In the News - Defense News: How Data Integration and Advanced Analytics Can Improve Navy Readiness

Defense News; June 21, 2024

How Data Integration and Advanced Analytics can Improve Navy Readiness

By: Korie Wilkins, Defense News

Sponsored by Frontier Technology Inc. (FTI)

Data has always been significant to the U.S. Navy — dating back to when information was hand-written and delivered and progressing to today, when information is gathered, synthesized and utilized quickly in a digital space. However, over the last 10 years, data has become even more critical to Naval operations and readiness in new and challenging ways that are pushing the edge of technology — helping to drive more informed decisions and support missions and day-to-day actions.

But analyzing data and disseminating it into the right hands in an expedient fashion is costly and time-consuming, requiring a certain skill set. And a lack of analyzed, actionable data can lead to reduced readiness and capabilities.

The Department of the Navy (DON), like other military services, understands this and is working toward a future where the full value and power of data can be utilized. To that end, its Information Security Vision (ISV) was unveiled in February 2020 to modernize, innovate, and defend Naval capabilities.

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“Everyone in the DON enterprise must become a Cyber Sentry,” said Thomas B. Modly, former United States Secretary of the Navy. “The more advanced we become as an Information-Based organization, the more our adversaries will seek to attack and exploit us in this domain. We will not be able to stop them unless everyone does their part to protect the advantages digital information provides and limit the vulnerabilities it creates.”

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Michael Ehrlich, chief technology officer at FTI, said while data has always been significant to the U.S. Navy, the recent shift has placed emphasis and a greater priority on the massive growth in the volume of data and recognition of its value — especially when it comes to eliminating data fog. The need for the highest level of security has also risen — meaning the Navy must train, recruit and retain warfighters with the knowledge and skills in the cyber sphere.

“If we recognize that there’s value, we recognize that there’s a ton of insights that can be derived, but now it’s just hidden,” Ehrlich said. “So, how do you really start to extract that value? If you look at the [ISV] the Navy released, it really highlights that evolution, because it acknowledges those primary imperatives around infrastructure modernization and maturity, which is responsible or critical for keeping pace with that kind of volume and velocity of data generation. And it’s also recognizing the fact that you’ve got more diverse demands coming from pretty much every part of naval operations, from backend systems to weapon systems, in terms of looking for support and what’s required to be able to continue to meet those evolving needs within those different communities.”

As the Navy looks to the future, its leadership must not only continue to emphasize infrastructure but also seek to expedite innovation internally — making it organic within the service — which is the goal of the ISV.

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The Information Security Vision (ISV)

When the Navy released the Information Security Vision, it cited a need for core strategic practices. Cybersecurity, data strategy and analytics, artificial intelligence and quantum computing have created massive opportunities and vulnerabilities. To remain agile and maintain mission readiness, reliable and secure global communications and information is critical. The ISV is the Navy’s unified vision that will drive transformation and operational capability — getting the right data in the right hands at the right time.

There are three lines of effort in the ISV

1. Modernize

2. Innovate

3. Defend

Each of these lines of effort is critical, as war is intrinsically unpredictable, according to the document.

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“We have the watch,” the document states. “We must think differently. Our mission is to build a more agile, innovative naval digital warfighting platform our leaders can leverage anytime and anywhere. We must modernize, innovate, and defend our information to achieve a digital edge that no adversary can match.”

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In 2023, Navy CIO Jane Rathbun stated she wanted to move to a more data-centric approach and will explore updates to the ISV.

“We are on a good course with the ISV, with its three pillars — modernize, innovate and defend, and two crosscutting enablers — data and workforce. I intend to stay the course,” Rathbun said. “The key objective of the ISV — ‘securely move data and information from anywhere to anywhere for decision advantage’ is enduring, but how we achieve this objective will require us to continuously evolve as the threat, technology and best practices evolve. To achieve information superiority, we have to treat our information management capabilities as a strategic asset.”

The Navy is looking for quick wins, while Rathbun acknowledged this was a multi-year effort to change existing culture — making the Navy a more welcoming place for innovation and growth mindset. She also acknowledged strategic partnerships with other defense and federal agencies, academia and industry.

