Session 1 presentations from Accelerator Innovation Network Event. 23 February 2017

1. OFFICIAL
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Innovation fund themed competition
Revolutionise the human information relationship for Defence

2. OFFICIAL
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Accelerator briefing
Rob Solly, Head of the Defence and Security Accelerator

3. OFFICIAL
A UK Defence and Security-wide organisation, hosted in Dstl
Providing customers with innovation-as-a-service
• access to innovative ideas
• accelerating the development of tangible solutions
Working with our customers -
• to build advantage for the defence and national security of the UK
• generating economic value for our nation
Who are we?

4. OFFICIAL
A simple and straightforward way to bring your idea to UK
Defence and Security customers
• no long applications; no wasted meetings and no questions over
who owns the idea
• we will connect you with end users who have real needs
• we will offer funding to develop, experiment and prove your
concept, and provide access to demonstration facilities
• our experienced Innovation Partners will help you achieve
successful outcomes
Why work with us?

5. OFFICIAL
How to work with us
We will run regular themed competitions to address specific
Defence and Security challenges
• funded by the Innovation Fund and other customers
The Accelerator Enduring Challenge more broadly captures
potential innovations that address the most important issues
for Defence and Security
• launched last month in London

6. OFFICIAL
Ideas Exploitation
Users &
Investors
Innovation Fund
Fund
Advice & AccessAdvice & Access
Wider Innovation
Initiative
Fund
Suppliers &
Inventors
Our role

7. OFFICIAL
Accelerator
Capability
delivered to
Defence and
Security
community
Improved understanding
potential markets Marketable products
Procurable solutionsImproved understanding
potential solutions
Suppliers &
Inventors
Users and Investors
Ideas Exploitation
Collaboration to accelerate Exploitation

8. OFFICIAL
How are we evolving from CDE?
We will extend our reach to anyone with innovative ideas
• technology and non technology based ideas welcome
• multiple points of entry for suppliers
We will develop enhanced collaboration mechanisms
• virtual and physical, ideas generation and experimentation
We will increase our focus on exploitation
Experimental approach
• developing our capability as we operate
• we are keen to hear your ideas!

9. OFFICIAL
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Setting the defence context

10. Joint Warfare DirectorateJoint Warfare Directorate
Defence and Security
Accelerator
23 February 2017

11. Joint Warfare Directorate
The challenge
 the distinction between war and peace and ‘home’ and ‘away’ are
increasingly blurred
 a whole of government ‘cooperative approach’ to protect the UK and
her interests

12. Joint Warfare Directorate
The environment
 explosion of - data, processing power and connectivity
 rapid development of - range, precision, lethality, choice of effects,
stealth……
 proliferation of - unmanned systems, autonomous systems and
robotics
 exploitation of - military and commercial space

13. Joint Warfare Directorate
Deductions
 we lie on the cusp of some major changes to how we employ the
military instrument strategically, operationally and tactically
 the change required in some areas is so fundamental that it is both
difficult to conceive and disorientating
 the increasing tempo of change requires greater agility
 force multiplication requires the integration of the Security
Intelligence Agencies and other government departments, and
international partners
‘Innovation, adaptation and integration’

14. Joint Warfare Directorate
Albert Einstein
“In the middle of
every difficulty lies
opportunity”

15. Joint Warfare Directorate
Define innovation – Scott Berkun
Innovation is significant positive change. It’s a
result. It’s an outcome.

16. Joint Warfare Directorate
Adapt to win

17. Joint Warfare Directorate
What factors resist successful adaptation?
 alignment
 motivation
• national
• organisational (budget)
• personal
 structure and process
 timeline
 confidence/support
 authority/risk

18. Joint Warfare Directorate
How could we support a culture of
adaptation?
Understanding
• threat
• opportunity
Influence
• being heard
• compelling argument
• delivering direction
Evidence
• operational analysis

19. Joint Warfare Directorate
Have we understood the need to adapt?
What is the forcing function?
• national objectives:
– people
– prosperity
– values
• total war
• an evolving threat
• military/strategic balance
Judgement/risk/insurance
• evidence
• compelling argument
• options

20. Joint Warfare Directorate
Understanding
Now
• Defence Intelligence
• reporting
• operational analysis
Trend
• perception
• guesswork
• risk
Optimisation
• lessons
• education/training

21. Joint Warfare Directorate
Threat Matrix
AdversaryDenialCapability
Level 5
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
Level 0
Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E Level F
Adversary Degradation Capability
Russia
China
Iran
Syria Ukraine
(Russian
Hybrid
Warfare)
Libya
Taleban
Daesh

