Battlespace Knowledge Development and Demonstration

The Battlespace Knowledge Development and Demonstration program (PE 0603788F), managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), is a key element of the Department of the Air Force's advanced technology development portfolio. Its primary goal is to accelerate the delivery of innovative science and technology solutions that address critical warfighter requirements in Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (C5ISRT). The program aims to enhance decision-making superiority for the Air Force and its joint and coalition partners by developing and demonstrating integrated systems and processes that collect, process, analyze, and disseminate information across multiple domains.

Within this program, the C4I Battlespace Development and Demonstration line item focuses on advancing technologies that enable Combined Joint All-Domain Command & Control (CJADC2). The objective is to support seamless integration and coordination across land, air, space, and cyber domains, thereby improving joint operational effectiveness and agility. Specific goals include the development of AI-enhanced planning and battle management architectures, assured communications and resilient networks, and advanced systems for rapid data fusion and exploitation. These efforts are designed to provide a comprehensive and real-time operational picture, enabling faster and more informed decision-making in contested environments.

The Multi-Domain Sensemaking effort consolidates previous initiatives to aggregate, fuse, and analyze data from all operational domains. The objective is to leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation to provide actionable insights, accelerate decision cycles, and enhance situational awareness. Planned activities include the development of edge processing capabilities, embedded high-performance computing systems for airborne platforms, and multimodal veracity assessment tools to evaluate the credibility of diverse information sources, including publicly available data and traditional ISR feeds.

The Assured Communications & Networks subproject is dedicated to ensuring secure, reliable, and resilient communications for warfighters, particularly in contested or degraded environments. Objectives include the development and demonstration of deployable information management systems, advanced waveform diversity mesh networking, and frameworks to analyze the impacts of degraded connectivity across multi-domain mission threads. These efforts are intended to maintain operational continuity and enhance situational awareness, even in austere or disaster-recovery scenarios.

Several congressionally directed adds within the C4I Battlespace line item further support specific technology advancements. These include investments for antenna form factor development for assured communications and networks, B-52 agile pod capability, programmable computing fabric networks, expeditionary UAS manufacturing and employment, and efforts to translate legacy software to usable code. These targeted investments are intended to address urgent operational needs, modernize legacy systems, and enhance the adaptability and survivability of Air Force platforms and networks.

The Cyber Battlespace Development and Demonstration line item supports the Department of the Air Force's objectives in developing advanced cyber capabilities for both offensive and defensive operations. The project's goals are to deliver cyber offense capabilities such as access, stealth, persistence, and non-kinetic weapons; to establish robust cyber defense mechanisms including attack detection, attribution, and response; and to ensure cyber resilience through adaptation, recovery, and survivability of critical systems. These efforts are crucial for maintaining operational effectiveness and continuity in the face of evolving cyber threats.

Within the cyber portfolio, the Cyber Offensive and Defensive Technologies effort integrates previous work on both cyber offense and defense. Key objectives include the development of modular 5G cyber operations tool suites, exploitation tools for intelligence and offensive operations, and open architecture specifications for counter-small unmanned aerial systems. Additional goals involve automating radio frequency spectrum monitoring, enhancing interoperability among protection systems, and advancing research into non-kinetic cyber effects. These initiatives are designed to ensure the Department of the Air Force's dominance and resilience in the cyber domain, supporting both peacetime and conflict operations.