"To a certain extent, it's having a clear vision and guidance that you can deliver to all the mission partners and even the internal organic system development that we're going to establish a framework in which we're going to capture, define the storage and the discovery, and all of those things around data so that we can ensure that not only can existing systems interoperate consistently, safely, and with a high degree of confidence, but that future systems that are being developed aren't dealing with the challenges that are yet to come,” Ehrlich said, of the ISV.

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Challenges and Solutions

While the Navy is facing the challenges of today, it also must anticipate the challenges yet to come when it comes to cyber readiness and data security. Currently, the Navy has a vast data infrastructure, with massive quantities of information being collected daily, from systems ranging from satellite feeds to sensor networks. The Navy also collects data the old-fashioned way, in the form of paper logs and more. How that data is not only collected but managed and synthesized is a far-reaching issue, complicated by factors such as incompatible formats, siloed systems and the sheer volume of information gleaned in a single day.

To utilize this data, in real-time and in response to operations, maintenance and security challenges, the Navy needs a unified, integrated data management approach — while keeping it at the utmost security level — and providing access to different levels of personnel.

Pushing forward with innovation while maintaining security is key, Ehrlich said.

“The Navy has to find the right balance between accelerating capability delivery to the warfighter, innovation, and then obviously the security aspect of it,” Ehrlich said. “It being acknowledged front and center as a part of that kind of series of initiatives is great, and it shows there really has to be a deliberate approach to wrap security around all these strategic initiatives.

“At a high level, its security is important, the cyber component is extremely important. But how do you really start to maybe deconstruct that broader topic into some key areas that are critical, to be able to not hinder innovation and capture some of that value with the cyber aspect?”

Ehrlich said there are three ways to accomplish this. The first is to recognize the leading edge vs the bleeding edge, meaning that the Navy must move forward with innovation while maintaining security and risk management — setting processes on what risks can be taken and leaning forward. Second, the Navy should develop organizational agility around cyber. The Navy must recognize that cyber isn’t static — it is agile and fast. It is critical to keep on top of cyber threats and advancements, update policies and look to research and industry to model how to drive a culture of security. It can’t be an afterthought. Third, the Navy needs to couple this with training and development, advancing the idea that service members can shape and ensure that cyber is top of mind. In addition, the Navy should be intentional about designing technology that takes cyber into account — emphasizing this goal internally and with industry partners.

In August 2022, the Navy released its Strategic Intent for Cyber Ready memo, outlining a shift from its cybersecurity posture dependent on checklists and policy to one that is more dynamic, rooted in readiness and currency.

“We must change our cybersecurity approach to better compete in today's contested cyberspace. Cyber Ready promises significant improvements to DON's cybersecurity, but this complex, enterprise-wide change management effort will only succeed with the enthusiastic, fully committed support of many stakeholders, a well-developed, resourced and aggressively executed plan, effective oversight, and sustained senior leadership support,” Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy, stated in the memo.

Data sharing has been a sticking point across the services — the Navy is not alone in this challenge. Shifting from an “everyone is an island” approach to a more collaborative approach is a major change. Ehrlich said data sharing is a challenge, as current systems are fragmented and outdated — incompatible with the enterprise data strategy the DON is seeking.

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“The infrastructure has to be in place and there has to be a very deliberate approach to designing not only the infrastructure and the architectures but also the strategy around data dissemination, data discovery, system operability and those things,” Ehrlich said. “I think the existing challenge from a data sharing perspective is simply the fact that you’ve got systems that are in silos, you’ve got proprietary interfaces, you’ve got vendors that are holding data hostage for it to be used in other places.”

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Ehrlich said to course correct, the Navy must make technical investments in the infrastructure and have clear vision and guidance in policy that can be delivered to mission partners.

“The culture needs to be changed to data is available for all,” Ehrlich said.

And that culture is changing. In June 2021, Navy Chief Data Officer Thomas Sasala said in an Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC) event that his office is working with Navy IT leaders to protect and operationalize data, while also working to provide content delivery and data discovery capabilities.

