Through the smoke of war, we can see that today’s war has evolved from the bloody fights of ignorant barbarism and the battles of conquering cities to the precise beheadings dominated by information and the fierce competition on the battlefield of intelligence. This objective fact tells us that war, as a specific complex social phenomenon, will present different war forms and winning mechanisms in different historical periods. As American futurist Alvin Toffler pointed out, “artificial intelligence is like the missiles and satellites before. Whether you are prepared or not, it will enter the historical stage of human civilization war.” President Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: “If we do not understand the winning mechanism of modern warfare, we will only be able to see through a mirror and miss the point.” The winning mechanism of war refers to the way in which various factors of war play a role in order to win the war, as well as the laws and principles of their mutual connection and interaction. Compared with the traditional information warfare, the winning mechanism of future intelligent warfare has undergone significant changes.
The confrontation mode has changed from “system confrontation” to “algorithm game”, and the algorithm advantage dominates the war advantage
Algorithms are strategic mechanisms for solving problems. In fact, “algorithms” are a series of clear instructions for solving problems, and are clear steps to solve a certain type of problem according to certain rules. In future wars, the side that has the advantage of algorithms will be able to quickly and accurately predict battlefield situations, innovate the best combat methods, and achieve the war goal of “winning before fighting.”
Algorithms are the key to dominating intelligent warfare. First, algorithmic advantage dominates cognitive advantage. After big data is processed by high-performance and efficient algorithms, massive amounts of data are quickly converted into useful intelligence. Therefore, the party with algorithmic advantage can dispel the “battlefield fog” caused by the failure to process data in a timely manner, making cognition more profound. Second, algorithmic advantage dominates speed advantage. Compared with classical algorithms, quantum algorithms have achieved an exponential acceleration effect. In addition, quantum computers have increased from 1 quantum bit in 2003 to 1,000 quantum bits in 2015, and their computing efficiency is 100 million times faster than that of classical computers, making artificial intelligence a qualitative leap. Third, algorithmic advantage dominates decision-making advantage. With its high-speed and accurate calculations, the algorithm replaces human “deep thinking” and repeated exploration, thereby accelerating knowledge iteration. Mastering super-powerful algorithms can quickly propose flexible and diverse combat plans and countermeasures in response to changes in the enemy’s situation, constantly disrupting the enemy’s established intentions and deployments.
Algorithms are the core of the leap in war effectiveness. First, wars are more efficient. With the support of algorithms, the reaction speed of artificial intelligence is hundreds or thousands of times that of humans. In 2016, the “Alpha” intelligent software developed by the United States reacted 250 times faster than humans and controlled a third-generation aircraft to defeat a manned fourth-generation aircraft in a simulated air battle. Second, war endurance is stronger. Artificial intelligence is not limited by physiological functions and can continuously perform repetitive and mechanical tasks. In September 2016, an F-16 fighter jet reached 8 times the gravity overload during training, causing the pilot to lose consciousness. However, before the aircraft hit the ground, the onboard “automatic collision avoidance system” automatically pulled the aircraft up, avoiding the tragedy. Third, the war ends better. With the support of massive data and supercomputing capabilities, AI’s judgment and prediction results are more accurate. The US military’s search and killing of Osama bin Laden, which combined manned and unmanned equipment, is a successful example.
The elements of combat are changing from “information-led” to “machine-led”, and machine-led combat is reshaping the combat process.
In the future, intelligent technology will penetrate all elements and processes of war. The Internet of Things, the Internet of Intelligence and the Internet of Brains will become the foundation of war. The four domains of physical domain, information domain, cognitive domain and social domain will be deeply integrated, making the battlefield holographically transparent, with humans controlling the war and no humans fighting on the battlefield. Intelligent weapons and equipment will reshape the combat process from “sensor to shooter”.
Smart eyes “detect”. “Detection” means intelligent intelligence detection. It can virtualize collaborative networking, self-organized dynamic scheduling, automatic multi-source intelligence mining, and order-based on-demand use of multi-dimensional sensors such as land, sea, air, space, and electricity, to the greatest extent possible to dispel the “war fog” caused by insufficient or redundant information and open the “smart eyes” to see through intelligent warfare.
Loop “control”. “Control” refers to intelligent command and control. Focusing on the core of decision-making advantage, the “man-in-the-loop” human-machine collaborative technology is used. According to the autonomy of the machine, three decision-making and control methods are adopted: “man-in-the-loop”, “man-on-the-loop” and “man-out-of-the-loop”, to form a comprehensive advantage with superior decision-making quality and action speed.
Intelligent “fighting”. “Fighting” means intelligent offensive and defensive operations. Relying on the advantages of system structure and algorithm, it mobilizes multi-dimensional, manned and unmanned combat platforms in real time, quickly couples combat forces, builds combat systems on demand, focuses on targets, and independently implements “distributed” and “swarm” collaborative operations. After the battle, it quickly decouples and waits for battle, so that the troops are in a state of flux and gather and disperse at random. At the end of 2015, Russia deployed 6 tracked unmanned combat vehicles, 4 wheeled unmanned combat vehicles and 1 drone to support the Syrian government forces in their assault on the strongholds of Islamic extremist forces, and won the world’s first offensive battle dominated by unmanned combat vehicles. About 70 extremist militants were killed in the battle, while only 4 Syrian government forces were injured.
The decision-making method changes from “human brain decision-making” to “intelligent decision-making”, and intelligent decision-making optimizes combat operations
With the emergence of intelligent decision-making technology and “cloud brain”, “digital staff” and “virtual warehouse”, war decision-making has evolved from simple human brain decision-making to human-machine hybrid decision-making, cloud brain intelligent decision-making and neural network decision-making.
Human-machine hybrid decision-making. Reasonable division of labor and interactive collaboration between humans and machines is the best solution to explore and solve problems. The advantages of the human brain lie in creativity, flexibility, and initiative; the advantages of machines lie in speed, high precision, and fatigue resistance. High-level decision-making and other highly artistic tasks are handled by the human brain, while big data calculations are completed by machines. Human-machine interaction enables machines to “listen” to human language, “see” human movements and expressions, and “understand” human emotions and intentions, and present the calculation process and results in a way that is easy for people to understand.
Cloud brain intelligent decision-making. In the future intelligent warfare, there will be a metaphorical center of “brain”, and distributed combat units will be linked through the cloud brain. This cloud brain is not only a physical information, physiological information and psychological information center, but also a military command center. Cloud brain decision-making is based on the intelligent “network, cloud, terminal” system. “Network” is an intelligent combat infrastructure network that integrates intelligent battlefield perception, decision-making and weapon control systems. “Cloud” is built on the “network” and is based on the intelligent resource service layer. It is not only a “resource pool” that integrates various combat resources, but also an “intelligent cloud” that provides intelligent services for combat operations. Due to the coupling of multiple centers, networking and decision-making can be quickly established even if it is bombarded with information. “End” refers to the combat resource end. The discrete intelligence and networked intelligence in the combat process can not only make autonomous decisions, but also provide distributed intelligent resources for the war system, enabling the new war system to emerge with collective intelligence.
Neural network decision-making. In July 2018, Russia developed fully automatic artificial neural network software that can destroy as soon as it is found. The intelligent decision-making tool developed by the US military aims to shorten the decision-making cycle and improve decision-making efficiency. The application of neural networks was once limited to tactical-level calculations, and it was difficult to make qualitative analysis and decisions on macroscopic and complex strategic situations. “AlphaGo” has made a breakthrough in the field of Go by simulating the working mechanism of human brain neural networks. In the future, the super self-evolution and strategic decision-making capabilities of deep neural networks will realize the “man-out-of-the-loop” combat cycle.
The combat style has changed from “breaking the chain and destroying the body” to “extreme combat”, which subverts traditional combat methods.
Extreme warfare has broken through the boundaries of traditional warfare, overturned traditional combat patterns, greatly increased the effectiveness of warfare, and brought about truly all-weather, all-time, all-dimensional, and all-domain intelligent warfare.
Break through the limits of human physiology and thinking. First, the combat space and domain are greatly expanded. In the future, intelligent combat will be three-dimensional, full-dimensional, and full-domain combat. The combat space will expand from the traditional space domain to the extremes of the polar regions, deep sea, and space, especially to the cognitive domain and information domain. Penetrate and penetrate other domains, and the combat domain will become more blurred. Second, the combat process is greatly accelerated. Unmanned autonomous combat greatly compresses the “observation-judgment-decision-action” cycle, and develops from the “instant destruction” of information warfare to the “instant destruction” of intelligent warfare. The victory of intelligent warfare is achieved by advancing the warning time, shortening the decision-making time, and extending the combat actions forward, so as to achieve the effect of preemptive layout and preemptive strike. Third, combat actions are extremely flexible. In intelligent warfare, artificial intelligence can propose extremely rich combat plans, and unmanned combat platforms can quickly switch between different functional roles, making combat actions more bold and adventurous, and tactics more unexpected. Even if one of the combat elements loses its function, the “decentralized” function will ensure that the group function is not affected.
Subvert the traditional combat style. The first is invasive lone wolf combat. That is, a single unmanned system fights independently. The second is manned and unmanned collaborative system sabotage warfare. That is, based on intelligent unmanned systems, through mixed combat with manned and unmanned equipment, the combat objectives can be quickly achieved. The third is the independent combat of unmanned system formations. Multiple unmanned systems constitute combat units, which can perform complex tasks such as multi-target attacks. The fourth is mother ship swarm cluster combat. With the mother ship as the transport carrier and command center, a manned and unmanned mixed cluster combat style is formed.
It has the combat effectiveness of “nuclear power”. Intelligent warfare has brought the characteristics and potential of intelligent robots to the extreme, resulting in combat effectiveness close to the limit. First, the target is small and difficult to detect. For example, miniaturized stealth robots are difficult to detect by radar and sound. The hybrid drone embedded with the “optical electrode” chip in the “Dragonfly” by the United States is smaller, lighter and more stealthy, with a flight time of up to several months. Second, it is difficult to confront and the cost is high. For example, a beetle-sized micro-drone can directly crash into the target’s head as long as it scans the human face, and the ammunition it carries is enough to penetrate the brain. Third, the cost is low and the damage is great. In the future, the use of intelligent weapons in extreme combat will have the power of nuclear weapons, especially the extremely large-scale intelligent weapon equipment, extremely low-cost robot automatic production, and extremely flexible robot swarm combat, which may surpass the maximization of nuclear weapon explosion power.
Modern war presents the explosive growth of battlefield information and new combat style. With the continuous emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and edge computing, a new generation of command information system is coming. Based on the international fourth generation command information system, this paper imagines the overall architecture of the fifth generation command information system, expounds the technical characteristics of its knowledge center, intelligent enabling, cloud edge integration, independent evolution and resilience adaptation, analyze its key technologies, continuously improves the battlefield information advantage, and transforms to the battlefield cognitive advantage, decision-making advantage and action advantage.
Abstract
Modern war presents the explosive growth of battlefield information and new combat style. With the continuous emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and edge computing, a new generation of command information system is coming. Based on the international fourth generation command information system, this paper imagines the overall architecture of the fifth generation command information system, expounds the technical characteristics of its knowledge center, intelligent enabling, cloud edge integration, independent evolution and resilience adaptation, analyze its key technologies, continuously improves the battlefield information advantage, and transforms to the battlefield cognitive advantage, decision-making advantage and action advantage.
