In modern defense operations, maintaining a unified, secure, and reliable infrastructure across the battlespace is crucial. Defense organizations need to operate in a secure, coordinated, and integrated manner, connecting current and future capabilities across land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains to achieve mission outcomes. However, the following key challenges have been difficult to solve due to the proliferation of bespoke legacy systems that lack an open-standard architecture:
- Data collection and processing at the edge: Providing secure, reliable, and low-latency data transfer and processing in highly sensitive and distributed environments.
- Secure communication and interoperability: Ensuring seamless integration and communication across different domains and platforms.
- Data security: Protecting sensitive information from cyber threats and unauthorized access.
- Real-time analytics: Providing real-time insights and analytics across a fusion of many different data types, to support decision-making.
By solving these challenges, decision-makers can act on near real-time updates and intelligence, enhancing situational awareness and enabling mission success.
How Microsoft Cloud helps solve legacy system challenges
Microsoft is well placed to respond to these challenges through the hyperscale cloud capabilities of Microsoft Azure, encompassing a global network of data centers, servers, and networks that power cloud services, including:
- The Microsoft Adaptive Cloud approach, which lets organizations use cloud-native and AI technologies across hybrid, multi-cloud, edge, and Internet of Things (IoT) environments. This helps defense organizations ensure consistent operations by extending cloud services to on-premises and multi-cloud environments, and it simplifies operations with centralized management, enhanced security, and seamless integration across diverse and complex environments. Additionally, it allows for easier application deployment and a common data foundation across environments.
- Azure Local, enabled by Azure Arc, which is a specialized offering designed to bring cloud computing capabilities directly to the edge, closer to where data is generated, and decisions need to be made. For defense and intelligence customers, this means enhanced security, reduced latency, and improved operational efficiency by processing data locally rather than relying solely on centralized cloud services. This approach is crucial for defense and intelligence operations, where timely and secure data handling significantly impacts mission success.
Adaptive Cloud and Azure Local solutions in action
By way of illustration, consider a joint task force assigned to secure a national border as part of a multi-domain operation (MDO). The objective is to identify and address potential threats, including unauthorized crossings, smuggling activities, and aerial incursions. This is achieved by using advanced technologies, which can potentially benefit the following warfighting functions:
- Land forces patrolling the coastline
- Naval units monitoring the sea lines of communication
- Air units conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) collection
- Cyber units ensuring secure communication and protecting against cyber threats
- Space units ensuring satellite availability for communications and geospatial intelligence collection
Let’s look at some specific scenarios and how technology can help achieve success:
Real-time data collection and edge processing
IoT data collection
Data is collected and processed directly from IoT devices in real-time, close to the source, reducing latency and enhancing security.
How it works:
- Ground sensors and drones equipped with cameras and motion detectors monitor coastline activities.
- Buoys and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) collect data on maritime traffic and environmental conditions.
- Drones and aircraft equipped with radar and cameras provide aerial surveillance.
- Azure IoT operations deployed on Azure Local securely process and normalize this data at the edge.
Edge processing
The data collected from sensors is processed and transmitted to Azure Local instances deployed at mobile command centers.
How it works:
- Local AI inferencing, such as Azure AI Video Indexer, allows the processing of data at the source. By conducting real-time analysis directly within an environmental context, defense organizations can respond faster and more accurately to emergent situations using AI and machine learning models to analyze patterns, detect anomalies, and provide actionable insights to field commanders.
- Azure Local supports both legacy systems and modern containerized applications, allowing the defense organization to run a mix of applications needed for the mission, from traditional command and control systems to advanced AI-powered analytics.
- Through edge processing, critical information can now be filtered prior to its transmission to the cloud—for instance, identifying potential threats, such as unidentified aircraft or submarines, and alerting the command center for appropriate action.
- For all tactical units, where traditional terrestrial connectivity is limited or unavailable, low earth orbit (LEO) satellite connections provide connectivity to remote and mobile units, such as ships at sea, aircraft in flight, or land-based command and control nodes. Satellite communication can ensure continuous and secure data transmission, critical to information sharing in a joint operation.
- Forward operating bases (FOBs) process data on Azure Local, securely transmitting it to the cloud using Azure ExpressRoute, which provides a private connection between the edge and Azure, bypassing the public internet and supporting encryption technologies like MACsec and IPsec to ensure data confidentiality and integrity.