Sasala stated his team has worked with the Army and Air Force on best practices and knowledge sharing — working to break down barriers. Leadership, he said, is driving change. And while culture change is challenging, it is happening.

"We are focused on a different fight — we switched to big power competition," Sasala said. "Five years ago, data wasn't that important, at least broadly in the Department of Defense (DoD). What we're starting to see is investments from two to three years ago generating effects.”

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Data and Readiness

The Navy, like most other organizations, not only relies on data for critical missions, but also for day-to-day operations. And to gather, analyze and disseminate that data, the Navy works with outside vendors and contractors. Making the data available internally in an expedient and secure manner is critical for readiness, as is making that data available externally.

Supporting the overarching data needs and balancing them with security must be a key part of the data strategy, Ehrlich said.

“The Navy needs to try to reduce the lag from problem identification to solution,” Ehrlich said. “The Navy needs to communicate, communicate, communicate — really drive that open communication channel with contractors and vendors. Not only for the challenges of today, but these forward-leaning areas and points of interest that help shape security components (of the future).”

Calibrating expectations and taking a leadership role to enable industry to have access to data — even if it isn’t operational data — is a challenge. But if industry is to develop solutions to aid the Navy in meeting its data challenges, this must happen.

In some ways, this is already happening. The Department of Defense has recognized the need for public/ private/ military partnerships to enhance readiness, respond to and mitigate threats from our enemies and also, threats posed by outside forces such as climate change.

The Chief of Naval Operations Navigation Plan 2022 focuses the Navy’s efforts on increasing its warfighting advantage. It’s a lengthy document that spells out four priorities: Readiness, Capabilities, Capacity and Sailors.

“Our adversaries are investing heavily in emerging technologies,” states the document. “In response, the Navy will adopt a more agile approach to experimentation and force modernization, leveraging partnerships with industry and academia. We will promote a culture that embraces new concepts and prioritizes critical areas for investment, while also preparing to rapidly adapt — fast follow — in others. Working closely with allies and partners, we will expand our partnerships across the entire technology ecosystem. We will include Sailors early in the development process, listen to their ideas, and drive healthy feedback loops with the industrial and innovation base.”

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Establishing Information Superiority

The Navy’s path to information superiority and data security will not be easy; however, steps must be taken because our adversaries are responding to these challenges. To maintain dominance, the Navy must address these critical elements and respond swiftly to modernize, innovate and defend, as technology waits for no one.

Relationships and partnerships will be necessary, and driving change, accountability and unity are key — as is creating a culture of cyber awareness and ongoing training and recruiting efforts.

“The more opportunities to remove barriers and to get more people to the table, the more value it creates and opportunities for delivering better capabilities faster are there,” Ehrlich said.

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“The Navy must create an open ecosystem for data sharing. There have been tremendous investments across the services in creating some of these big analytic ecosystems. Where they have large data lakes, but they are still creating barriers for access for everyone."

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“If you want to really look at how contractors and industry can help with that, [the Navy] has to figure out how to open the aperture and remove those barriers so you can really explore all the capabilities that are out there and how they could solve some of these problems.”

Technology will continue to move quickly and there is no end to this transformation — meaning this is an ongoing issue for the foreseeable future. The Navy must continue to innovate in the spheres of emerging technologies and capabilities — especially when it comes to data security — to maintain dominance over our adversaries.

It is the Information Age, and in warfighting and mission areas, the Navy relies on data and an ability to respond quickly to threats. As the ISV states: Information is Combat Power.

“We will reach out across the DOD and whole of government, as well as to Congress, industry, and academic partners to move ourselves at the speed of relevance. We will build on others’ achievements,” states the ISV. “This is a strategic initiative. This will require us to strive valiantly. The journey will be difficult and long — the credit belongs to the warrior in the arena. We must harness every advantage from our data, systems, technology, and capabilities. There is nothing more important than ensuring our Sailors, Marines, and civilians have every advantage to fight the adversary.

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