Download CitationsZHANG Zhi-hua , WANG Fan . The Fifth Generation Command Information System and Its Intelligent Technology. Command Control and Simulation . 2021, 43(5): 1-7 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1673-3819.2021.05.001
Previous Article Next Article In his report to the 19th CPC National Congress, President Xi Jinping clearly pointed out that “we should accelerate the development of military intelligence and improve the joint combat capability and all-domain combat capability based on network information systems”
[ 1 ] . This statement indicates that future wars will be based on networked and intelligent system operations. The fifth-generation command information system will focus on intelligence, strengthen battlefield information advantages, and strive for battlefield cognitive advantages, decision-making advantages, and action advantages. According to relevant reports, the international command information system has gone through four stages of development
[ 2 ] and is evolving towards the fifth-generation command information system. The system architecture is developing towards intelligence, knowledge, cloud edge, and service. The fourth-generation system in the world mainly uses networking, service, and cloud to build an overall coordinated command information system
[ 2 ] , which meets the needs of coordinated operations to a certain extent and achieves information advantages. However, with the explosive growth of battlefield information, it is difficult to transform the system information advantage into the commander’s cognitive and decision-making advantages. With the emergence of new combat styles such as unmanned combat and cyber warfare, in order to adapt to the complexity and nonlinear characteristics of combat command, the command information system must break through cognitive technology and provide accurate battlefield situation cognition and planning and decision-making capabilities. The fifth-generation command information system is envisioned to be centered on artificial intelligence, edge computing, and cloud brain technology to enhance battlefield cognitive advantages, decision-making advantages, and action advantages, support combat command to move from the information domain to the cognitive domain, and realize capabilities such as information knowledge, intelligent decision-making, agile command and control, multi-domain collaboration, and edge services.
1 New Concept of Command and Control
1.1 Intelligent command and control
Intelligent command and control is to use artificial intelligence methods to achieve the transformation from “information-based, network-centric” to “intelligent, knowledge-centric”, and assist commanders in solving perception, understanding, and cognitive problems in the command field. The system architecture and technical architecture of the command information system will change. The system will apply corresponding intelligent technologies around functional domains such as situation, command, control, and support to improve the cognitive and decision-making efficiency of combat command. Foreign militaries pay great attention to the intelligent application of combat command. Since 2007, the US DARPA has published three white papers on national and military development strategies for artificial intelligence, and has launched plans such as “Deep Green”
[ 3 ⇓ – 5 ] , “The High-Tech Holy Grail of the Third Offset Strategy”, and “Commander’s Virtual Staff”. In the field of intelligence perception and tactical decision-making, it has launched artificial intelligence projects such as “Insight”, “Xdata”, “Deep Learning”, “Deep Text Search and Filtering”, “Distributed Battlefield Management”, “Human-Machine Collaboration”, “Mind’s Eye”, “Trace”, “Human-Machine Collaboration”, “X-Plan”, “Cognitive Electronic Warfare”, and “AlphaAI Air Combat”, realizing the ability to deeply understand battlefield intelligence, predict situation cognition, and automatically generate and deduce tactical plans. Since then, the U.S. military has also set up projects such as “Autonomous Negotiation Formation”, “Big Dog”, and “Hummingbird” to improve the manned and unmanned collaborative control capabilities. Overall, the U.S. military currently has the world’s leading level of intelligent combat command. In addition, Germany, France, Russia and other countries have also conducted extensive research in intelligent information perception and processing, intelligent autonomous unmanned combat platforms, etc., and have achieved fruitful research results
With the development of military technology, traditional large-scale cluster combat methods are gradually transformed into small-scale asymmetric combat. Combat activities at the tactical edge will play an important role in war. The tactical edge is also known as the “first tactical mile”
[ 9 ] . It is far away from the command center and has limited communication, computing, and service resources. It is usually composed of combat platforms, tactical units, and special forces. In order to gain information and decision-making advantages, command units at all levels use ubiquitous networks, micro-clouds, and other technologies to achieve information and resource sharing. Mobile computing devices at the tactical edge use fog computing methods to integrate into larger combat units and form micro-clouds under self-organizing networks. The large amount of situation information obtained by the tactical edge is calculated, stored, and shared in the tactical micro-cloud, which simplifies the scale of interaction with the command center, improves the timeliness of information interaction, and solves the problem of insufficient service capabilities at the tactical frontier in the past.
1.3 Multi-Domain Battle Command and Control
In 2016, the U.S. Army proposed the concept of “multi-domain warfare”
[ 10 ] , taking “synchronous cross-domain firepower” and “all-domain mobility” as core elements, promoting the high integration of combat elements, enhancing all-domain strike capabilities, and attempting to eliminate the “anti-access/area denial” capabilities of China, Russia and other countries. It mainly has the following three characteristics
[ 10 ] . First, the combat domain is expanded in multiple dimensions, enabling the U.S. Army to deploy forces from the ground to multiple combat domains such as sea, air, electricity, and the Internet, and has the ability to integrate with other services. Second, the combat elements are highly integrated, and the various services and combat functional domains can share information, coordinate tactics, and synchronize actions, which promotes the transformation of joint services to the integration of combat capability elements. Third, the command chain is developing in a flat direction, and the command mechanism is efficient and flexible. It is necessary to have centralized planning and decentralized execution, and to share information and instructions with various command nodes and individual soldiers, extend the tactical command chain, and realize rapid, multi-line, and multi-domain combat command.
1.4 Mosaic Combat Command and Control
In 2017, DARPA proposed the concept of “mosaic warfare”
[ 11-12 ] , which takes into account both ” threat-based” and “capability-based” equipment construction methods, and flexibly combines sensors, command and control nodes, combat platforms, and cooperative manned and unmanned systems in multiple combat domains on demand to form a mission system. System integration uses a building block approach to dynamically link dispersed fine-grained systems together to form a combat system similar to a “mosaic block”. “Mosaic warfare” uses intelligent decision-making tools to provide distributed situational awareness and adaptive planning and control, assist in combat mission planning, and implement distributed combat management. “Mosaic warfare” requires the replacement of fixed combat force composition with adaptive system reorganization, and the combat command has a resilient and adaptable information system that can customize physically dispersed mixed combat units on demand and meet various dynamic and collaborative combat requirements
2. Transformation of the Characteristics of the Fifth Generation Command Information System
1) The system shifts from network-centric to knowledge-centric. The network-centric approach brings battlefield information advantage, which is then transformed into cognitive advantage and decision-making advantage. The information sharing between systems shifts to knowledge-centric intelligence sharing, which promotes the transformation of the entire command system into decision-making and action advantage.2) The cloud architecture is transformed into cloud-edge-end integration. Expand the original cloud resource sharing capabilities
[ 2 ] and extend them to the platforms, teams, and individual soldiers at the tactical edge, realize the integrated hybrid service capabilities of the battlefield center cloud, mobile cloud, and edge micro-cloud in a mobile environment, and enhance the tactical frontier resource service capabilities.3) Transformation from scheduled integration to resilient adaptability. Currently, the system is deployed and operated according to preset rules. When the mission changes, it must be regulated according to the pre-planned plan. In the future, battlefield systems are vulnerable to attacks and paralysis, requiring the system to have the ability to self-reconstruct, resilient and adaptable when disturbances occur to ensure that the core mission is uninterrupted
[ 13-14 ] .4) Transformation from computational intelligence to cognitive intelligence. Intelligence is manifested in computational intelligence, perceptual intelligence, and cognitive intelligence. Currently, computational intelligence provides a tactical deterministic solution method. In the future battlefield, intelligent technology must be used to improve the accuracy and real-time degree of cognition in terms of massive intelligence processing, situational awareness, and decision-making reasoning.5) Performance changes from fixed fixed to autonomous learning evolution. The system’s algorithm and performance are generally determined and fixed during the design period, and performance improvement is achieved through upgrading and transformation. Intelligent systems have the ability of self-learning and self-evolution, and can learn algorithms for situational awareness and intelligent decision-making online to improve system performance.6) Construction shifts from capability-based to knowledge-based. Command information systems are generally constructed based on capability elements, and system integration is integrated based on capability elements. Intelligent systems pay more attention to the intellectual construction of the system, focusing on the construction of system knowledge, rules, algorithms, and data.7) The interaction mode will shift to human-machine fusion intelligent interaction. Human-machine fusion intelligent perception, anthropomorphic interaction, intention-oriented intelligent human-machine interface interaction, wearable human-machine fusion computing, and fusion and linkage interaction will become the main interaction mode of future systems, and the human-machine control system will progress towards human-machine fusion.8) The separation of combat and training has shifted to the integration of combat, training, exercise and research. The fifth-generation command information system tightly couples combat command and tactical training, and has parallel simulation and reasoning capabilities. It can not only update intelligent algorithms, but also conduct combat and tactics confrontation research, obtain tactical data, and promote algorithm learning. Exercise training has developed from war game simulation to battlefield virtual game.
3 Overall Architecture Concept
The overall architecture of the future fifth-generation command information system should be a command information system that is knowledge-centric, human-machine integrated, intelligently empowered, cloud-edge integrated, autonomously evolving, and resilient and adaptable. The following article mainly describes the overall system from the perspectives of system architecture, service architecture, and technical architecture
[ 15 ] . The system architecture mainly refers to the composition of the system’s logical elements and their relationships, the service architecture describes the integration model of information and computing resources between systems, and the technical architecture describes the system’s technical reference model.
3.1 System Architecture Concept
The system is changing from “information-based, network-centric” to “intelligent, knowledge-centric”, while extending to the tactical edge. Based on the original system integration, the system integrates knowledge and algorithms, applies intelligent technology in functional domains such as situation, command, control, and support, and improves the cognition and decision-making efficiency of combat command. The system architecture is envisioned as follows:
Figure 1 Conceptualization of the fifth-generation command information system architecture
第五代指揮資訊系統架構概念
The fifth-generation system expands the functional domain of parallel deduction and learning training on the basis of functional elements such as situational awareness, command decision-making, action control, support and guarantee, and information services to meet the needs of combat branch evaluation and algorithm learning. In terms of situational awareness, it covers computational intelligence, perceptual intelligence, and cognitive intelligence, mainly completing battlefield intelligence processing and target identification, understanding and predicting the situation, having state and momentum, and improving information advantage; in terms of command decision-making, it is mainly based on cognitive intelligence, which can machine tactical reasoning, generate plans and plans, and improve decision-making level; in terms of action control, it is mainly based on computational intelligence and cognitive intelligence, completing task monitoring and temporary tactical control, and providing action optimization strategies based on knowledge reasoning, such as command guidance, firepower coordination, and unmanned cluster intelligent control; in terms of comprehensive guarantee, it is mainly based on computational intelligence, completing the optimal allocation of battlefield resources under prior knowledge and rules; in terms of parallel deduction and learning training, it combines command and control with simulation training, trains personnel and algorithms in peacetime, and conducts parallel plan deduction in wartime.In addition, the fifth-generation system has an autonomous evolving learning mechanism: first, autonomous learning within the node to optimize the algorithm and knowledge base; second, the nodes share intelligent algorithms and knowledge through the command cloud to collaboratively complete the evolution. Each node can upload the learned algorithms and knowledge to the command cloud to update the algorithms and knowledge of the knowledge center; third, the system issues instructions to tactical nodes, weapon nodes, detection nodes, and combat support nodes, and collects execution feedback. These feedback results can be used to learn and evolve the algorithm.Between the fifth-generation systems, based on the original comprehensive integration based on the cloud/end architecture, an integrated sharing method for knowledge and intelligent algorithms has been added. Each command information system uploads intelligent algorithms and knowledge rules to the knowledge center for plug-and-play sharing by heterogeneous nodes such as battlefield detection, command, and weapons. The command information system can obtain existing intelligent knowledge from the knowledge center and conduct secondary learning and training in combination with its own battlefield data to improve algorithm capabilities. The command cloud will eventually form an intelligent knowledge center for the battlefield, and a battlefield knowledge network will be formed between the intelligent command information systems.
