Perimeter Security for Agile Combat

IoT/AI has developed a commercial sensor platform for Extreme IoT designed for harsh and rugged environments. The system provides a mixture of connectivity, security, sensor aggregation, and distributed edge analytics in a hand-sized, light weight, low power, and modular system. In working on a collaborative project with ACC Agile Battle Lab, AF Strategic Planning and Experimentation Directorate (SDPE), AFRL, and PACAF Agile Combat Employment (ACE) teams we identified an opportunity to unleash more mission potential through adapting our modular sensor platform and its associated software components to address the needs of ACE austere conditions requiring low size, weight, and power (SWaP) and low cost. Agile Combat Employment (ACE) is one of the most vital force projection elements for the Air Force – ACE mission is lean, agile, and lethal force. ACE must go into a location, set up a base, do a forward area rearm, repair, and refuel and get back into the fight – doing so with minimal equipment and lean teams. ACE Forward Operating Sites (FOS) rely on small teams of Multi-functional Airmen (MFA) to support fighter jets, transport aircraft with aerospace group equipment (AGE), fueling systems, and portable C5ISR ground systems. From command and operational perspective, these ACE teams must have the ability to disperse, recover and rapidly resume operations in a contested or austere environment. From a technology perspective, these teams are under constant threat of cyberattacks, denial attacks, and unreliable communications. While deployed in this austere, challenged and contested environment, vigilance of incoming threats from an adversary is highly important and time critical. However due to the resource constrained nature of their mission, no personnel are available to maintain the level of constant vigilance for ISR.  Moreover, the size and nature of the terrain may be significant, and operations may be stealthy or contested to the point that long-range communication for space- or aircraft-based ISR information unavailable. Our objective with this Phase I proposal is to undertake a Requirements Analysis to explore the needs, gaps, and requirements for a self-contained Perimeter Security capability for Agile Combat Teams.  The goal of the project is to understand the capabilities required and to document them along with modes of operation, dynamics, features, and other requirements. A future Phase II proposal would then produce prototypes addressing these needs, perform test and evaluation in field conditions with ACE personnel, and refine these prototypes into products available for acquisition and use.