John Booth chaired the opening day and led the discussion on command and control (C2) open architecture. "The first day of the conference, focused on C2, was rich with both content and discussion," explained Booth. "The federated systems of systems approach to AirC2 and Integrated Air and Missile Defence marks a change in the way we deliver capabilities. Partnership with industry is essential to this activity, which in the current geopolitical context has taken on a new-found importance and urgency.”
Open architecture is a system design approach with open standards, modular components and published interfaces that allow easy integration and updates. This approach accelerates and facilitates the insertion and integration of new capabilities, improves interoperability across platforms and domains, and ensures that the latest technologies keep warfighters ready and responsive. Overall, open architecture is a strategic enabler for adaptable, cost-effective and interoperable defence capabilities.
NCIA's AirC2 Centre plays a central role providing operation AirC2 capabilities in support of NATO's air and ballistic missile defence. Working closely with the Enhanced AirC2 Independent Programme Office and NCIA's Ballistic Missile Defence Programme Office, the AirC2 Centre drives new projects that strengthen NATO’s integrated air and missile C2 systems through open architecture and federated systems. These initiatives aim to integrate open architecture principles with a data-centric approach, based on a common data model and shared services. This framework enables modular services to be developed, deployed and upgraded independently, enhancing the agility of C2 services while maintaining interoperability through consistent data standards and interfaces.
Through these efforts, NATO’s next generation of integrated air and missile defence C2 systems and services are designed with interoperability and data management at their core, facilitating the collection, sharing and leveraging of data across NATO. NCIA continues to innovate in partnership with Allies and industry to ensure that NATO maintains its technological edge and competitive advantage in the air and missile domain.