HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Army has officially established its new All-Domain Sensing Cross-Functional Team (ADS CFT), which a lead official said will reach full operational capability by October.
Gen. James Rainey, head of Army Futures Command, told reporters on Tuesday the new organization will focus on developing sensing architecture and bringing in artificial intelligence and machine learning for the processing and dissemination of data.
“We have actually found ourselves in a situation where we actually don’t have a sensing problem, we have a ‘doing something with all of the sensing that’s happening’ problem across the joint force. None of these problems are Army problems, they’re joint force problems,” Rainey said during a media briefing at AUSA’s Global Force Symposium here.
The new ADS CFT will be based in Huntsville and Adelphi, Maryland include many personnel from the recently completed Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT) CFT, the Army noted.
“The APNT CFT did what we asked them to do, solved a very hard problem and that is transitioning to [program managers] and [program executive offices] now,” Rainey told reporters.
Mike Monteleone, who led the APNT CFT, will serve as director of the new ADS CFT.
Gen. Randy George, the Army chief of staff, first previewed the new CFT earlier this month, noting it would include a focus on deep sensing capabilities (Defense Daily, March 7).
“We want to have a holistic look at what we’re doing in our process, just like we’ve done [with other CFTs]” George told reporters at the time “I think the big thing we want to show, and the same thing with our Cross-Functional Teams, when we have a need for something, we’re going to stand up a capability, we’re going to take a really hard look at it, figure out what we need.”
Along with developing an integrated sensing architecture and working on AI/ML-drive processing of data, the Army on Monday noted the new ADS CFT will focus on “multi-sensor dominance” and “operational enablers.”
“Prioritizing, integrating and shaping Army sensor technologies, to include counter-intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting; synchronizing sensor integration and experimentation with Joint, Allied, partner and commercial entities; and developing Army sensor requirements in coordination with Army and Joint communities,” the Army said in a statement. “In coordination with Capability Development and Integration Directorates and Army Capability Managers, shaping doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel and facilities for sensors, electronic warfare, and positioning, navigation and timing to support and sustain Army fires and maneuver in denied and degraded environments.”
Rainey has been conducting a review of the Army’s CFTs as the service looks to the next steps in its modernization initiative and priorities for the “Army of 2040,” which included standing up the new Contested Logistics CFT a year ago.