Royal Navy concludes Information Warrior 2018

The Royal Navy has concluded a three-week exercise, Information Warrior 2018, focused on exploring the adoption of emerging technologies to secure the information advantage at sea, QinetiQ announced on 4 May.

The exercise considered ways to overcome the limitations imposed on communication by the nature of the maritime environment, such as bandwidth and legacy systems. It examined the feasibility of using the capacity of existing information services to deliver increased capability for Royal Navy platforms, together with open-architecture to improve the pace and flexibility of system development.

In support of the exercise, QinetiQ, working at Portsdown Technology Park, created an advanced digital environment to test communications, understand future challenges and identify opportunities to solve problems through innovative use of modern technology. 

Cdr Whitehall, Royal Navy Information Warrior 2018 lead, said: ‘In the words of the First Sea Lord, 2018 will be a year of expanding maritime horizons for the Royal Navy. Information Warrior sets out the vision for a modern approach to delivering information warfare and accelerates progress in addressing some of the shortfalls facing today’s frontline units.

‘Through the innovative use of current capability and exploring the utility of emerging technology, Information Warrior challenges the defence procurement cycle to adopt a more agile approach. Success depends upon embracing different thinking, challenging assumptions and collaborating closely and openly across government, industry and academia.’