Wired Magazine recently published an article by General Richard Barrons on the need to share ideas on information warfare between Government and Industry, but is better sharing really the answer? Why are we still struggling in this area, when the alarm clock has been ringing so loudly for so long?

Time, Information, Cost. Tic, Tic, Tic....

General Richard Barrons has passionately expressed his vision and fears about the future of conflict in his Warfare in the Information Age note (the WITIA note from December 2014) and now in Wired Magazine (link below if you are one of the few yet to read it).

Increased sharing of ideas around information warfare to protect the UK and its interests is needed, and UK Defence has been articulating its aspiration ever since WITIA was published. Doctrine and strategies are being developed, but right now we need clear focus to make that aspiration become reality. Time is ticking.

Industry and academia riding as the saviour of UK Defence is not going to address this challenge. It is a collective task, but there is not collective agreement. Some see that things must change, whilst some don't grasp why they should disrupt the norm of platforms having primacy. It seems for some that long procurement times, large platforms and incremental cost creep are almost the natural order of defence. We are united on the need to change, but not the nature of that change.

We can however recognise three big challenges:

1. We want technology now, but accept procurement and adoption processes that deliver over many years. How do we reduce time to deliver?

2. We want information advantage and manoeuvre, but accept information as an enabler rather than the lifeblood of Operations. How do we put information first?

3. We want to fully exploit information capabilities, but accept savings on networks and capacity that restrict that exploitation. How do we spend wisely?

We need not to adapt our thinking, but radically disrupt it. Tic. Tic. Tic...

Time needs to be targeted, and increased tempo introduced for acquiring and introducing capabilities. We can set two-year goals with agile delivery approaches rather than over estimated, optimistic life-cycles that anticipate delay. Focus on what must be achieved in two years, and ruthlessly drive towards that goal. We need to abandon the processes of delay, and introduce quicker, simpler ways for approval, acquisition and acceptance.

Information is the new blood of the battlefield, and it needs to be valued, understood, and placed at the heart of all operations and acquisitions. Information must come first. All programmes should explain how they contribute and exploit the information domain, far beyond just the appointment of a lead for an information line of development. All programmes should explain their information needs to provide maximum rather than minimal capability. We need to put Information Programmes above traditional capabilities to enable us to catch up, match and defeat our adversaries.

Costs need to be controlled and brought into perspective, based on this new emphasis on information first. Spending hundred million on single items yet only thousands on their information systems needed to exploit those platforms is not economical, proportionate or efficient. Information is so vital to success that we cannot scrimp on its provision. On the other, it offers significantly greater returns on investment, penny by penny, when compared to traditional defence expenditure and this opportunity must be seized.

Time, Information, Costs.

UK Defence has shown that it can improve in parts when delivering faster systems; or exploiting information; or controlling costs. For information age warfare, this must be done as a whole rather than in parts and we need to focus on how to unite these ideas. Without focus we will continue to aspire high and reach low.

Let's start to share ideas around Time, Information, Cost. The clock is ticking and the alarm starting to ring.

We can set two-year goals with agile delivery.

Information must come first.

Information is so vital to success that we cannot scrimp on its provision.