Military interoperability in the intelligent age of warfare

A Future of Warfighting publication by Deloitte UK

Interoperability has become pivotal to the success of military operations and is critical for future military effectiveness against various threats against the backdrop of shifting defence challenges. It can deliver crucial outcomes and achieve campaign goals faster at strategic and operational levels. However, there is one challenge—the current military interoperability is highly people intensive, thus, time consuming.

The combination of Intelligent Age machines, like AI, with Intelligent Age practices, like digital supply networks, has changed global commerce, and it can change warfare too. Increased commonality of data, tools and processes help reduce complexity and conflict across defence organizations. Additionally, human talent will be freed up to ensure that the valuable human elements of integration such as trust, relationships, assurance and allyship can be emphasised by individuals.

This paper explores how defence organisations can achieve maximum strategic and operational advantage by combining automation and interoperability. It also outlines the changes needed across people, process and technology for Intelligent Age warfare.

About the Future of Warfighting

The Deloitte Center for Government Insights is undertaking a yearlong research project focused on helping defence organisations prepare for the next 15 years of defence challenges. While defence challenges are ever shifting, our research has identified interoperability—within militaries, within government, between nations and with industry—as being key to meeting uncertain threats.

Through more than 60 experts representing 12 countries across North America, Europe and Asia, this research will produce more than a dozen insights articles offering ways of improving interoperability across key military areas. Research will detail how specific defence organisations can improve interoperability across defence challenges based on country-level expertise. The four leading defence challenges assessed from strategy documents of the 12 countries include near-peer warfare, grey zone threats particularly from technology, limited scale warfare, and defending the rules-based international order. The goal is to not only promote discussion at the international and intra-national levels, but demonstrate, in part, how greater interoperability can occur.

Visit www.deloitte.com/futureofwarfighting to access the Future of Warfighting insights collection and the interactive Interoperability index.