3.2 Concept of cloud-edge-device service architecture
In the future, ubiquitous network connections will extend from command units to various squads, individual soldiers, and platforms at the tactical edge. The fifth-generation command information system will use fog computing and distributed computing technologies to build tactical mobile clouds, squad micro-clouds (Cloudlet), and individual task group pico-clouds (Pico-Cloud) based on cloud architecture technology
[ 9 , 16 ] , forming tactical frontier mobile cloud service capabilities, realizing the hybrid service capabilities of battlefield centralized combat clouds, mobile tactical clouds, and edge micro-clouds and pico-clouds, forming an integrated resource service structure of “cloud, edge, and end”, and quickly building command chains and strike chains.
Concept of cloud-edge-end service architecture of the fifth-generation command information system
第五代指揮資訊系統雲端端服務架構構想
The cloud-edge-end integrated service capability supports the fifth-generation system to achieve dynamic aggregation and release of combat resources through “cloud deployment, cloud aggregation, cloud attack, and cloud dissipation”, thereby improving the combat effectiveness of the entire system
[ 17 ] . The centralized combat cloud is deployed in the command center in a fixed cloud manner
[ 16 ] to provide services for various combat nodes; air, land, and sea tactical clouds provide information, algorithms, computing, and storage services under mobile conditions for aircraft, ships, armored forces, and other forces at the tactical frontier, thereby improving the resource sharing level at the tactical frontier
[ 9 , 16 , 18-19 ] ; in tactical edge military operations, micro-clouds and pico – clouds are constructed. Micro-clouds are deployed in fog computing on vehicles, aircraft, and boats within one hop of the communication distance of the frontier contact unit, expanding the tactical information processing and sharing capabilities of the frontier unit personnel. When individual soldiers and units cannot access micro-clouds, mobile ad hoc networks and distributed computing technologies can be used to construct pico-clouds to support dynamic information aggregation and resource sharing end-to-end under weak connections at the tactical edge, thereby extending the command chain.
3.3 Technical Architecture Concept
The fifth-generation command information system will extend the war from the physical domain and information domain to the cognitive domain, and will change the way of command and control. Its technical architecture is as follows:
Technical architecture of the fifth-generation command information system
第五代指揮資訊系統技術架構
The fifth generation command information system adds tactical edge services and intelligent computing environments based on the networked computing environment of the fourth generation command information system, which is compatible with the system architecture and meets the intelligent requirements of the system. The tactical edge service computing environment provides micro-cloud and pico-cloud basic computing, storage, and information service platforms for weakly connected terminals; the intelligent computing environment provides intelligent services for situation, decision-making, control, and human-computer interaction.The intelligent technology environment layer includes the following five parts. The intelligent computing hardware platform is equipped with AI acceleration processors such as GPU, FPGA, and TPU to adapt to the computing power required by deep learning. Some algorithms use brain-like chips with neuron processing mechanisms or solidified dedicated intelligent computing chips; the intelligent data management platform mainly manages data, samples, cases, models, and knowledge; the deep learning framework integrates the runtime library and basic algorithm library of deep learning and reinforcement learning; the traditional artificial intelligence computing framework includes traditional algorithm support libraries such as spark and bigflow for search and solution, data mining, and parallel processing; intelligent services include application-oriented intelligent algorithm service libraries, such as intelligent interactive recognition, valuation network calculation, and strategy network calculation services, which provide solution interfaces for application development.The intelligent application layer mainly provides functional elements such as intelligent situational awareness, planning and decision-making, action control and information services, human-computer interaction, learning and training. It is the system’s main functional interface for users and the core problem that intelligence needs to solve.The fifth-generation system technology architecture model mentioned above mainly uses cloud computing and intelligent technology support services to achieve the sharing of situations, instructions, algorithms and knowledge between systems, and supports system autonomous evolution, algorithm upgrades and knowledge updates. System intelligence can be divided into levels 0 to 4
[ 20 ] . Level 0: full manual control; Level 1: computing intelligence, deterministic complex tactical calculations and information automation processing; Level 2: having certain perceptual intelligence, able to understand, evaluate and predict battlefield situations; Level 3: having cognitive intelligence, able to provide machine decision-making and decision-making deduction capabilities; Level 4: having human-machine integration and symbiosis capabilities, and the core algorithm can self-learn and self-evolve. At present, the intelligence level of the fourth-generation system is generally at level 1, and situation understanding and command decisions are still controlled by humans. The intelligence of the fifth-generation system can reach the fourth level through three stages. The first stage is to realize the ability to perceive, understand and evaluate the battlefield situation; the second stage is to build a knowledge base of tactics and enable machine decision-making based on rules, knowledge and algorithms; the third stage is to realize machine self-learning and self-evolution of core tasks, and have the function of autonomous decision-making, reaching a highly intelligent level of human-machine integration
4 Key technologies of the system and its intelligent concept
The key technologies of the fifth-generation command information system mainly solve the above – mentioned problems of intelligence, cloud – edge-end integration, and system resilience and adaptability. The key technologies of the system and its intelligent concept is the following
Key technologies of the system and its intelligent concept
系統關鍵技術及智慧化理念
The key technologies of the fifth-generation command information system cover all aspects of the command and control OODA loop, and can support the system’s intelligence, resilience, and edge command and control requirements in terms of detection, decision-making, control, and strike, thereby building a precise perception chain, rapid control chain, precise strike chain, and agile service chain, extending to the tactical edge and improving command effectiveness.
1) Situational Awareness Machine Analysis TechnologyIntelligence compilation and analysis technology.
Use big data, deep learning, knowledge graphs and other technologies to perform intelligent information correlation matching, text semantics intelligent analysis, and public opinion intelligent search and extraction to obtain valuable intelligence from massive, multi-source, and heterogeneous battlefield information.
Multiple target rapid recognition technology. Using deep learning methods, a multi-layer CNN convolutional neural network is constructed, and sample feature parameter learning is used to complete feature extraction and rapid target recognition of optical, infrared, electromagnetic, and acoustic information.Situation recognition and understanding technology. Analyze the enemy’s combat intentions and combat capabilities, use the reinforcement learning valuation network technology to simulate the commander’s situation recognition process, and combine the CNN nonlinear battlefield situation fitting ability to establish a mapping from situation images to situation understanding
Situation machine prediction and assessment technology. Based on situation understanding, the enemy’s tactical behavior is estimated. First, the strategy network is used to obtain the enemy’s activity rules, and then the parallel deduction method is used to perform multi-branch situation deduction. Finally, a prediction network is constructed to predict the situation.
Combat mission space and strategy modeling technology. Modeling the state and action strategy of the combat mission space and determining the description method of the mission state, strategy, and feedback are the basis for deep reinforcement learning to make decisions.Mission planning machine decision-making technology. Use operations optimization to complete target analysis and task allocation. Use deep reinforcement learning and swarm intelligence algorithms to machine plan force composition, firepower configuration, and collaborative paths. Tactical planning tends to be rule-based reasoning and easy to break through; campaign planning tends to be knowledge-based reasoning based on experience, involving the art of command, and is more difficult to break through.
Parallel simulation technology for combat plans. With reference to the parallel simulation technology of the “deep green” system the Monte Carlo search tree and game test method are used to simulate enemy combat behavior, rehearse and evaluate the action process, and accumulate feedback reward and punishment functions for learning, training, and decision optimization.
Intelligent generation technology of combat plans. Using intelligent perception algorithms such as natural language understanding, voice command recognition, and sketch recognition, combined with the extraction of elements from the task model, the knowledge graph is used to automatically extract the plan to generate combat plans and command sequences .
Rapid decision-making technology on the spot. Based on the current situation, using the learning data accumulated by the game platform, automatically matching the most appropriate plan adjustment, making dynamic decisions on the plan based on Monte Carlo tree search and transfer learning algorithms, reverse reinforcement learning, and enhancing the generalization ability of the plan.3) Intelligent motion control technologySituation-based improvisation control technology. According to the effects and deviations of combat operations, the resources, paths, and coordination modes of the mission are dynamically adjusted, and parallel simulation multi-branch deduction and reinforcement learning technology are used to correct the deviations, thus realizing tactical “feedforward” control .
Swarm intelligence collaborative control technology. Promote the maximization of the overall effectiveness of battlefield intelligent bodies in collaborative operations, use ant colony and bee colony control algorithms and deep reinforcement learning methods to build a global tactical value network, establish an effect feedback model, and perform strategic control based on the value network.Firepower collaborative control technology. Improve the speed and accuracy of friend-or-foe identification, firepower allocation, and collaborative dispatch, use swarm intelligence and deep reinforcement learning algorithms to automatically plan, coordinate and optimize the strike chain, and have a certain degree of autonomous decision-making ability.
Multi-domain cluster system autonomous collaborative machine planning technology. Use branch search solution, knowledge reasoning, and deep reinforcement learning to plan and allocate collaborative tasks for manned/unmanned systems, and use swarm intelligence optimization algorithms to plan collaborative trajectories for unmanned and manned platforms.Multi-domain cluster system autonomous collaborative command and control technology. It monitors the missions of unmanned clusters and provides autonomous collaborative command and guidance. It uses swarm intelligence algorithms to detect conflicts and avoid collisions among multiple unmanned platforms, and coordinates grouping, routing, and load.
5) Intelligent information service technology.
Intelligent battlefield information sharing technology uses reinforcement learning and semantic association technology to analyze users’ information needs and preferences, generate information needs based on users’ differentiated characteristics, and intelligently push tactical information to users.
Human-computer fusion intelligent perception interaction technology. Construct multi-channel human-computer interaction methods including sketches, spoken language, gestures, head postures, expressions, eye movements, etc., and provide natural, sensitive, accurate and anthropomorphic interaction strategies . Intention-oriented intelligent human-computer interface technology. Using FCM fuzzy cognitive interactive reasoning technology, infer the user’s interactive intention, and organize the interactive interface output by integrating different means such as spoken language, gestures, sketches, and natural language according to the user’s interface needs and interaction preferences.Smart wearable human-machine fusion technology. It uses edge computing technology and new human-machine interaction methods such as voice, gestures, eye movements, brain-computer interfaces, and augmented reality to provide soldiers with smart wearable devices that have a collaborative, integrated, and linked human-machine interaction mode.
7) Virtual gaming and training evaluation technology.
The combat virtual game technology builds a game confrontation test platform, conducts combat knowledge modeling, and uses parallel simulation, branch decision, differential confrontation and other technologies to conduct red-blue confrontation, which not only trains tactics and methods, but also collects tactical data.Machine training and evaluation technology uses the data accumulated by the game platform and the experience of personnel to model, adopts small sample transfer learning technology to train and optimize the algorithm, replays the real data afterwards, performs transfer learning optimization on the decision model, and updates the decision plan.
8) System resilience adaptive reconstruction technology.
Environmental perception and autonomous fault detection technology. Under soft and hard damage, it can detect the main faults and analyze abnormal correlations, predict the occurrence of faults that affect task execution, evaluate the impact of faults on tasks, and realize active perception and rapid location of system resources and faults.System self-healing and reconstruction intelligent technology. When key nodes of the system fail, an adaptive mechanism is used to reallocate resources, achieve capacity regeneration, and continuously ensure the completion of core tasks. The system changes from a fault repair method with preset rules and manual participation to an intelligent system reconstruction method.
9) Tactical edge computing technology.
Mobile micro-cloud service platform technology. Deployed in fog computing mode on vehicles, aircraft, and boats within one hop of the enemy, it provides shared processing capabilities for combat teams and expands the tactical information processing capabilities of team members.Pi-cloud resource sharing technology under weak connection ad hoc network. Based on the individual soldier ad hoc network, the Pi-cloud is constructed using distributed computing technology to support end-to-end autonomous collaborative information sharing and resource sharing between individual soldier mobile devices under weak connection to meet tactical edge needs.
