Summer Myatt
The Department of Defense has been working to modernize its command, control, and communications capabilities since the publication of the C3 Modernization Strategy in late 2020. Now, aspects like electronic warfare and satellite communications are changing the way the DOD approaches C3.
In Executive Mosaic’s latest video interview, DOD Chief Information Officer John Sherman spoke about how his C3 priorities have evolved in response to these factors and in light of new developments in cloud and JADC2.
John Sherman is scheduled to keynote the Potomac Officers Club’s 4th Annual CIO Summit on Apr. 13. Don’t miss your chance to hear from the Pentagon CIO and other GovCon leaders in person! Register here.
The 2022 Wash100 Award winner shared that C3 is one of the most exciting areas he focuses on as CIO, and it also encompasses some of the key warfighting aspects outlined in the National Defense Strategy, including electromagnetic spectrum operations, or EMSO.
EMSO, defined by Sherman as “the marriage of electronic warfare and spectrum operations,” is becoming a larger priority for the DOD in response to the rise of electronic warfare, or EW, in the modern battlespace.
“We’re going to have to be able to fight, survive and maneuver in a highly contested and congested area,” Sherman warned. “It’s not just about kinetic operations now — a jammed spectrum can be just as lethal to our forces as going into a very contested anti-aircraft belt.”
The DOD recently established an office focused on EMSO in order to ensure the area is receiving the appropriate attention, funding and governance.
Another component of C3 taking the spotlight in today’s competitive environment is satellite communications and proliferated Low Earth Orbit, or pLEO. “We do this right,” Sherman told Executive Mosaic’s Summer Myatt.
The DOD is constantly working to avoid being put into a denied, degraded, intermittent, latent environment, commonly referred to as DDIL, especially for forces at the tactical edge.
“If we get the pLEO piece right, an adversary may not be able to put us into a DDIL environment hardly at all,” said Sherman, highlighting the importance of satellite communications.
Watch the Honorable John Sherman’s video here to see what the Pentagon CIO has to say about JADC2, the $9 billion JWCC contract, emerging technologies and more. Don’t forget to subscribe to Executive Mosaic’s YouTube channel to keep up with the latest from GovCon’s leaders.