Command and control (C2) situational awareness
The task force sustains a thorough and current operational overview by using data transmitted to Azure from Azure Local. With cloud technologies, command and control data flows seamlessly from collection to actionable insights. The C2 node assesses the situation and determines the appropriate response such as route planning, resource allocation, and threat assessment.
How it works:
- Real-time intelligence managed with Microsoft Fabric, a unified AI data and analytics platform, enables a C2 node to swiftly analyze data from the edge using technologies like Azure Event Hubs and AMQP for data ingestion, and Microsoft Power BI for visualization. The real-time hub provides a unified interface for managing streaming data sources, allowing for rapid decision-making and enhanced situational awareness. Data is further processed and made available to Azure AI Foundry, for use in advanced AI applications.
- AI Foundry uses this data to deploy AI models assisting commanders in analyzing battlefield data and suggesting optimal strategies—for example, using AI models to perform sentiment analysis on communication data from the field. By analyzing the sentiment of messages, AI can identify potential stress or urgency in communications, providing valuable insights to commanders. Additionally, AI can detect patterns and anomalies in the data, such as unusual movements or activities, and alert the command center for further investigation.
- Units can then swiftly adapt to the updated operational plan. Analyzed data and directives from the C2 node are sent to Azure Local. Military applications running on Azure Local Virtual Machine receive directives from the C2 node. The units reconfigure their routes based on the optimized path provided, ensuring efficient movement and resource utilization. They allocate resources as per the new directives, prioritizing critical areas identified by the C2 node. Additionally, the units enhance their threat assessment protocols, incorporating the latest intelligence to mitigate potential risks.
By using Azure Local, the joint task force’s multi-domain operation not only addresses immediate threats but also establishes a robust framework for ongoing border security enabling seamless coordination and integration across land, sea, air, cyber, and space domains. By extending Azure services and security to distributed locations, apps and data are better safeguarded against advanced threats, ensuring reliable protection and operational efficiency.
- Real-time situational awareness: Rapidly assess and respond to emergent situations ensuring the border remains secure.
- Enhanced security: Secure communication channels and robust cybersecurity measures protect sensitive information from cyber threats. This ensures that all units can communicate effectively and securely, maintaining the integrity of the operation.
- Efficient decision-making: Advanced analytics and AI-powered insights enable quick and informed decision-making. The command center can process vast amounts of data in real-time, allowing for swift and accurate responses to emerging threats.
Benefits of Microsoft Adaptive Cloud and Azure Local in defense operations
Enhanced security
- Hardened security posture: Azure Local instances are configured with secured-core settings and automatic data encryption by default, protecting sensitive military communications and intelligence data from cyber threats.
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud Integration: Azure Local integrates natively with Microsoft Defender for Cloud, offering comprehensive monitoring and advanced threat protection. This ensures that potential security breaches are promptly detected and mitigated.
- Network Security Groups (NSGs): NSGs in Azure Local manage and secure network traffic within the Azure environment, allowing for control of inbound and outbound traffic to virtual networks, subnets, and network interfaces with defined security rules. These rules can permit or deny traffic based on various criteria such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols.
- Trusted launch: Enhance protection against sophisticated threats such as malware-based rootkits and bootkits with Trusted launch security. This includes secure boot, which guarantees that only trusted software is loaded during the boot process, and a virtual trusted platform module (vTPM), which securely stores keys, certificates, and secrets.
Operational flexibility
- Disconnected operations: In areas with limited or no connectivity, Azure Local supports disconnected operations, allowing joint forces to maintain situational awareness and make informed decisions even when not connected to Azure. Data can be synchronized with the C2 node once connectivity is restored.
- Flexible hardware options: Azure Local’s extensive catalog supports rugged hardware suitable for harsh environments, ensuring reliable performance even in extreme conditions.
- Scalability: In support of mission needs, additional Azure Local instances can be quickly deployed to new locations, providing the necessary computing and storage resources to support expanding operations.
Explore Microsoft for defense and intelligence
Learn how Microsoft Cloud can help achieve mission outcomes to promote stability and security:
Microsoft for defense and intelligence
Allison Weimer, CTO for Defense & Intelligence at Microsoft, leads innovation for defense clients. She previously served as CIO for a critical infrastructure firm leading their digital transformation. At Lockheed Martin, she led tech services, cybersecurity, and supercomputing programs for the Department of Defense. Allison holds a Bachelor’s in Mass Communications, a Master’s in Technology, and is a Lean/Six Sigma Blackbelt.
See more articles from this author
