Another year is coming to a close, and it’s safe to say that 2020 is more memorable than others for many people. As a result of the volatile and tumultuous nature of this year, many insightful and innovative conversations were had about how we effectively move forward, especially across the defense space. To close out the year, Modern Integrated Warfare compiled a roundup of our top read content throughout 2020, highlighting important modernization opportunities shaping the future of defense.
Here are some of our top stories covered throughout the year:
vIITSEC: Keeping Warfighters More Connected, Effective, and Safer with Collaboration
At the first-ever fully virtual I/ITSEC, known as vIITSEC, Modern Integrated Warfare sat down with Elaine Bitonti, Executive director of Business Development for Mission Systems at Collins Aerospace. In our discussion, Bitonti discussed the technologies leading the charge for building a more connected, effective, and safer training environment for today’s warfighter. A few of the topics she covered include the prevailing importance of collaboration in defense, trends in warfighter readiness, and the launch of Collins Aerospace’s Panorama HiLite solution.
“The highly accurate mirrors ensure visual performance is maintained over the entire display all the way to edges,” stated Bitonti about the Panorama HiLite system, noting the advanced training realism capabilities. “This gives more effective training scenarios when you’re doing missions like air refueling or maritime patrol and it gives you a cost-effective way to train those missions.”
You can watch the full discussion here.
Col. Kurian on Collaboration, AI in the Military, and the Future of Training
Modern Integrated Warfare had the honor of connecting with Col. John Kurian, USAF, Senior Materiel Leader, Simulators Division, in our Faces of Training series to learn about his unique career path in the U.S. Air Force and what he predicts is on the horizon in military training. He spoke to different technologies that are helping create a more prepared, lethal warfighter.
“To me, technological innovation in defense is really about improving the decision-making capability of commanders at the tactical edge and tools like AI and data analytics are key enablers,” he stated in our conversation.
You can read our whole conversation with Col. Kurian here.
Test and Training Insights: Delivering Capabilities to the Warfighter at the Speed of Relevance
To kick off our Test and Training Insights video series in 2020, we heard from Alicia Datzman, a former B-1 pilot in the U.S. Air Force and Manager of Strategic Marketing, Integrated Solutions at Collins Aerospace. Datzman talked about the optimization of test and training and how it delivers on the mission of effectively training warfighters as they will fight, specifically in the decision-making process.
“Advantage in the next leap of warfare – both at tactical, operational and even strategic levels – goes to those who can make accurately informed decisions and then act on them faster than an adversary,” Datzman remarked. “The importance of decision speed with accuracy is a hallmark of efforts like JADC2 and ABMS.”
Watch Datzman’s full overview here.
Raytheon Technologies CTO: Bringing Together the Best to Innovate for the Future Multi-Domain Fight
Among the top announcements in the defense space, this year was the completion of the merger between United Technologies and Raytheon, and the creation of Raytheon Technologies. Modern Integrated Warfare spoke with Raytheon Technologies CTO Mark Russell to learn more about how this merger will move the needle for warfighter innovation.
“Thinking about all of the layers of defense and how to best equip the warfighter to operate effectively in today’s congested and contested battlespace is crucial to any defense company’s success,” stated Russell in our interview with him. “Raytheon Technologies is ready to tackle those challenges from all angles.”
Learn more about the merger and Raytheon Technologies’ vision for the future here.
Robert Stanley: ICBM Force at a “Do-or-Die Moment” for Modernization
Earlier this year, Modern Integrated Warfare had the opportunity to learn more about the concept of deterrence and the ICBM force from Col. Robert Stanley (ret.), Value Stream Leader for Ground Strategic Systems at Collins Aerospace. Stanley looked specifically at the impact of modernizing that force on the human element of the equation.
Reflecting on Stanley’s sentiments, our editors wrote, “Just as important as it is to recapitalize the ICBM force in order to leverage the latest modern technology, it is the readiness of the human element that is, perhaps, most important. The morale of the nation’s Nuclear Airmen is too important to neglect any further by delaying modernization.”
Read the full story here.
