAhXKCcAKHakeBtkQwW4IJjAI&usg=AFQjCNGBgzaFrEQ1kwMJZkIGp1eL2yJD3Q


Deductions we lie on the cusp of some major changes to how we employ the

military instrument strategically, operationally and tactically the change required in some areas is so fundamental that it is both

difficult to conceive and disorientating the increasing tempo of change requires greater agility force multiplication requires the integration of the Security

Intelligence Agencies and other government departments, and international partners

‘Innovation, adaptation and integration’


Albert Einstein

“In the middle of every difficulty lies

opportunity”


Define innovation – Scott Berkun Innovation is significant positive change. It’s a

result. It’s an outcome.


Adapt to win


What factors resist successful adaptation? alignment motivation• national• organisational (budget)• personal

structure and process timeline confidence/support authority/risk


How could we support a culture of adaptation?Understanding• threat• opportunity

Influence• being heard• compelling argument• delivering direction

Evidence• operational analysis


Have we understood the need to adapt?What is the forcing function?• national objectives:

– people– prosperity– values

• total war• an evolving threat• military/strategic balance

Judgement/risk/insurance• evidence• compelling argument• options


UnderstandingNow• Defence Intelligence• reporting• operational analysis

Trend• perception• guesswork• risk

Optimisation• lessons• education/training


Threat Matrix

Adversary Denial

Capability

Level 5

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

Level 0

Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E Level F

Adversary Degradation Capability

RussiaChina

IranSyria Ukraine

(Russian Hybrid

Warfare)

Libya

TalebanDaesh


DevelopmentConcepts• ideas/innovation

Doctrine• best practice/training

Capability• short/long term

Experimentation• test and evaluation• wargaming• red team


JF2025

JTF

JTFHQ

JTF CP

X / FTX

(LE/ M

IC)

JEF LIV

EX

2 (LE)

DCMOXWH

JV

JEF JTF M

ISS

ION

RE

HE

RS

AL – D

EP

LOY

EX

?

DE C2

FPDAEX SP 21

DE C2

DE C2

JX JV JV JV

JV

CJTFHQUK/FR

CS FOC

DE C2

CJTFHQUS/UK

VJTFCC/sS

FE@R

T4

T3

T2

T1

DXP to 2025 - Framework

DX Planning FIX DEVELOP SHAPE

JF2025 HEADMARK

Year 19 20 21 22 23 24 25JF2025 HEADMARKSDSR

WF@S

JEFFOC

JH JH JH

*ML/MD Scenarios

(SFD)

*XWHby design

*Integrate DE (Interoperability)

Progressive Trg to FOC

Sync with NATOMXP

JtEnablers

JV JH JV

*Develop emergentCapabilities

SS FGen

SS FGen

SS FGen

*Planned in Bi-latIntegration Trg

TX FPT


Integration"to put together parts or elements and combine them

into a whole"Full Spectrum Approach (FSA)• Defence contribution not leadership• campaign planning• Defence alignment

CoalitionDefence Exercises Programme (DXP)• Defence objectives• enable• learn


What does success look like? an adaptable Joint Force with a winning mentality integrated,

operating, learning and developing together to out think the enemy and improve joint capabilities for current and future warfare on our terms


‘Adapt to win’

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The Joint Context


Defence and Security Accelerator competition

The Joint Context


The Joint Context

• Joint Warfare’s competition role

• developing the Joint Force:• directing high tempo force adaptation/integration• stimulating innovation and experimentation• exercising, evaluating and assuring• JFC Lead for Innovation


JFC Strategy – the guiding purpose


The Challenge


Our conceptual thinking


• not just technology• the competition team• road to exploitation

The difference

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Challenge 1Military context

Royal Navy Information Warfare Division OFFICIAL

Challenge 1: Allow for the rapid and automated

integration of new sensors

Continuous Carrier

Capability(CCC)

Continuous Amphibious Readiness

(CAR)

Continuous at Sea

Deterrent(CASD)

The Royal Navy today


MTTA

• open architecture and standards• shared computing• shared networking• enabling fused ISR, sensors and information• enabling AI (Project NELSON)


• a socio-technical response - it’s not just the kit• a service-based approach• an extraordinary pace of change - buy, use,

discard/upgrade• innovation is not just a mindset - it needs resourcing,

organising for, policy (accreditation, procurement) and tolerance (fast to fail)

• once empowered, our people need to be left alone

The RN approach to innovation


What have we been up to so far?