22. Joint Warfare Directorate
Development
Concepts
• ideas/innovation
Doctrine
• best practice/training
Capability
• short/long term
Experimentation
• test and evaluation
• wargaming
• red team

23. Joint Warfare Directorate
JF2025
JTF
JTFHQ
JTFCPX/FTX(LE/MIC)
JEFLIVEX2(LE)
DCMO
XWH
JV
JEFJTFMISSIONREHERSAL–DEPLOYEX?
DE
C2
FPDA
EX SP 21
DE
C2
DE
C2
JX JV JV JV
JV
CJTFHQ
UK/FR
CS FOC
DE
C2
CJTFHQ
US/UK
VJTF
CC/sS
FE@R
T4
T3
T2
T1
DXP to 2025
- Framework
DX Planning FIX DEVELOP SHAPE
JF2025 HEADMARK
Year 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
JF2025 HEADMARKSDSR
WF@S
JEF
FOC
JH JH JH
*ML/MD
Scenarios
(SFD)
*XWH
by design
*Integrate DE
(Interoperability)
Progressive Trg to FOC
Sync with NATO
MXP
Jt
Enablers
JV JH JV
*Develop emergent
Capabilities
SS FGen
SS FGen
SS FGen
*Planned in Bi-lat
Integration Trg
TX FPT

24. Joint Warfare Directorate
Integration
"to put together parts or elements and combine them
into a whole"
Full Spectrum Approach (FSA)
• Defence contribution not leadership
• campaign planning
• Defence alignment
Coalition
Defence Exercises Programme (DXP)
• Defence objectives
• enable
• learn

25. Joint Warfare Directorate
What does success look like?
 an adaptable Joint Force with a winning mentality integrated,
operating, learning and developing together to out think the
enemy and improve joint capabilities for current and future
warfare on our terms

26. Joint Warfare Directorate
‘Adapt to win’

27. OFFICIAL
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
The Joint Context

28. Joint Warfare Directorate
Defence and Security
Accelerator competition
The Joint Context

29. Joint Warfare Directorate
The Joint Context
• Joint Warfare’s competition role
• developing the Joint Force:
• directing high tempo force adaptation/integration
• stimulating innovation and experimentation
• exercising, evaluating and assuring
• JFC Lead for Innovation

30. Joint Warfare Directorate
JFC Strategy –
the guiding purpose

31. Joint Warfare Directorate
The Challenge

32. Joint Warfare Directorate
Our conceptual thinking

33. Joint Warfare Directorate
• not just technology
• the competition team
• road to exploitation
The difference

34. OFFICIAL
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Challenge 1
Military context

35. Royal Navy Information Warfare Division OFFICIAL
Challenge 1:
Allow for the rapid and automated
integration of new sensors

36. Continuous
Carrier
Capability
(CCC)
Continuous
Amphibious
Readiness
(CAR)
Continuous
at Sea
Deterrent
(CASD)
The Royal Navy today
Royal Navy Information Warfare Division OFFICIAL

37. MTTA
• open architecture and standards
• shared computing
• shared networking
• enabling fused ISR, sensors and information
• enabling AI (Project NELSON)
Royal Navy Information Warfare Division OFFICIAL

38. • a socio-technical response - it’s not just the kit
• a service-based approach
• an extraordinary pace of change - buy, use,
discard/upgrade
• innovation is not just a mindset - it needs resourcing,
organising for, policy (accreditation, procurement) and
tolerance (fast to fail)
• once empowered, our people need to be left alone
The RN approach to innovation
Royal Navy Information Warfare Division OFFICIAL

39. What have we been up to so far?
• UNMANNED WARRIOR 16
• electronic warfare, radar and sonar modernisation
• Ship digitisation programme
• preparations for the arrival of F-35 and Crowsnest
• Dstl’s Open Architecture Combat System (OACS)
Royal Navy Information Warfare Division OFFICIAL

40. What have we been up to so far?
• Dstl’s MAPLE open, drone C2 system
• refining military air drones, and multi-sensor fits
• proving utility of underwater drones
• developing unmanned surface craft
• virtualised, flexible, multi-domain ICT
Royal Navy Information Warfare Division OFFICIAL

41. Royal Navy Information Warfare Division OFFICIAL
What are we up to now?
• INFORMATION WARRIOR 17
• development of OACS
• Capability Development and Integration Facility (CDIF)
• 700X Naval Air Squadron
• MarWorks (RN IW technology accelerator)
• Project NELSON (RN Artificial Intelligence)
P r o j e c t N E L S O N

42. Royal Navy Information Warfare Division OFFICIAL
Open sensors and systems - next?
P r o j e c t N E L S O N
• a truly open environment for all platforms
• plug and play everything – radar, sonar, video…
• even if different formats
• any drone, any radar, any camera, any sensor…
• buy, use, discard/upgrade
• MarWorks, CDIF, NELSON, 700X
• generic command and control systems?
• auto-scanning techniques?
• unmanned systems collision avoidance?
• autonomous decision making?
• networks in GPS-denied environments?
• sensing across the littoral (ship-shore)?
• mesh networking and swarming?