5 Development ideas and ideas
1) Gradually progress in stages, starting with the easy and then moving on to the difficult. In the first stage, image, voice, gesture, face recognition, and natural language understanding are applied to intelligence analysis; in the second stage, deep learning and reinforcement learning are applied to situational awareness and command decision-making; in the third stage, cloud computing is used to realize a knowledge-centered, intelligently empowered system.
2) Select intelligent algorithms for application. Focusing on the application of deep learning in situation and deep reinforcement learning in planning and decision-making, select appropriate tactical backgrounds to verify intelligent algorithms. Tactical-level planning of paths, firepower, tasks, etc. can be used as breakthroughs.
3) Strengthen the construction of knowledge engineering in the field of combat command. Expert rules, military regulations, and actual combat data are the basis of intelligent command. The existing combat rules should be modeled and represented in a knowledge-based manner, and the input and output mapping relationship between knowledge representation and deep learning should be established. The research on knowledge learning and knowledge reasoning methods should be strengthened .
4) Establish a virtual confrontation game platform to accumulate data. Intelligent algorithms require a large number of learning samples. The ways to accumulate samples are: Establish a confrontation game platform to conduct war games, human-machine confrontation, and red-blue confrontation to accumulate data; Collect tactical data from actual combat exercises and build models as training samples.
6 Conclusion
This paper proposes the overall and intelligent concept of the fifth-generation command information system, constructs a new generation of command information system architecture with “intelligent empowerment, human-machine integration, cloud-edge integration, autonomous evolution, cloud-intelligence sharing, and resilience and adaptability”, analyzes its key technologies and capability characteristics, and attempts to achieve cognitive advantages, decision-making advantages, and action advantages based on the fourth-generation system in the world .
There are not many technical verifications for the fifth-generation system in the world, so we should not rush for quick success and still need to conduct sufficient research.
Establishing normative guidelines for the management of military information dissemination on the Internet
——Interpretation of the three highlights of the “Internet Military Information Dissemination Management Measures”
Strengthening the management of Internet military information dissemination is related to the overall situation of national defense and military construction, and to the image and reputation of the people’s army. The promulgation of the “Internet Military Information Dissemination Management Measures” (hereinafter referred to as the “Measures”) has established normative guidelines for the management of Internet military information dissemination. Its implementation will surely provide a strong legal guarantee for promoting the rule of law in cyberspace, regulating the order of Internet military information dissemination, and better promoting the healthy development of Internet military media. The “Measures” not only aims to solve the practical problems of Internet military information dissemination in recent years, but also looks forward to the future trend of military information dissemination. Overall, there are three highlights:
Improved the opening standards of platforms and columns
Once military-related, confidential or negative information is disseminated, it will inevitably damage national security and the image of the military. The key to managing this kind of network chaos is to correct the source and effectively regulate the source of information dissemination. The Measures clearly regulate the opening of military website platforms, military columns on website platforms, military accounts, etc. First, Internet military information service providers must obtain licenses and perform filing procedures in accordance with the law to ensure the authenticity of their identities. Second, Internet military information service providers are encouraged and supported to establish or clearly be responsible for editing agencies for military information services, and to be equipped with full-time editors and content reviewers appropriate to the scale of services to ensure the professionalism of their capabilities. Such standardization can further improve the effectiveness of Internet military information dissemination management and effectively enhance the quality and level of Internet military media.
List of positive and negative aspects of the content being spread
In the digital age, online public opinion has become an important force in shaping social concepts and behaviors, with both the supply and dissemination of positive information and the spread of illegal and negative information. The Measures aim to turn the Internet, the biggest variable, into the biggest increment in promoting the development of the cause of strengthening the military, and refine and clarify the positive list of Internet military information dissemination content, mainly involving 11 aspects of information, including the promotion of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, the promotion of the nature, purpose, glorious history, fine traditions and style of the People’s Army, and the reflection of the achievements of national defense and military modernization. At the same time, the Measures also detailed and clarified a list of 12 negative aspects, including harmful information that endangers national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and undermines the absolute leadership of the Party over the military and the responsibility system of the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Through these regulations, Internet military information service providers and users can be effectively guided to maintain a good military-related public opinion environment, maintain a good image of the People’s Army, and safeguard national security and military interests.
Standardized the supervision chain of military accounts
Military information is highly sensitive, professional, and confidential, and must be handled by professionals. In response to the current problems of low registration thresholds for a large number of military accounts, arbitrary release of military information that disrupts the order of communication, the Measures regulate the conditions for identifying military accounts, and clarify the verification and reporting of military accounts. These requirements are in line with the national policy requirements for doing a good job in the classification and filing of mobile Internet accounts, which is conducive to further clarifying the responsibilities of website platforms and improving the pertinence and accuracy of military account supervision.
Transformation from two-dimensional combat to three-dimensional attack and defense
●From “able to fly” to “good at fighting”
The Army’s air assault force is showing its strength
PLA Daily reporter Kang Zizhan and special correspondent Zhang Shengtao reported: 10 years ago, Liu Zhenhua, as a pilot of the Army Aviation Force, was rated as an excellent pilot mainly for his excellent personal flying skills; now, as a pilot of the Army Air Assault Force, his compulsory training courses have added ground force combat formation, tactics and tactics application, etc. In the past 10 years, the upgrade of the “capability baseline” of Liu Zhenhua, a pilot of an Army Air Assault Brigade, is the result of the Army’s low-altitude combat force’s leap from “able to fly” to “good at fighting”.
On the eve of August 1, 2016, President Xi Jinping emphasized during his inspection of the newly established Army Headquarters that we must accelerate the transformation of the Army from a new starting point in accordance with the strategic requirements of mobile operations and three-dimensional offense and defense, and strive to build a strong, modernized new Army.
A year later, the military parade to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army was held at the Zhurihe Joint Training Base. The Chinese Army Air Assault Brigade made its debut in a new combat formation and was reviewed by President Xi.
Air assault, surging. Since its establishment, the Army Air Assault Force has conducted military exercises in all areas, covering mountains, dense forests, deserts, and grasslands. Iron wings are flying, eagles are lined up, ground forces and air forces are integrated within the organization, and energy is released within the system, giving the military exercise field a new look.
In the heart of the Central Plains, air-ground coordination has given birth to a new landscape. In the staff competition, the pilot won the championship; in the flight planning, the infantry squad leader served as the staff. Snipers “train in the air” and pilots “learn on the ground”. The air and ground subjects are integrated into the training, and the air and ground forces are truly combined and fight together.
When the pilots found the “enemy” target on the prairie, they did not choose to attack it head-on, but used the information system to send coordinates in the air and call for support from the ground advance forces to attack the “enemy” target. From the ground calling for air support to the air calling for ground support, the “call change” witnessed the expansion of the officers and soldiers’ battlefield vision.
In the northwest desert, an air assault brigade of the Army was ordered to carry out cross-domain maneuvers, flying and fighting along the way, and taking turns to use a series of new tactics such as surpassing attack operations, leapfrog assault operations, and key point control operations, showing the sharp edge of the Army’s new air assault combat force…
Following the footsteps of the Army’s airborne assault troops’ military exercises, one new battle scene after another comes into view: “One Tree High” is no longer “riding alone”, but a “synthetic eagle group” composed of multiple aircraft types, with modules organized and each performing its own duties; approaching the front line, firepower strikes are no longer the first choice, and the “electronic iron fist” is the first to be swung; commanders sit in the “air command post” to plan air-ground coordinated operations… The changes in the low-altitude battlefield highlight the strong battlefield adaptability and combat effectiveness of the air assault force.
At the beginning of the new year of 2022, President Xi signed the Central Military Commission’s Order No. 1 of 2022, issuing a mobilization order to the entire army to start training, requiring all levels of the army to vigorously promote system training. As a symbolic force in the army’s transformation from two-dimensional combat to three-dimensional offense and defense, the air assault force has shown many new changes in system training.
An airborne assault brigade of the Army joined hands with an Air Force unit to study the subject of assault infantry guiding Air Force fighters to carry out fire strikes; cooperated with multiple forces of the Joint Logistics Support Force to explore an integrated peacetime and wartime support model; and conducted joint training with a unit of the Strategic Support Force to enhance the unit’s electromagnetic interference and anti-interference capabilities… The airborne assault force system has more and more “close partners” in training, the “circle of friends” of new combat forces is getting bigger and bigger, and the unit’s actual combat capabilities continue to improve.
New forces contain new mechanisms, and new mechanisms give birth to new forces. President Xi stressed the need to strengthen the construction of new combat forces and increase the proportion of new quality combat power. During the adjustment and reform, the Army’s air assault force came into being, eliminating the geographical separation between air and ground, blurring the spatial concepts of frontier and depth, and updating the combat concepts of air and ground arms. The Chinese military’s land warfare pattern is being reshaped.
From looking at the battlefield head-on to looking down on the battlefield, and then to three-dimensionally perceiving the battlefield, the air assault force has demonstrated the huge potential of a new type of combat force, and the Army is accelerating into the era of three-dimensional combat.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity, but also an unprecedented challenge.” Tang Hongyi, the battalion commander of an air assault brigade of the army, led the officers and soldiers to transform from mountain infantry to air assault infantry. On the journey of reforming and strengthening the army, he dared not slack off for a moment, “Each generation has its own mission and responsibility. We must run the ‘first leg’ of air assault force construction and run the ‘our leg’ of the army’s transformation and development well.”
Short review
Accelerate transformation and molting to take off
■Kang Zizhan
Fly far and molt. The new army badge has a pair of “wings of soaring” on both sides, implying that the new army is “flying”. From the Army Aviation Corps to the Air Assault Corps, the transformation and reshaping of the army’s low-altitude forces is the result of the new world military revolution, and ahead is the strategic direction of the Chinese Army’s accelerated transformation.
President Xi has repeatedly stressed the need to strive to build a strong, modern, and new army. In today’s world, military technology is changing with each passing day, and the forms of war and winning mechanisms are constantly changing. The rise of the Army’s air assault force tells us that the system combat effectiveness of a force does not only come from the external system structure, but more depends on whether multiple forces can be effectively integrated; it is not difficult for new equipment to form combat effectiveness, but it is difficult to create a new “sword method” that adapts to the system. The new combat force should have a new charging posture, be brave to take the lead, forge ahead, and accelerate on the road of transformation.
Extraordinary achievements require extraordinary people. President Xi pointed out: “Now, the responsibility of strengthening the military has historically fallen on our shoulders. To shoulder this burden, we must dare to take on the responsibility. This is not only the expectation of the Party and the people, but also the political character that contemporary revolutionary soldiers should have.” In the new era of reforming and strengthening the military, the new army will take off and will surely write new glory on the journey of strengthening the military.
In mid-July 2021 World Internet of Things Expo held a press conference and revealed that the expo is scheduled to be held in Wuxi in early September. At that time, the expo will be themed “Intelligently Connecting Everything and Leading the Future with Digital”, focusing on showcasing the latest achievements in the global Internet of Things field.
The Internet of Things is changing people’s daily lives, quietly changing the form of modern warfare, and promoting the development of intelligent warfare.
Professor Chen Yingwen from the National University of Defense Technology tells you about the military Internet of Things——
Everything is connected, winning thousands of miles away
■Feng Zijian, Qu Shenghui, Qi Xucong
Schematic diagram of military Internet of Things technology simulation.
A “bridge” connecting the virtual world and the real world
The so-called Internet of Things can be simply understood as an Internet that connects everything. If the Internet is a “dialogue” in the virtual world, then the Internet of Things is a “bridge” connecting the virtual world and the real world.
The application of the Internet of Things had already appeared in wars under the name of “sensor networks” more than half a century before it attracted people’s attention.
