Sensors: Tools of the Transparent Battlefield

I’ve previously mentioned the “transparent battlefield” in my writings and want to dig into that concept a bit more by discussing what it is, what sorts of tools we should expect adversaries and other participants to use, and how we might be able to work to counter these threats.

Before I do, however, I need to correct a mistake in last Wednesday’s edition.

Errata: It has come to my attention that some of the information in Wednesday’s edition covering Defense Innovation Labs was incorrect, specifically about the Army’s Application Laboratory. The AAL has the Special Program Awards for Required Technology Needs (SPARTN). The three SBIR phases are spread across three types of programs: cohort, point challenge, and area challenge.

Phase I awards are ~$200K. Phase II awards are up to $2.5M. Phase IIB awards can be high-dollar awards (up to $24M).

Cohort programs support up to 15 businesses over 1-3 years to solve parts or all of complex, multi-faced problems. These programs usually see a sequencing of awards (Phase I > Phase II > and potentially Phase IIB).

Point challenges awards support up to 5 businesses over up 1-2 years to develop a specific solution, tailored to meet a detailed problem statement.

Area challenges awards support up to 8 businesses over 1-2 years to develop solutions in a general area for problems that may not yet even exist. Both Point and Area challenges can see Phase I and Direct to Phase II awards.

What is a transparent battlefield?

The term “transparent battlefield” refers to a concept in military operations where advanced technology is utilized to improve situation awareness and provide real-time information about the battlefield to all stakeholders, including soldiers, commanders, and decision-makers.

In a transparent battlefield, various sensors, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned surface / underwater vehicles (USV/UUVs) ground-based sensors, and satellite imagery, are integrated to provide a comprehensive view of the battlefield. The information obtained from these sensors is then analyzed and disseminated to military personnel to provide them with a real-time understanding of the situation on the ground.

The goal of a transparent battlefield is to provide military personnel with the information necessary to make informe3d decisions quickly and efficiently. By using advanced technologies to improve situational awareness, soldiers can better anticipate and respond to threats and act with greater precision and effectiveness. This, in turn, can increase the chances of success while minimizing the risk of loss of life and other resources.

When we use this term in regards to future warfare, the assumption is one of radical transparency; everyone on the battlefield—whether friend, foe, or neutral party—will have saturated the battlefield with sensors. All of this means, that any action an actor takes can (and presumably will) be observed by everyone else.

This raises a host of challenges, naturally.

Intro to sensors

Sensors provide valuable information about the battlefield and help military personnel make informed decisions quickly and efficiently.

These sensors come in various types, each designed to perform specific functions and provide unique insights into the battlefield. From detecting enemy movements to tracking friendly forces, military sensors play a crucial role in ensuring mission success and protecting troops. In this context, understanding the different types of military sensors and their capabilities is essential for military planners and decision-makers. Some of the most common types found on the battlefield currently, include:

1. Radar Sensors: Radar sensors use radio waves to detect and locate objects, including aircraft, ships, and ground vehicles. They can detect objects at long ranges and in all weather conditions, making them a valuable tool for early warning and situational awareness. From space, these sensors can be used to determine trafficability of areas based on topography, vegetation density, soil moisture, and more. Features include high resolution, accuracy, and ability to operate in cluttered environments. Applications include air defense, maritime surveillance, and ground-based target acquisition.

1. Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) Sensors: EO/IR sensors use visible light and infrared radiation to detect and locate objects. They are useful for surveillance, target tracking, and reconnaissance. In Earth observation (satellite) missions, these sensors are commonly used to study vegetation cover, land use, and ocean color to detect changes and movements. Features include high resolution, ability to operate at night, and ability to detect heat signatures. Applications include ground-based target acquisition, airborne reconnaissance, and missile warning.

1. Acoustic Sensors: Acoustic sensors use sound waves to detect and locate objects, including aircraft, ground vehicles, and personnel. They are useful for detecting and tracking stealthy targets and detecting movement in cluttered environments. Features include high sensitivity and ability to operate in adverse weather conditions. Applications include perimeter security, underwater surveillance, and sniper detection.
2. LiDAR Sensors: Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors use lasers to measure distances and create very high-resolution, three-dimensional maps of the Earth’s surface, buildings, structures, and vehicles. LiDAR sensors have a unique ability to penetrate dense foliage to see troop movements in heavily covered areas. Features include high resolution and three dimensionality. Applications include ground-based target acquisition, airborne reconnaissance, and surveillance.

1. Magnetic Sensors: Magnetic sensors detect changes in magnetic fields and can be used to detect metal objects, including tanks, mines, and buried explosives. They are useful for detecting hidden threats and improving situational awareness. Features include high sensitivity and ability to operate in various environments. Applications include mine detection, unexploded ordnance detection, and improvised explosive device detection.
2. Passive Microwave Sensors: These sensors measures the microwave radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface. They are useful for studying soil moisture, snow cover, sea ice, and more. Passive sensing is highly suited to passive, large-scale monitoring and remote sensing applications.
3. Active Microwave Sensors: Active microwave sensors transmit microwave signals and measure the reflected signals. They are used for studying surface features such as topography, vegetation density, and soil moisture. They can also be used to detect and track objects such as ground vehicles, aircraft, and missiles. Features include wide area coverage, ability to operate in adverse weather conditions, and high-resolution. Active sensing is better suited to detailed and precising imaging and tracking.

1. Chemical and Biological Sensors: Chemical and biological sensors detect the presence of chemical and biological agents, including nerve gas, biological toxins, and pathogens. They are useful for early warning and rapid response to chemical and biological attacks. Features include high sensitivity and ability to detect a wide range of agents. Applications include battlefield surveillance, area monitoring, and point detection.

Of course, these only represent a few of the many types of sensors available. We’re witnessing a proliferation of types of sensors (micro-electro-mechanical systems or MEMS, Wearables, nano-sensors, and more). In essence, any sensor can be applied to a military use.

Further, these sensors can be deployed in various ways: airborne, space-based, ground-based, etc.

The reality is that the deployment of sensors is limited only by imagination and ability to process the data (which is, of course, accelerating greatly with the increasing application of AI for these uses).

Fighting in a transparent battlefield

Fighting on a battlefield covered by these sensors creates significant challenges for a military.

During the Napoleonic Wars, military theorist Carl von Clausewitz outlined the principles of war: mass, objective, offensive, security, economy of force, maneuver, unity of command, surprise, and simplicity.

The transparent battlefield threatens many of these principles: surprise, the ability to mass and maneuver, and simplicity, at a minimum.

Countering the threat posed by these sensors then becomes a significant military imperative for the future force. There are several means of accomplishing this including data poisoning, manipulation, and spoofing. It also includes increasing standoff, making it harder for the sensors to observe friendly forces.

Summary

The future battlefield will see the proliferation of sensors supporting all parties.

Some of these sensors have already made their way to the battlefield in limited numbers and fulfilling a limited number of roles.

These numbers will only increase in the coming decades.

Fighting under the persistent surveillance of the transparent battlefield must include the neutralization of the threat posed by the many sensors.

If you’re working on technology related to the transparent battlefield, please reach out to me! And, of course…

Keep Building!

Andrew