43. OFFICIAL
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Defence and
Security Accelerator
Challenge 1
Allow for the rapid and automated integration of
new sensors

44. OFFICIAL
© Crown copyright 2013
Dstl
27 February 2017
UK OFFICIAL
The military sense-making process
1,2,3
1,2,3
2,3
1,2,3
2,3
OFFICIAL

45. OFFICIAL
© Crown copyright 2013
Dstl
27 February 2017
UK OFFICIAL
Available sensors are quickly adopted for employment in military
situations
• rapidly integrated into military collection systems without prior
knowledge of format standards
• their outputs processed and fused automatically
The aspiration
Sensing is everywhere
• each sensor provides data in its own format, standards, update rate
• on-sensor processing is mostly proprietary and uncharacterised
(hidden to user)
• any sophisticated multi-sensor processing (for example fusion or
sensor management) requires deep, prior knowledge of the sensor
and processing
The problem

46. OFFICIAL
© Crown copyright 2013
Dstl
27 February 2017
UK OFFICIAL
Sensing chain
analogue electronics signal pre-
processing/
metadata
ADC
sensor analogue/digital
converter
human interpretable
data
content
assessment
computer
readable
data

47. OFFICIAL
© Crown copyright 2013
Dstl
27 February 2017
UK OFFICIAL
Integration of ‘raw data’ sensors
Large variety of data rates, pre-processing algorithms, compression
schemes, data formats or standards
To integrate a variety of sensors
(including those we haven’t seen
before), we could –
• develop a common pre-
processing /metadata function
• develop a common post-
processing function
Common
input/output
data format
or
Processing,
fusion and
sensor
management
architecture
Open
architecture
algorithm
repository

48. OFFICIAL
© Crown copyright 2013
Dstl
27 February 2017
UK OFFICIAL
Integration of ‘intelligent’ information sources
SAPIENT concept (Sensing for Asset Protection with
Integrated Electronic Network Technology)
www.gov.uk/sapient
Autonomous Sensor Modules (ASM)
ASM 3
ASM 1 
Low bandwidth
*IP* based
comms
channel

Fusion and sensor
management architecture
High-Level Decision
Making Module (HLDMM)
Dynamic multi-sensor
decision fusion algorithms
Dynamic sensor
management algorithms

Human/
machine
interface
Open
architecture
algorithm
repository
Autonomous Sensor Module
Key challenges
• learning sensor system and algorithm performance parameters
• updating the system’s ontology on the fly

49. OFFICIAL
Processing, fusion and sensor management
architecture
© Crown copyright 2013
Dstl
27 February 2017
UK OFFICIAL
Processing
Search

Mission
Track
Challenges
• characteristics of the sensor system are not known prior to the operation
• some situations require dynamic re-optimisation and tasking as new
sensors are added
Anomaly detect
Open
architecture
algorithm
repository
Alg 1 Alg 2 Alg 3 Alg 4
Processing pipeline
Data 
Human/
machine
interface
Autonomous
algorithm selection
Topographic_map_example - Public Domain wikimedia_curid=641544
Topographic-Relief-perspective-sample - By Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0, wikimedia_curid=12915572

50. OFFICIAL © Crown copyright 2013
Dstl
27 February 2017
UK OFFICIAL
Fusion and sensor management
Challenges
• data sources that are
not fully characterised:
 uncertainty
 bias
 provenance and
trust
• management functions
where the task
implementation is not
fully characterised
Mission
assessment
Situation
assessment
Object
assessment
Data
processing
Signal
processing
Environment
Application
Data source
Mission
management
Objective
management
Task
management
Data
management
Sensor
management
Strategy
Understanding
Knowledge
Data
Signals
Resource
management

51. OFFICIAL
What we want - summary
Accessibility that can
• overcome the problems limiting seamless access and exploitation of new sensors
• address issues throughout sensor-data-exploitation chain
• support key issue of scalability
• ensure real (or near-real) time performance
• offer solutions that show strong linkages to challenges 2 and 3
Not interested in
• non-cooperative access to collection assets
© Crown copyright 2013
Dstl
27 February 2017