WASHINGTON — The military and intelligence services are working closer together to share data and capabilities in order to stay ahead of pacing threats, but work remains.
In the burgeoning information sphere and future operational environment, senior military leaders predict the U.S. will fight against sophisticated adversaries, and rapid integration as well as data and capability sharing will be crucial.
“[Am I] satisfied with where we sit right now? No. Am I bullish that we are absolutely headed in the right direction? Yes,” Vice Adm. Jeffrey Trussler, deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of naval intelligence, said June 30 during a virtual presentation at the WEST 2021 conference.
He said Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has repurposed the three-star military official within her office that previously served as the deputy director of national intelligence for national security partnerships. That official now more closely collaborates with the military services.
The coordination drive comes as the Department of Defense works toward a new joint concept for war fighting, with a major paradigm shift it’s calling Joint All Domain Command and Control, which seeks to more seamlessly connect sensor information to shooters to allow for faster decision-making.
Trussler said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the director’s adviser for military affairs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, facilitated a discussion between the intelligence community, the services and Joint Staff a few months ago on JADC2. Just within the last week or so, Haines hosted an event with the service intelligence officials, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, and the Defense Intelligence Agency to demonstrate capabilities.
“How are we aligning DoD and IC [the intelligence community], and make sure that the IC understood what we were talking about when we’re talking about JADC2 and how that might impact?” Trussler said. “There have been several events and sessions that I have been able to participate in with some of the different agencies that put capabilities in place where we’re talking about that interoperability, that ability to get us information on demand. How do we make it faster and more seamless? And if there are authorities or other issues, how do we work through them?”
The entire national security community is rallying around the strategic competition, Trussler said, especially when it comes to China, which the U.S. government has identified as a pacing threat.
Mark Pomerleau is a reporter for C4ISRNET, covering information warfare and cyberspace.