In the 1960s, the “Ho Chi Minh Trail” on the Vietnam battlefield was covered with tens of thousands of “tropical tree” vibration sensors. These sensors are like a dense “spider web”, waiting for the “prey” to arrive. Whenever a person or vehicle passes by, the sensor detects the vibration generated by the target and records data such as its direction and speed.
At this time, tens of thousands of kilometers away, in an infiltration surveillance center code-named “Task Force Alpha”, US military technicians were receiving and processing relevant information sent back by the “sensor network”. Once a Vietnamese military convoy was discovered passing by, the command center would send instructions to the US troops stationed in Vietnam, instructing fighter planes to fly over the target and carry out bombing.
Due to the limited technology at the time, the sensors could only work for a few weeks. The “spider web” carefully built by the US military ultimately failed to prevent the Vietnamese army from transporting troops and supplies.
Although this “cooperative” combat method between humans and objects did not achieve any good results in history, it has prompted Western countries led by the United States to conduct in-depth research on Internet technology and continuously explore the interconnection between humans and objects, and objects and objects. Its highly informationized advantages are highlighted in many areas of military applications.
After decades of development, some military powers have successively developed a series of military sensor network systems, including the “Smart Dust” system for collecting battlefield information, the “Lumbas” system for remotely monitoring the battlefield environment, the “Sand Straight Line” system for monitoring the movement of weapon platforms, and the “Wolf Pack” system specifically for detecting electromagnetic signals.
Among them, the detection element of the “smart dust” system is only the size of a grain of sand, but it can realize all functions such as information collection, processing and sending, thereby enhancing the ability to control information during combat.
No combat entity will become an “island”
In the world of the Internet of Things, every grain of “sand” will have its network address. For the military Internet of Things, no operational entity will become an “island”.
During the first Gulf War, many weapons and equipment transported by the US military could not be found, resulting in a large waste of war resources. The reason is that the containers transporting weapons and equipment were not clearly marked, and personnel were unable to track the location of the transported weapons and equipment, which led to the loss of a large number of weapons and equipment.
Twelve years later, during the Iraq War, the US military installed radio frequency microchips on every container shipped to the Gulf region, and placed readers and writers according to transportation and storage needs, thereby achieving full tracking of personnel, equipment, and materials, greatly improving the effectiveness of military logistics support.
Foreign research data revealed that compared with the Gulf War, the Iraq War’s sea transport volume decreased by 87%, air transport volume decreased by 88.6%, combat equipment reserves decreased by 75%, and strategic support equipment mobilization decreased by 89%.
In fact, from the moment the electronic tags are attached and the sensing systems are installed, the originally silent equipment becomes like an organic life form that can sense and communicate with each other. Through the transformation of the Internet of Things technology, each combat entity such as combat personnel and combat equipment has become a “network node”. Through perception and communication with each other, the battlefield situation is clearer and combat operations are more efficient.
Take the personnel assessment network established by the Australian Department of Defense as an example: during combat, commanders can assess the physical functions and conditions of soldiers through sensors worn by soldiers, and then combine them with satellite positioning information to obtain the physical function status of all personnel. Commanders can use this as a basis for allocating troops, which can greatly improve the efficiency of battlefield decision-making.
Military IoT technology will play a big role in future battlefields
In today’s world, there are more and more similar military news——
In June 2016, the US military launched an airstrike using drones, killing 16 Taliban members; in September of the same year, Turkish security forces killed 6 terrorists under the guidance of their domestically produced drones.
In the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the Middle East in 2020, a video released by Azerbaijan made many people feel the power of networked and intelligent weapons: after the drone discovered the enemy tank, it aimed and fired…
From sensing the battlefield situation to locking onto the target and then launching an attack on the target, the reason behind unmanned equipment becoming the main offensive entity is the huge support of military Internet of Things technology. This huge intelligent information network is like the “clairvoyance” and “super hearing” on the battlefield, allowing combat personnel to sit firmly in the “central military camp” and win the battle thousands of miles away.
“Everything is connected, and victory can be won thousands of miles away.” This is the development trend of military Internet of Things technology and an important feature of future intelligent warfare. In the era of the Internet of Everything, the military Internet of Things will connect several individual combat entities into intelligent combat groups and generate a smart combat system. In the future, it will only be necessary to give the smart combat system clear combat objectives, and military combat personnel will not have to participate in its execution process.
At present, the development of military Internet of Things technology still has a long way to go before it can realize the Internet of Everything, but we should be aware that when smart nodes reach a certain scale, the military Internet of Things will achieve a qualitative leap.
In future battlefields, military Internet of Things technology will surely play a big role in achieving victory through “connection”.
The metaverse is an artificial online virtual world that is born out of, parallel to, and independent of the real world. It is parallel to the real world, reacts to the real world, and integrates a variety of high technologies. These are the three major characteristics of the future metaverse. The operation of the metaverse conforms to the natural laws of human understanding and transformation of the world, and provides a new way of thinking to understand and discover the operating behavior, state, and laws of complex real systems, as well as a new means to explore objective laws and transform nature and society. Researching the application of the metaverse in the field of foreign military training and analyzing the opportunities and challenges that the metaverse brings to the field of military training have important theoretical and practical value in solving the key problems that need to be solved in military training in the intelligent era, promoting scientific and technological training, and promoting the innovative development of military training models.
Background of Cognitive Metaverse Empowered Military Training
The scientific and technological revolution has given rise to a new ecology of military training. Driven by the new scientific and technological revolution and the industrial revolution, cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things have accelerated their development. Technology giants have laid out the metaverse, and human real life has migrated to the virtual world more rapidly. The metaverse integrates a variety of emerging technologies, thus generating new Internet applications and new social forms that integrate the virtual and the real. Perception technology supports the integration of the virtual and the real in the metaverse, “AI+” technology supports the social nature of the metaverse, data transmission technology supports the real-time nature of the metaverse, electronic game technology supports the diversity of the metaverse, digital twin technology supports the sustainability of the metaverse, and blockchain technology supports the security of the metaverse. The future metaverse, where virtual and real are highly interconnected, is born out of, parallel to, and independent of the real world. It integrates all elements such as the Internet, virtual reality, immersive experience, blockchain, and digital twins to build a new basic ecology for intelligent military training.
The evolution of war has dominated the transformation and upgrading of military training. With the advent of the intelligent era, the war situation has accelerated its evolution towards informationization and intelligence. The informationized warfare system with “information acquisition and utilization as the core” will gradually transition to the intelligent warfare system with “intelligent simulation and expansion as the core”. The trend of long-range precision, intelligence, stealth, and unmanned weapons and equipment has become more obvious, and intelligent warfare has surfaced. At the same time, combat elements represented by artificial intelligence such as “AI, cloud, network, group, and terminal” and their diversified combinations have formed a new battlefield ecology. The metaverse has constructed a new battlefield space where virtual and real are integrated and parallel interactions occur. The traditional war winning mechanism is being profoundly changed. The development and changes in the form of intelligent warfare have compulsorily driven the transformation and reshaping of the military’s thinking and concepts, requiring the accelerated transformation and upgrading of military training, greater attention to the impact of technological development and changes on warfare, and the use of the “new engine” of training and warfare to achieve “accelerated” preparations.
Foreign militaries explore breakthroughs in military training models. In order to seize the strategic commanding heights of military intelligence, the world’s military powers attach great importance to the innovation of military training models. Some countries have begun to try to apply the metaverse and related technologies to military training. For example, the United States has successively released the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy and the Department of Defense Transformation Plan, focusing on building an “all-round army” and forming a “full spectrum advantage”. It has also simultaneously formulated the Training Transformation Strategic Plan and the Training Transformation Implementation Plan, and proposed the concept of a comprehensive training environment (STE), the core of which is immersive and integrated virtual training, which intends to integrate real-time, virtual, constructive and gaming environments into a comprehensive training environment. Russia also attaches great importance to the development of virtual training systems. Almost all of its advanced weapons and equipment are equipped with corresponding virtual training systems, and are moving towards universalization and embedding. The United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, etc. are also actively developing various professional military training virtual environments. Intelligent training supported by technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality is gradually becoming the mainstream of military training research in powerful countries.
Clarifying the Advantages of Metaverse-Enabled Military Training
The emergence of new concepts in military training. Only by leading the opponent in thought can we gain the upper hand in action. The emergence of disruptive technologies will inevitably rewrite the current military training rules and systems, and will also innovate the existing military training thinking concepts. On the one hand, the metaverse has set off a hurricane-like “brainstorm”, and the training thinking led by “intelligence” has organically connected training with actual combat, and upgraded to intelligent military training thinking. On the other hand, new technologies and new means represented by the metaverse empower military training, strengthen the concept of winning by science and technology and intelligent drive, and greatly improve the scientific and technological content of military training, in order to control the initiative in future wars. In the future, the metaverse will create more impossible possibilities by constructing a virtual battlefield space, designing wars and evolving wars.
Innovate new theories of military training. War is the area that needs innovation the most. Military training must adapt to the development of intelligent warfare, and theoretical innovation and training practice must be driven by both. Training transformation will not happen automatically. It requires not only a sharp and profound foresight to grasp the general trend, but also a scientific, powerful and solid theory to drive forward. On the one hand, by keeping up with the development of the times and starting from new concepts and new cognition, we can build a scientific theoretical system for metaverse-enabled military training. On the other hand, by following the laws of combat-training coupling, we can establish an innovative model of intelligent military training theory with the characteristics of the times, allowing the metaverse to empower and improve the efficiency of promoting the iterative development of military training transformation.
Transform the new military training model. The combat style determines the training mode, and intelligent warfare changes the “rules of the game”. Military training for the next war must adapt to the requirements of future wars by changing the training mode. First, it can build an intelligent blue army with “both form and spirit”. With the help of optimized AI technology, powerful computing power support, and realistic performance simulation, the Metaverse follows the evolutionary process of “knowing the enemy, imitating the enemy, surpassing the enemy, and defeating the enemy” to create an intelligent blue army with platform support and data empowerment, and carry out “real” confrontation training and effect evaluation in the Metaverse space. Second, it can carry out new domain and new quality combat training. The metaverse expands the practical application path with new domains and new types of combat forces as the leading elements, highlights the research and development of training methods and tactics that are compatible with advanced combat concepts and winning mechanisms, and creates new forms of training such as unmanned and seamless human-machine collaboration, becoming a new point of combat power growth. Third, it can cultivate new types of military talents. At present, the educational metaverse has led the intelligent transformation of education. In the future, the military metaverse will accelerate the realization of intelligent interaction between people and equipment, deep integration between people and systems, and adaptive evolution between people and the environment, and promote the integrated development of “commanders” and “fighters” into “scientists” and “technicians.”
Reshape the new ecology of military training. The multi-dimensional perception, virtual-real integration, free creativity, and open development of the metaverse will make the future metaverse a fully immersive, time-transcending, self-creating and developing space. First, create a digital twin “battlefield metaverse”. The “battlefield metaverse” will be a typical manifestation of the metaverse in the military field, with stricter security and confidentiality standards, stronger simulation computing capabilities, and more real-time and detailed interaction requirements. Secondly, create a full-dimensional three-dimensional metaverse training environment. The metaverse uses technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality to create an immersive and complex scene environment; using powerful data and network support, it builds a full-dimensional space such as land, sea, air, space, electricity, and the Internet. Furthermore, a Metaverse verification platform for weapons and equipment will be built. The platform will have functions such as new weapon and equipment design demonstration, weapon and equipment performance test, weapon and equipment compatibility test, and weapon system combat effectiveness test. In the future, the Metaverse will greatly shorten the timeline for weapons and equipment to go from “weak intelligence” to “strong intelligence” and then to “super intelligence”, realizing the intelligence multiplication effect of weapons and equipment.
