US Army developing intel analysis, combat weather apps

A soldier from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (11th ACR) operates a Mounted Mission Command-Software (MMC-S)-based system during a training mission at Ft Irwin, California. (US Army)

The US Army is developing a new slate of advanced software designed to improve collection, dissemination, and exploitation of battlefield intelligence at the tactical level, according to a service solicitation.

The software development effort, known as the ‘Intel Apps' programme, is being spearheaded by Project Manager, Intelligence Systems & Analytics (IS&A) under the army's Program Executive Office – Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO IEW&S) directorate. The programme, as designed, will “provide leap ahead [intelligence] tasking, collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination [of] advanced software capability” for army units, according to the 20 November request for proposals (RFP).

Intel Apps, once mature, “will displace and replace” the service's current intelligence systems and analytics software embedded in the army's Command Post Computing Environment (CPCE), programme officials said in the RFP.

The CPCE is a single-mission command software suite designed to provide a common operational picture to ground commanders at the tactical level and above, according to an army fact sheet. The CPCE is capable of hosting “a comprehensive suite of software applications and services upon which warfighting functions can be converged and future applications can be built”, the fact sheet said.

The Intel Apps programme will allow “intelligence professionals to work through the intelligence cycle with increased speed, precision, and accuracy” via the CPCE, while leveraging integrated artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-enabled analytical tools, programme officials noted.