The message from them is clear: ‘just keep us mission ready’.
Operational readiness is the rallying cry from as many as 60% of senior defence leaders on that frontline, who go a step further by also stating the need for improved data exploitation to achieve that goal.
They join a general majority of 71% across the senior business decision-maker group, and 67% across industry more generally, who have also identified this link between data and mission readiness.
Intent and action both reach a stumbling block, however, once you step away from the frontline and into the office. Here, only 48% consider the link between data and operational readiness as a priority.
This is not to say that those behind desks are unconvinced by the potential of greater data analytics, and its role in keeping colleagues mission ready. But it does suggest a lack of urgency when it comes to the optimised integration and management of critical assets.
If data optimisation isn’t being seen as a priority to achieve mission readiness, then it is likely that the general management of these assets is also being undervalued.
Prioritising DAM
Using data to improve operational readiness and availability was listed as the most important area of focus overall for defence technology exploitation across the entire sample of senior business and IT defence and aerospace executives around the world.
Digital asset management (DAM) is critical to this rallying cry, by providing intelligent platforms that deliver vital insights into the performance, durability, suitability and availability of the military’s most valuable assets – which are typically large and highly complex.
Failing to upkeep and upgrade these assets means losing out on resources and capabilities that could ultimately keep frontline decision makers safe and help them achieve their mission objectives. It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that those at the coal face are calling for this connection to be made more of a pressing concern.
Andy Linton, Head of Future Maritime Aviation Force, BAE Systems – Air, agrees: “The key currency is information, derived from data. Without access to the full spectrum of desired information, it is difficult to make effective decisions and thus quantify the operational risk.”
Only by enhancing the management of assets through integrated technologies and systems can defence leaders be confident that critical assets are ready to be deployed when and where they are needed.
Connecting MDI to mission readiness
To align mindsets and priorities across those in offices and on the frontline, a recent leaning towards Multi-Domain Integration (MDI) must include a greater emphasis on digital asset management.
MDI means having a holistic view of real-time situations by channelling connected data across technologies and systems in pursuit of optimal decisions and operational readiness. However, the relationship between MDI and operational readiness is also reciprocal – 54% of senior defence leaders agree that successful MDI relies on the ability to improve operational readiness and availability.
Between the two sits the importance of digital asset management – a task that will ensure the smooth flow of critical asset data between multiple systems across different domains and organisations, ultimately resulting in a more mission-ready frontline.
Download our new insight report – ‘Optimising Digital Asset Management for True Operational Readiness’ – to learn more.