Grasping the Key Points of Metaverse-Enabled Military Training
Focus on top-level design. From the perspective of the development of things, the metaverse is a new thing, and its maturity has yet to be verified. Intelligent military training is also a complex, arduous and long-term system engineering, which requires strengthening strategic planning and top-level layout. We should pay close attention to the development trends and technological trends of the metaverse, and scientifically formulate the development plan of the “training metaverse”. In the context of the integration of intelligence, informatization and mechanization, we should give full play to the outstanding advantages of the metaverse, such as enabling trainees to undergo immersive experiential training, so that the metaverse can not only be a display platform for virtual technology, but also a practical platform for improving the effectiveness of military training.
Strengthen technology research and development. From a technical perspective, the Metaverse has reintegrated existing technologies in the information and intelligent technology group, proposed an overall innovative concept, and provided comprehensive application scenarios, thereby giving birth to new vitality. To accelerate the development of the “training Metaverse”, we must speed up the research on basic software and hardware technologies such as algorithm engines and network communications, strengthen the research and development capabilities of core technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital twins, blockchain, and the Internet of Things, and at the same time strengthen the overall technical design and research and development of the Metaverse, such as immersion, sociality, openness, collaboration, and decentralization.
Create training types. From the perspective of time and space, the metaverse may create a vast virtual war space, recreate the war environment, present the war process, and virtualize the future of war. An intelligent military training operation system based on the metaverse should be built, military training concepts should be updated in a timely manner, and innovations in military training models, management support, and legal mechanisms should be deepened. A dynamic and high-level combat-oriented military training environment based on the metaverse should be built to fully support strategic, campaign, and tactical training as well as war simulations. At the same time, in the process of “intelligent adaptation” of military training, we will achieve the expansion of wisdom and intelligent evolution towards the unknown space of military training with “innovation, openness, diversified iteration, and new intelligent ecology”.
Attach importance to risk prevention and control. From the perspective of safety and controllability, the concept and technology of the Metaverse brings innovative opportunities to intelligent military training, but the potential risks associated with the technology itself cannot be ignored. The Metaverse is a huge technology group, and its system architecture, key technologies, and application environment are still in the development and implementation stage. The supporting protection system, safety technology, and management standards will bring security risks. In addition, the integrated application of various emerging technologies in the construction process, the complexity and confidentiality in the application process will be the unknown factors for the key prevention and risk challenges of the Metaverse in military training.
The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee made strategic arrangements for my country’s economic and social development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period and the long-term goal of basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035. In terms of national defense and military construction, the plenary session communiqué emphasized accelerating the integrated development of mechanization, informationization, and intelligence. This strategic requirement is of great significance for improving the strategic capabilities of our military to defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and ensuring the realization of the struggle goal of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the army by 2027 and the basic realization of national defense and military modernization by 2035.
1. Fully understand the importance of accelerating the integrated development of the “three transformations”
Accelerating the integrated development of mechanization, informationization and intelligence is based on the understanding and implementation of Xi Jinping’s thoughts on strengthening the military. In his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi pointed out that “we should accelerate the development of military intelligence and improve the joint combat capability and all-domain combat capability based on the network information system”. On the eve of the August 1st Army Day this year, President Xi presided over the 22nd collective study of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on strengthening national defense and military modernization, and put forward the strategic idea of ”accelerating the integrated development of mechanization, informationization and intelligence”. The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee further emphasized and deployed this, and incorporated it into the 14th Five-Year Plan and the 2035 Vision Goals for implementation, which will greatly accelerate the pace of our military modernization.
On April 8, 2020, soldiers from the Sarang Border Defense Company of a border defense regiment of the Ali Military Sub-district in Tibet used drones to scout the terrain. Photo by Liu Xiaodong/Guangming Photo
In today’s world, driven by a new round of scientific and technological revolution, a new wave of military revolution is coming. Artificial intelligence, quantum information, big data, cloud computing and other cutting-edge technologies are accelerating their application in the military field. Various unmanned combat platforms and intelligent weapon equipment systems have appeared in large numbers and put into modern battlefields. The form of war is rapidly evolving towards intelligent warfare after cold weapon war, hot weapon war, mechanized war and information war. Recently, the armed conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia has presented the world with a textbook drone war. People have seen drones destroying chariots, tanks and artillery as easily as “roll calling” on the Internet. This may become another sign of the advent of intelligent warfare.
According to relevant data, at present, at least more than 70 countries in the world are developing unmanned intelligent military platforms, and some military powers are stepping up the intelligent upgrade of their armed forces. In 2019, the United States announced the “National Artificial Intelligence Strategy” and the “Department of Defense Artificial Intelligence Strategy”, and launched the implementation of intelligent strategies at the national, military, and service levels. Nearly 80% of its “Third Offset Strategy” against China and Russia is closely related to artificial intelligence technology. The United States has already developed or used a large number of smart bombs, smart missiles, drones, robot soldiers, etc. The US military plans to achieve unmanned intelligentization of 60% of its ground combat platforms by 2030.
If our army wants to achieve modernization and remain invincible, it must stand at the forefront of the new military revolution and accelerate the integrated development of mechanization, informationization and intelligence. The white paper “my country’s National Defense in the New Era” released by the Chinese government last year pointed out: “China’s military transformation with Chinese characteristics has made significant progress, but the task of mechanization construction has not been completed, the level of informationization needs to be improved urgently, and military security faces the risk of technological surprise and the widening of the technological gap. The level of military modernization is still far behind the national security needs and the world’s advanced military level.” At present, the intelligent development of our army has just started, and the development of mechanization and informationization is not sufficient. However, compared with the previous military revolutions led by the West, the technological gap of our army in the new round of military revolution is not large. We must seize the opportunities of the times, conform to the current development status of our army, and accelerate the integration of intelligence while promoting mechanization and informationization.
2. Correctly understand the connotation of accelerating the integrated development of the “three transformations”
From the perspective of the process of technology promoting combat effectiveness, mechanical technology amplifies human skills, information technology extends human perception, and artificial intelligence technology expands human intelligence. Mechanization, informationization, and intelligence are essentially amplification and efficiency enhancement of human ability to control war. Although these three empowerment methods are simple and complex, backward and advanced, and single-dimensional and multi-dimensional, they are inseparable from each other and are reflected as an inseparable unity in advanced equipment. Their development is like the first generation of jet fighters focusing on breakthroughs in engines, the second generation of fighters focusing on breakthroughs in aerodynamics, the third generation of fighters focusing on breakthroughs in system integration, and the fourth generation of fighters focusing on breakthroughs in intelligence. It is a process of mutual penetration, gradual progression, orderly dependence, and inclusiveness. Without the former “one transformation”, there would be no latter “two transformations”. Intelligence is a higher form of development and undoubtedly needs to be accelerated, but this does not mean that mechanization and informationization can be avoided, because if mechanization and informationization are skipped and the focus of construction is fully shifted to intelligence, intelligence will become a “castle in the air”, and haste makes waste.
In a certain sea area, multiple types of carrier-based aircraft of the Liaoning aircraft carrier are arrayed on the deck. Xinhua News Agency
Intelligence represents advanced combat effectiveness, is the development direction of future military construction and war, and is the leader in accelerating the integration of the “three transformations”. We must take advantage of the direction of intelligence to seek a generational advantage in military construction and future operations. Informatization is the leading factor. Informatization plays a connecting role between intelligence and mechanization, and is in a dominant position in the integration of the “three transformations”. At present, information capabilities still play a major role in the generation of combat effectiveness of our army, and the informatization of weapons and equipment is still in the main aspect. We should aim at intelligence to accelerate the upgrading and transformation of informatized weapons and equipment, form an equipment system with informatized weapons and equipment as the backbone, and improve the system combat capability based on information systems. Mechanization is the foundation. Mechanization is the material basis and carrier for the development of intelligence and informatization. Intelligent technology and information technology have greatly improved the accuracy and reaction speed of weapons, but to achieve “accurate, far and fast” is inseparable from a strong combat platform and power capability, and to “hit hard” depends on the improvement of weapon power. Our army’s mechanization foundation is not strong, and it still owes a “debt” for mechanization development in the information age. It is necessary to promote the construction of new mechanization at the same time.
To accelerate the integrated development of the “three transformations”, with the focus on accelerating intelligent development, we must have a strong sense of opportunity and urgency. We cannot wait until mechanization and informatization are fully developed and then advance intelligent development step by step. Instead, we must seize the opportunities of the scientific and technological revolution and take extraordinary measures to promote intelligence.
3. Find the focus of accelerating the integrated development of the “three transformations”
Among all the reasons for backwardness, backwardness in ideology is the most fundamental. After studying the success and failure of military reforms in history, British military expert Liddell Hart said that the only thing more difficult than instilling new ideas in a soldier is to remove his old ideas. Those who can successfully keep up with the pace of changes in the form of war and successfully push forward military reforms all regard changing old ideas and establishing new ideas as their top priority. To accelerate the integrated development of the “three transformations”, we must have a brainstorming and conceptual revolution. We must have the courage to break through the mindset of mechanized warfare and even information warfare, establish ideas and concepts that are compatible with intelligent warfare, strengthen system thinking, data thinking, and algorithmic thinking, break the mindset of “winning by quantity and scale”, and firmly establish the concept of “winning by quality and efficiency”; break the mindset of “labor-intensive development” and firmly establish the concept of “intelligence-intensive development”; break the mindset of “passive use of weapons and equipment” and firmly establish the concept of “machine autonomous dominance”; break the mindset of “relying only on manned platforms for combat”, and firmly establish the concept of “unmanned, human-machine integrated platform combat”, etc., use new ideas and concepts to open up ideas for integrated development and seek ways to accelerate development.
The core of accelerating the integrated development of the “three transformations” is to accelerate the development of intelligence, and the key factor is to promote scientific and technological innovation. Whether it is hardware represented by physical entities such as combat platforms, weapons and ammunition, or software centered on combat data, algorithms, and models, all require strong scientific and technological innovation to support. Science and technology are core combat power and the most active and revolutionary factor in military development. Under the great changes that have not been seen in a century, the United States has put pressure on us in all fields, especially in the field of high-tech, increasing its blockade and containment of us. Scientific and technological innovation has never had such a profound impact on the overall national and military strategy as it does today, and has never had such a profound impact on the construction and development of our army as it does today. We must vigorously implement the strategy of strengthening the army with science and technology, put national defense scientific and technological innovation in a more prominent position, insist on demanding combat power from scientific and technological innovation, and realize the transformation from following and running side by side to running side by side and leading.
The key to accelerating the integrated development of the “three transformations” is to strengthen the support of talents. Fundamentally speaking, it is a challenge of intelligence and cutting-edge technology. In particular, with the in-depth development of intelligence, the relationship between people and weapons will inevitably be reshaped, and there will inevitably be leapfrog requirements for people’s quality. The human factor in future wars will be concentrated in the talent factor. The strength of talents determines the success or failure of development. We must implement the strategy of strengthening the army with talents, highlight the construction of key talent teams such as joint combat command talents, new combat force talents, high-level scientific and technological innovation talents, and high-level strategic management talents. We must implement the “Decision on Accelerating the Construction of a Three-in-One New Military Talent Training System” recently issued by the Central Military Commission, give full play to the main channel role of military academy education, adhere to the battlefield and the troops, update the education concept, deepen the teaching reform, and take the connotation-based development path with improving the quality of talent training as the core. We must give full play to the melting pot role of the troops’ training practice, focus on promoting knowledge transformation and capability generation, and let officers and soldiers practice skills and talents in promoting the integrated development of the “three transformations” and military struggle preparation, and experience the wind and rain and be tempered in completing urgent, difficult and dangerous tasks. We must give full play to the role of military vocational education as a large classroom, focus on improving professional literacy, professional quality, and job skills, and expand and consolidate the knowledge and ability base of new military talents through continuous learning and in-depth specialized research.
