The Department of Defense wants to bring new industry partners into Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or CJADC2, through a new challenge on its Tradewinds marketplace.
This opportunity is focused on contested logistics and serves as a part of the DOD’s Global Information Dominance Experiments program, through which the department tests commercial capabilities — most notably artificial intelligence — in the context of joint force data sharing. Communications is the main focus of CJADC2, which aims to strengthen connectivity between U.S. forces, allies and partners.
Get an even closer look into CJADC2 opportunities at the Potomac Officers Club’s GovCon International Summit on Oct. 10. The event will feature a variety of keynote speakers and panel discussions, one of which will consider the “combined” aspect of CJADC2. To learn more and register to attend the summit, visit the event page on the Potomac Officers Club website.
The Pentagon’s GIDE Journey
GIDE began several years ago and was initially managed by the Northern American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern command. In 2023, the Chief Digital and AI Office assumed control of the program and realigned its goals to better suit the needs of joint warfighting.
Awards issued through the new challenge will represent iterations 12 and 13 of the program. GIDE 10, 11 and 12 took place earlier this year and were designed to cover global integration, joint kill chains and allied and partner integration, respectively, CDAO GIDE Director Col. Matthew Strohmeyer told DefenseScoop.
In July, the Pentagon hosted its first-ever GIDE Industry Insights Forum to deepen relationships with program participants. The event focused on collaboration opportunities — specifically those surrounding AI technologies — for both traditional and nontraditional partners as well as lessons learned from previous editions of GIDE.
DOD Seeking Data-Driven Logistics Capabilities
Efforts to advance CJADC2 through have shown that the DOD’s strengths lie in developing dynamic logistics plans. According to the notice, what the department needs from industry now is help in creating a “common, enterprise-level data ontology for logistics and sustainment” to solve decision making challenges posed by stovepiped data.
The latest GIDE challenge builds on a May contract award issued to Palantir for its Maven Smart System, which the DOD uses as the primary platform for enterprise CJADC2 workflows and intends to continue deploying as GIDE progresses, DefenseScoop reported. Capabilities pitched under the challenge are expected to “develop the global logistics data ontology in MSS while enriching current ontology and workflows with existing government logistics data.”
The challenge also presents industry with three new areas to focus on: live logistics and sustainment data; curated digital insights; and integrated applications. Proposers can submit ideas to address any number of these topics in the form of a video pitch.
What’s Next for CJADC2?
CJADC2 achieved minimal viable capability combining software applications, data integration and cross-domain operational concepts in February. Though details of what the capability was specifically developed for have been kept under wraps, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, a 2024 Wash100 Award winner, said the next step is scaling.
Gain even more insights into CJADC2 at the 2024 GovCon International Summit. Register here.
