Intel gathering

Why Edge-to-Edge Intelligence is the Next Chapter in Readiness

Imagine a military tactical operations center: walls lined with screens monitoring current situations and ongoing operations, staffed with specially trained personnel analyzing information, producing intelligence and advising as best they can. They may be limited in how much analysis they can do in a short amount of time; they may not know how old the incoming information may be.

Every operation, tactical, logistical or otherwise, has blind spots. But that’s changing.

The number of Internet-of-Things-connected devices is expected to exceed more than 30 billion by next year, according to IHS Markit. In the military, sensors can be found on a service member’s uniform, their weapon or their vehicle; in the cockpit of an F-35 or the wings of cargo aircraft; on the ground, in the water, in the air and in space.

The immense amount of data these sensors alone will generate, and the computing power they will require, will significantly strain networks. But with the right technologies, it can also be an unprecedented opportunity.