JADC2 Cross-Functional Team adds new Transport Working Group

The main organization working to implement one of the military’s top modernization priorities stood up a new group dedicated to developing modern networks and communications standards.

The Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) Cross-Functional Team (CFT) now has six working groups, with the Transport and Warfighter Communications Working Group activated Tuesday. The CFT is the central body of civilians and uniformed military members from across the department working to coordinate the development of a network-of-networks that can enable the integration of air, land, sea, space and cyberspace operations. Now the CFT has a group dedicated to cloud, communications and network tech oversight.

“Many would say it’s great you are trying to work data standards … but to do that you have got to have a means to access and move that data,” Brig. Gen. Robert Parker, the head of the CFT, said in an interview with FedScoop.

The group comes as the CFT is preparing to release new documents and engage with industry. Parker said he expects the strategy’s implementation plan, currently awaiting approval from the deputy secretary, to be released in the coming weeks.

He also said an industry day and call for white papers is being planned for February. The CFT will work through the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center to leverage its authorities to convene industry and start to get companies on contracts to begin delivering products that will enable the deep integration of networks, data and decision making that JADC2 aims to deliver.

In its first three to six months, the top priorities of the new working group will be to find capability gaps in satellite-based communications systems and recommend integration on multi-cloud technologies. The team will focus on how enterprise cloud will enable tactical-edge networks, especially with the development of the Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability.

“As we think about multi-cloud environments … [we are] looking for multi-vendor cloud agnostic solutions,” Parker said. “That is really going to be key.”

Following his interview with FedScoop, Parker followed up with the full list of priority areas for the working group which include: terrestrial network modernization,  undersea cables, software-defined environment and networking, “gray” networks, cryptology, cross-domain services, electromagnetic spectrum and wireless/5G.

The other working groups on the CFT aim to address capability needs, research and engineering and architecture, data and standards, demonstrations and assessment, and acquisition and transition.

Editor’s note: This article was updated to include the detail that Dickey Rounsaville will lead the working group.