The organic combination of modern combat requirements of “fast, accurate and efficient” and electronic information technology has given birth to a new generation of combat weapons – intelligent weapons. The continuous emergence and frequent use of high-tech weapons with considerable intelligence on the battlefield will inevitably result in the emergence of intelligent combat styles. In the Gulf War, the US military used a large number of drones with intelligent control devices to conduct aerial reconnaissance, with a total of 522 sorties. The 282 “Tomahawk” cruise missiles launched by the US military attacked targets within 450-2600 kilometers, with a hit rate of more than 90%. The Kosovo War was even more of a “demonstration of results” of weapons with intelligent characteristics. Although precision-guided munitions only accounted for 35% of ground attack munitions in combat, the number of targets destroyed accounted for 74% of the total.
Intelligent technology is a marginal discipline that studies the relationship between electronic computers, human brains and intelligence. Intelligent weapons refer to high-tech weapons and equipment that have some (specific) functions of the human brain, such as reconnaissance, search, identification, aiming, and attacking targets, without manual operation and control, and can be independently completed without manual operation and control. Compared with precision-guided weapons, intelligent weapons can “consciously” find and identify targets to be attacked, and some of them have the ability to distinguish natural language. They are a “thinking” weapon system. In future combat, whoever masters advanced intelligent weapons and means will have stronger combat effectiveness and more initiative.
In terms of weapon intelligence, the key technologies currently under development include: robots; expert systems; intelligent machines and intelligent interfaces; machine vision and image understanding; speech recognition and natural language theory; weapon precision control and smart weapons; automatic target recognition; unmanned vehicles; neural networks and their applications, etc. According to scientific predictions, these technologies will have major breakthroughs in the 21st century and bring about a revolution in intelligent technology.
Scientists predict that intelligent weapons, military expert systems and military robot forces will occupy an important position in the future military field.
Characteristics of Intelligent Warfare
Intelligent warfare is a high-tech warfare form that uses intelligent weapons and means under information warfare conditions to achieve efficient command and control and implement precise and smart strikes. In essence, it is the radiation and extension of human “intelligence” to the information battlefield and weapon systems. From the perspective of combat procedures and means, intelligent warfare includes two major aspects: one is intelligent command and control warfare; the other is the offensive and defensive confrontation of intelligent weapons. The main signs of intelligent warfare are the emergence of intelligent weapon groups and intelligent means and their use on future battlefields. Future intelligent warfare has four significant characteristics.
———Command efficiency. During the Kosovo War, NATO commanded more than 38,000 flight missions to coordinate attacks on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from different airports, directions, altitudes, and times. Without the support of the C4I system, it would be impossible to rely on manual command. The amount of information on future battlefields will expand unprecedentedly, and it will be necessary to coordinate the combat forces of multiple services and complex weapon systems in full-dimensional space, which is even more inseparable from the support of advanced intelligent computers. In the future, four changes will be achieved in intelligent command and control: computers will shift from calculation, storage, transmission, and execution of commands to thinking and reasoning; information processing will shift to knowledge processing; the extension of hand functions will shift to the extension of brain functions; electronic warfare, psychological warfare, entity destruction, information deception, and military confidentiality in command and control operations will mainly shift to network operations, ultimately achieving a high degree of intelligence in command and control operations.
———Strike precision. In precision-guided weapons, no matter which guidance method is used, it is inseparable from the key control device with high-speed signal processing and feedback capabilities. It is mainly used to process a large amount of information in real time at high speed, determine the flight direction of the weapon, and control the tracking actuator to guide the weapon to the target. After adopting microcomputer control, each combat vehicle and weapon platform can be connected to the battlefield C4I system, which will further improve the accuracy of missile hits and combat performance. Precision warfare has become an important combat idea and principle of the 21st century military.
———Automated operation. Looking forward to the development of the 21st century, various advanced weapons will be equipped with various types of micro-intelligent computers in the future, various aircraft and ships will be equipped with machine (ship) intelligent computers, tanks will be equipped with vehicle-mounted intelligent computers, artillery systems will be equipped with fire control intelligent computers, anti-missile weapon systems will be equipped with large weapon control intelligent computers, unmanned aircraft known as the “air suicide squad” and unmanned autonomous tanks, tanks and other intelligent weapons will be fully implemented with computer intelligent control, achieving a high degree of automation and intelligence.
———Behavior intelligence. The behavior intelligence of weapons and equipment mainly refers to their “intelligence” such as self-memory, self-searching, self-selection, self-tracking, and self-identification, which greatly improves the combat performance and combat effectiveness of weapons and equipment. In the future, there will be many types of intelligent weapons, which can be divided into lethal intelligent weapons and non-lethal intelligent weapons. Among them, lethal intelligent weapons include soft kill and hard kill. At present and in the future, military intelligent weapons and equipment mainly include intelligent missiles, intelligent ground (water) mines, intelligent combat vehicles, intelligent aircraft, intelligent ships, intelligent C4I systems and intelligent robots, etc. Military robots will play an important role in future high-tech wars. The United States has included more than 100 types of military robots in its development plan. Some US military units have begun to equip application-oriented robots. For example, the 7 mine-sweeping robots of the US First Armored Division have cleared more than 1,000 mines without any casualties.
It can be foreseen that in addition to robot warfare, the 21st century will see the emergence of intelligent missile warfare, intelligent command and control warfare, intelligent network warfare, intelligent drone warfare, intelligent tank warfare, intelligent mine warfare, and so on.
The impact of intelligent warfare
This has led to a qualitative change in the form of war. With reference to the “heat energy” form of energy release in the industrial era, the energy release form of intelligent warfare in the information era is prominently manifested in the following ways: targeted energy release, or the controlled release of energy to make it more consistent with the purpose of war; intelligent energy release forms that combine man and machine, such as weapons that can automatically search, robot soldiers, and intelligent combat vehicles; and systematic energy release forms, which solve the technical problems of intelligent command and control, ensure the integration of joint combat command, and give full play to the overall combat effectiveness of various forces.
Changing the traditional principles of “concentration” and “mobility”. In the future, intelligent warfare will be able to achieve the effects of “point-to-point” and “1+1”, that is, a weapon platform launches a bomb to accurately destroy a target. Intelligent command and control will be able to concentrate various combat forces at the most favorable time and place, and strike the enemy reasonably and effectively. Therefore, intelligent warfare will make the connotation of “concentration” and “mobility” new. Concentration of troops and firepower will be changed to concentration of combat effectiveness; troop mobility will be changed to firepower mobility, so that future combat will develop in the direction of precision, dexterity, and economy.
Give new content to the relationship between people and weapons. No matter how “brave” intelligent weapons are, they cannot change the fundamental fact that people are the main body of war. Intelligent weapons and means are ultimately the extension and development of human capabilities. Compared with other weapons, intelligent weapons are also subject to various human and natural factors. The higher the degree of intelligence, the more it depends on system work. However, we cannot ignore the important role of intelligent weapons in future wars.
Meeting the Challenges of Intelligent Warfare
Develop 21st century combat theory. Our army has always had traditional advantages in military theory, but in the face of future operations, we still have shortcomings in combining combat guidance theory with practice. At present, the primary issue is to further break the old framework, change old concepts, enhance information combat awareness, intelligent combat awareness, strengthen the research of new combat theories in the future, and innovate military theories at all levels of strategy, campaign and tactics.
Develop intelligent technology and weapon systems. To win future wars, we must develop weapons that can win in the future, strive to be the vanguard in key technologies, use intelligent technology as a breakthrough, focus on solving the problems of “sharp eyes, smart brains, long legs, and accurate shooting” in weapon systems, highlight the construction of command automation systems, especially military expert systems, and strengthen the intelligent transformation of existing weapons.
Develop the organization and high-quality talent team of our army. Future intelligent warfare can be said to be a war of knowledge, strategy, technology, and talent. Intelligence will inevitably promote the leanness of the army and put forward higher requirements for the quality of talents. Abstract intelligent weapons are useless. Only by effectively combining well-trained personnel and intelligent weapons can we defeat the enemy. In terms of organizational structure, we should adapt to the needs of future operations, increase the proportion of information technology talents, command and control talents, and new combat forces (military robots, computer protection soldiers, etc.), optimize the combination, and obtain the maximum combat organization function. In terms of talent development, we should update the talent quality structure and knowledge structure, advance the cultivation of talents urgently needed for future operations, and comprehensively improve our army’s ability to win.
Wars in different eras have different characteristics, and the “fog of war” that accompanies them is constantly changing. Often when people feel that they have basically seen the way to win through multi-faceted exploration, the next war presents new uncertainties. Local wars such as the Syrian War and the India-Azerbaijan conflict have demonstrated the multifaceted and complex nature of modern warfare from different perspectives. It can be seen that although traditional firepower warfare is still on the stage, the characteristics of intelligence have already emerged; although the combat type is still an offensive and defensive struggle, the combat guidance, environmental conditions, and specific methods of play have undergone profound changes. Wars are accelerating their evolution towards intelligence. The battlefield space has expanded from land, sea, air, space, electricity, and the Internet to space, polar regions, deep sea, and cognitive confrontations. The game competition has changed from military confrontation to multi-dimensional competitions such as politics, economy, science and technology, and public opinion. The participating forces have developed from the two warring parties to global attention and multi-dimensional intervention. Information intelligence has moved from auxiliary support to comprehensive dominance, full penetration, and full coverage. The combat unit has evolved from scale optimization to small, micro, and sophisticated, and the form is scattered and capable. Intelligence and hybrid have become basic trends. In the face of evolving wars and new uncertainties, we need to be sensitive to change and respond proactively, accumulate momentum and forge ahead in the midst of change, so as to achieve leadership and surpass others and seize the opportunity to win.
Enhance the hybrid nature of war based on the “pan-variability”. War is the continuation of politics and has never been a simple military confrontation. In the era of intelligence, visible struggles and invisible struggles coexist, battlefields with gunpowder smoke and silent battles coexist, and gray areas, hybrid warfare, and marginal conflicts coexist. In the face of fierce and complex competitive game situations, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a hybrid warfare system with military as the cornerstone. First, enrich strategic options. Closely follow the characteristics of the times, strengthen the exploration of the characteristics and laws of non-military confrontation and the construction of power means, implement relevant preparations, and form comprehensive advantages. Secondly, enhance invisible strength. Attach importance to geopolitical, cultural, psychological and other aspects of research, and form an effective discourse system through think tank exchanges, academic promotion, cultural integration, legal construction, media propaganda and other means to influence the other party’s cognition in a silent way. Thirdly, unite the forces of peace. Take the construction of a united front in the new era as an important means of hybrid confrontation, unite all forces that can be united, and enhance international influence and appeal.
Enhance the flexibility of tactics based on the “smart change” of the battlefield. Looking at recent local wars and conflicts, due to factors such as the regional dimension and the strength of both sides, the traces of traditional warfare are still relatively obvious, but intelligent and unmanned warfare has irreversibly come to the fore. It can be foreseen that comprehensive intelligent warfare is not far away, the extension range of weapons and equipment will be farther and wider, the combat perspectives of the opposing sides will be larger and wider, and the degree of hinge fusion between the physical domain, network domain, and cognitive domain will be deeper. The battlefield with deep “smart change” calls for concepts and tactics that are adapted to it. We should accelerate the promotion of intelligent thinking, intelligent technology, and intelligent network aggregation and empowerment to form a flexible closed link with fast perception, fast decision-making, fast judgment, fast action, and fast feedback, based on “OODA” and the kill chain to beat the slow with the fast and change with change. Relying on intelligent computing power and intelligent algorithms, we design wars in advance, build various models, and innovate tactics and training methods in peacetime. In wartime, we analyze the battle situation in real time, keenly seize opportunities, and make precise decisions and actions. We use “military + technology”, “theory + experiment”, and “algorithm + tactics” to integrate the art of strategy with intelligent technology to achieve a combination of the strange and the orthodox, take the lead in rapid changes, and win by intelligence.