• UNMANNED WARRIOR 16• electronic warfare, radar and sonar modernisation• Ship digitisation programme • preparations for the arrival of F-35 and Crowsnest• Dstl’s Open Architecture Combat System (OACS)


What have we been up to so far?• Dstl’s MAPLE open, drone C2 system• refining military air drones, and multi-sensor fits • proving utility of underwater drones• developing unmanned surface craft• virtualised, flexible, multi-domain ICT



What are we up to now?• INFORMATION WARRIOR 17 • development of OACS• Capability Development and Integration Facility (CDIF)• 700X Naval Air Squadron • MarWorks (RN IW technology accelerator)• Project NELSON (RN Artificial Intelligence)

P r o j e c t N E L S O N


Open sensors and systems - next?

P r o j e c t N E L S O N

• a truly open environment for all platforms• plug and play everything – radar, sonar, video…• even if different formats• any drone, any radar, any camera, any sensor…• buy, use, discard/upgrade• MarWorks, CDIF, NELSON, 700X

• generic command and control systems?• auto-scanning techniques?• unmanned systems collision avoidance?• autonomous decision making?• networks in GPS-denied environments?• sensing across the littoral (ship-shore)?• mesh networking and swarming?

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Challenge 1 Allow for the rapid and automated integration of new sensors

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Dstl

2 May 2023UK OFFICIAL

The military sense-making process

1,2,3

1,2,3

2,3

1,2,3

2,3

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Dstl


Available sensors are quickly adopted for employment in military situations • rapidly integrated into military collection systems without prior

knowledge of format standards• their outputs processed and fused automatically

The aspiration

Sensing is everywhere

• each sensor provides data in its own format, standards, update rate• on-sensor processing is mostly proprietary and uncharacterised

(hidden to user)• any sophisticated multi-sensor processing (for example fusion or

sensor management) requires deep, prior knowledge of the sensor and processing

The problem


Dstl


Sensing chain

analogue electronics signal pre-processing/ metadata

ADC

sensor analogue/digital converter

human interpretable data

content assessment

computer readable

data


Dstl


Integration of ‘raw data’ sensorsLarge variety of data rates, pre-processing algorithms, compression schemes, data formats or standards

To integrate a variety of sensors (including those we haven’t seen before), we could –

• develop a common pre-processing /metadata function

• develop a common post-processing function

Common input/output data format

orProcessing, fusion and sensor management architecture

Open architecture

algorithm repository


Dstl


Integration of ‘intelligent’ information sources

SAPIENT concept (Sensing for Asset Protection with Integrated Electronic Network Technology) www.gov.uk/sapient

Autonomous Sensor Modules (ASM)

ASM 3

ASM 1 Low bandwidth

*IP* based comms channel

Fusion and sensor management architecture

High-Level Decision Making Module (HLDMM)

Dynamic multi-sensor decision fusion algorithms

Dynamic sensor management algorithms

Human/machineinterface

Open architecture


Autonomous Sensor Module

Key challenges• learning sensor system and algorithm performance parameters • updating the system’s ontology on the fly

http://www.gov.uk/sapient

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Processing, fusion and sensor management architecture

© Crown copyright 2013 Dstl


Processing

Search Mission

Track

Challenges • characteristics of the sensor system are not known prior to the operation• some situations require dynamic re-optimisation and tasking as new

sensors are added

Anomaly detect

Open architecture


Alg 1 Alg 2 Alg 3 Alg 4

Processing pipeline

Data Human/machineinterface

Autonomous algorithm selection

Topographic_map_example - Public Domain wikimedia_curid=641544

Topographic-Relief-perspective-sample - By Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0, wikimedia_curid=12915572

OFFICIAL © Crown copyright 2013 Dstl

2 May 2023

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Fusion and sensor management

Challenges• data sources that are

not fully characterised: uncertainty bias provenance and

trust• management functions

where the task implementation is not fully characterised

Mission assessment

Situation assessment

Object assessment

Data processing

Signal processing

Environment

Application

Data source

Mission management

Objective management

Task management

Data management

Sensor management

Strategy

Understanding

Knowledge

Data

Signals

Resource management

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What we want - summary

Accessibility that can• overcome the problems limiting seamless access and exploitation of new sensors• address issues throughout sensor-data-exploitation chain• support key issue of scalability• ensure real (or near-real) time performance• offer solutions that show strong linkages to challenges 2 and 3

Not interested in• non-cooperative access to collection assets

© Crown copyright 2013 Dstl

2 May 2023

Government & Nonprofit

Accelerator First Innovation Fund network event Session 1