Enhance the plasticity of forces based on the “micro-change” of units. One of the important characteristics of modern warfare is that large systems support elite combat, and combat units are becoming increasingly miniaturized, integrated, and modular. We must focus on the combat unit, the end of combat effectiveness, and forge a “sharp knife” and “sharp blade” that is small, fine, micro, and strong to adapt to intelligent warfare. On the one hand, strengthen its ability to integrate into the system and connect all parties, rely on ubiquitous access to information networks, and achieve decentralized combat and energy concentration through flexible matching and rapid reorganization; on the other hand, strengthen its independent decision-making and improvisation capabilities, improve robustness and self-recovery, and be able to survive, respond to emergencies, and fight in extreme situations. It is possible to explore the formation of a “micro-unit” concept force, implement a flexible organization, do not fix the number of personnel, and do not restrict the field. Advanced combat theories, new combat formations, and new weapons and equipment can be tested and verified in advance, so as to explore ways to achieve cloud combat, cloud joint, cloud energy gathering, and self-combination at the end of the strike chain.
Enhance strategic bottom line based on deterrence “evolution”. Deterrence has a long history like war. With the in-depth application of intelligent technology and weapons and equipment, the connotation and extension, force means, form and effect of deterrence are changing. Although traditional nuclear deterrence is still the cornerstone of bottom line, new deterrence capabilities have been quietly formed, requiring higher determination, strength, wisdom, and strategy. Focusing on the role of deterrence in blocking the enemy invisibly in peacetime, controlling the situation at the key in times of crisis, and winning the final victory in wartime, we should focus on strengthening the strong and making up for the weak, opening up new areas, and long-term strategy to maximize the strategic value of deterrence. First, we should give equal importance to conventional and unconventional, accelerate the development of new weapons and new forces, and achieve the predetermined deterrence intention through actual combat training and actual combat deployment, supplemented by the expression and transmission of strategic will. Secondly, we should continue to study new combat concepts and new combat theories, and promote the transformation of theories from “soft” to “hard” through academic exchanges, think tank collisions, and multi-track and multi-layer confrontations, and transform them into real deterrence. Thirdly, accelerate the transformation of science and technology into the military field, increase research efforts in cloud computing, blockchain, quantum technology, etc., and strive to form a potential deterrent to opponents.
National Defense University Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee is a very important meeting held at a critical period of comprehensively promoting the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization. It focuses on studying and deploying the issues of further comprehensively deepening reform and promoting Chinese-style modernization, and makes strategic deployments for continuously deepening national defense and military reforms, drawing a blueprint for the new journey of relaying reforms to strengthen the military and constantly creating a new situation in national defense and military modernization. All levels of the military should earnestly study and implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, unify their thoughts, wills and actions, and thoroughly implement the strategy of reforming and strengthening the military, so as to provide strong guarantees for achieving the goal of building the army for 100 years as scheduled and basically realizing national defense and military modernization.
Reform is a key move in designing and shaping the future of the military
Reform and opening up are the most prominent features and the most magnificent aura of contemporary China. The military field is the field with the most intense competition and confrontation, and it is also the field with the most innovative vitality and the most need for reform and innovation. Whether a military can possess an unremitting spirit of reform and a pioneering and enterprising spirit of innovation is an important indicator of its ability to win. Deepening the reform of national defense and the military is the only way to strengthen the military. The driving force for strengthening the military lies in reform, the way out lies in reform, and the future also lies in reform.
The strength of the People’s Army comes from reform and innovation, and the victory of the People’s Army comes from reform and innovation. The history of the growth and development of the People’s Army is a history of reform and innovation. From the establishment of a complete set of principles and systems for building the army under the absolute leadership of the Party during the Agrarian Revolution, to the implementation of the policy of streamlining the military during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression; from the establishment of five major field armies during the War of Liberation, to the repeated adjustments to the system and organization after the founding of New China, to the massive reduction of millions of troops in the new era of reform and opening up and socialist modernization… The People’s Army has been fighting and reforming, building and reforming, and has become stronger and stronger. From the “Sixteen-Character Formula” of the Red Army period, to the “Protracted War” of the Anti-Japanese War, from the “Ten Military Principles” of the Liberation War, to the “piecemeal” of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, to the continuous adjustment of military strategic policies after the founding of New China… The People’s Army learned war from war, explored laws from practice, and wrote a vivid chapter of continuous innovation in the art of war leadership in the history of world military. Along the way, reform and innovation have always been an important magic weapon for our army to grow from small to large, from weak to strong, and continuously from victory to victory. Deepening the reform of national defense and the military is the requirement of the times to realize the Chinese Dream and the dream of a strong military, the only way to strengthen the military, and a key move to determine the future of the military. At present, it is a period of hard struggle to achieve the goal of building the army for 100 years. In order to defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests with stronger capabilities and more reliable means, and to provide strategic support for comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization, it is necessary to continue to deepen the reform of national defense and the military.
Only reformers can make progress, and only innovators can become strong. President Xi Jinping stressed that “the new military revolution has provided us with a golden opportunity. We must seize the opportunity and work hard to not only keep up with the trend and the times, but also strive to be at the forefront of the times.” In today’s world, the new military revolution is surging, the intelligent warfare form is gradually showing its true face in the practice of war, and the new military technology and weapons and equipment system are further affecting the rules of war. All these require us to maintain a keen sense of reform and cutting-edge innovative thinking, base ourselves on the actual development of our army, focus on the needs of preparing for war, think deeply about the new force structure and winning logic necessary to win modern wars, rely on reform to continuously optimize the military system, improve the effectiveness of military governance in line with actual combat requirements, and go all out to fight a tough battle to achieve the goal of building the army for the centenary.
Comprehensively deepening reform has achieved great changes in the People’s Army in the new era
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core has, with great political courage and wisdom, pushed forward the theory and practice of reform of socialism with Chinese characteristics to a new breadth and depth. In the new era and new journey, we must insist on deepening reform to gain creativity, cohesion and combat effectiveness, and insist on the unchanged direction, unswerving path and unreduced efforts, and continuously push forward the modernization of national defense and the army with better strategies, higher efficiency and faster speed, and resolutely complete the mission and tasks of the new era entrusted by the Party and the people.
Grasp the overall changes in deepening national defense and military reforms. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, the People’s Army has adhered to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implemented Xi Jinping’s Thought on Strengthening the Army, and taken the Party’s goal of strengthening the army in the new era as its guide. It has comprehensively implemented the strategy of reform and strengthening the army, and has thoroughly resolved the institutional obstacles, structural contradictions, and policy issues that have long constrained national defense and army building, promoted the reform of the leadership and command system, the reform of the scale structure and force composition, and the reform of military policies and systems, and achieved historic achievements in deepening the reform of national defense and the army. The People’s Army has achieved an overall revolutionary reshaping; the new system, structure, pattern, and appearance have made our army’s winning advantage more prominent, its innovative vitality continuously released, and its morale more uplifting. Practice has fully proved that as long as we unswervingly continue to deepen the reform of national defense and the military, we will be able to create a new situation in the modernization of national defense and the military.
Adhere to the ideological guidance of deepening the reform of national defense and the military. President Xi’s series of important strategic thoughts on deepening the reform of national defense and the military, which are directional, fundamental, and overall, have profoundly clarified the contemporary significance, essential attributes, fundamental guidance, goals and tasks, core requirements, important directions, strategic measures, and scientific methods of deepening the reform of national defense and the military. To carry out the reform of national defense and the military to the end, we must adhere to Xi Jinping’s Thought on Strengthening the Military as the general guidance and general compliance, and consistently use Xi Jinping’s Thought on Strengthening the Military to arm the minds of officers and soldiers, further unify thoughts, deepen understanding, and use it to guide reform practice, further work on resolving deep-seated contradictions and problems, promote the implementation of reform arrangements, and realize the determination and intentions of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and President Xi at a high standard.
Advancing national defense and military modernization requires continued reform
President Xi stressed: “On the road ahead, the People’s Army must be brave in reform and good at innovation, and never become rigid or stagnant at any time or under any circumstances.” The People’s Army is a strong backing for national security. The deeper the reform goes, the more it must take responsibility, move forward steadily and courageously, and there must be no slackness or rest. It is necessary to continue to deepen the reform of national defense and the army to provide security guarantees and strategic support for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization.
The cause of strengthening the military is inspiring, and the goal of strengthening the military inspires fighting spirit. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made strategic arrangements for deepening the implementation of the strategy of reform and strengthening the military. This is not only a call to action for continued reform and attack, but also a drumbeat for determination to strengthen the military. We must focus our efforts on implementing the strategy of reform and strengthening the military, and continuously push forward the cause of strengthening the military in the new era. The mission is imminent, and the goal calls. The goal of strengthening the military depicts the goal map, roadmap and development map for strengthening and revitalizing the military. It is the soul and main line that runs through the deepening of national defense and military reform. The promotion of reform must not deviate from the goal of strengthening the military for a moment or a single moment. The goal of strengthening the military must always be used to measure, regulate and correct, providing a strong impetus for advancing the modernization of national defense and the military.
A strong country must have a strong military, and a strong military must reform. National defense and military modernization are important components of China’s modernization. Further deepening reform and promoting China’s modernization will inevitably put forward new and higher requirements for deepening national defense and military reform. On the one hand, with the increase in the breadth and depth of the practice of China’s modernization, the new progress of comprehensively deepening reform requires our military construction to accelerate and build high quality in improving quality and efficiency. We must uphold the core position of innovation in our military construction and promote national defense and military modernization through reform and innovation. On the other hand, with the practice of modern warfare, especially the militarization of artificial intelligence, the profound changes in the internal mechanism of war and the mode of winning, etc., all require national defense and military reform to seize the opportunity and act in response to the times, and make greater efforts to enhance our military’s joint combat capability based on the network information system and the all-domain combat capability. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made major strategic arrangements around the continued deepening of national defense and military reforms, and proposed a number of important reform measures involving the optimization and adjustment of systems, mechanisms, and institutions, which are highly contemporary, forward-looking, and targeted. All levels of the military must earnestly study and implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, focus on improving the leadership and management system and mechanism of the People’s Army, deepen the reform of the joint combat system, deepen cross-military and local reforms, and constantly create a new situation in strengthening and revitalizing the army.
We should follow the general trend of reform and gather strong forces. To thoroughly implement the strategy of reform and strengthening the military, we need unity of purpose and unity of purpose. We should persist in using the Party’s innovative theories to unite our hearts and minds and strengthen our foundations, arm our heads with Xi Jinping’s thoughts on strengthening the military, unify our thoughts and actions with the decisions of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and Chairman Xi, and take on the responsibility of thoroughly implementing the strategy of reform and strengthening the military with a high degree of historical consciousness and a strong sense of mission, further consolidate the consensus on reform, strengthen the will to reform, and enhance the confidence in reform. We should focus on summarizing and applying the successful experience of national defense and military reform, deeply grasp the characteristics and laws of reform and strengthening the military, use reform to solve the problems encountered in development, and continuously promote the modernization of national defense and the military to break through obstacles. Party members and cadres in the military, especially leading cadres, must be good promoters and doers of reform, take the lead in tackling tough problems with practical actions, work hard and fast, and make great strides forward in the journey of building a world-class military in an all-round way.
