The U.S. Navy\u2019s shipboard network team wants to deliver software to sailors faster. To get there it\u2019s looking to the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of the service\u2019s afloat network, called the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services, the Navy wants to increase sailors\u2019 access to software tools. To test the software and train sailors on the CANES infrastructure, the service is turning to digital twin platforms that replicate the network infrastructure aboard a ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C4ISRNET recently discussed how the Navy\u2019s CANES program is using cloud for software development with Capt. Catherine Boehme, program manager for tactical networks at the Navy Information Warfare Systems Command Program Executive Office C4I and Space Systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cloud for software development<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boehme\u2019s team is transitioning as much of its software development efforts to the cloud as possible, reducing the reliance on physical lab environments and allowing increased collaboration among dispersed teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt increases our flexibility as we\u2019re able to stand up development and test environments in a more agile manner,\u201d Boehme said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The service is using cloud to test the integration of software applications before installing them on a ship and using digital twins that represent aircraft carriers Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, she said. Those computerized replicates allow continuous development and integration, installation verification, assistance in troubleshooting, configuration control and virtual training opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NAVWAR is also using the cloud to test applications that make up the Navy\u2019s Information Warfare Platform, a collection of digital tools that will allow the service to install software on ships more rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe goal there is to improve the performance, the maturity of the baseline, reduce any anomalies or deficiencies on the baseline and therefore a troubleshooting on the build and therefore also reduce the overall cost of the installation,\u201d Boehme said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For perspective, the CANES fiscal 2021 budget across all appropriations is $505 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DevSecOps pipeline<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boehme\u2019s team recently completed the initial operating capability on its new software DevSecOps pipeline that will deliver applications to war fighters onboard ships. Developers will use cloud-hosted environments to create, test and deploy containerized software to ships without having to step aboard a vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The creation environments represent the afloat CANES network, so when software is released, the developers will have worked out as many of the bugs or potential problems as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom the beginning of development, through integration and test, through the production environment afloat the intent is to have a common baseline on throughout all of those phases,\u201d Boehme said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen once it is on [the] afloat environment, our intent is then to continuously monitor the performance of the system and provide that feedback back to the beginning of the cycle, in development and be able to rapidly address any \u2026 deficiencies, any enhancements required, any new cyber vulnerability in a more rapid, agile fashion,\u201d Boehme said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The USS Abraham Lincoln will be the first ship to get the capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CANES training environment<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CANES program office is moving its system administrator training, called the CANES training virtual environment, to the Amazon Web Services\u2019 GovCloud, allowing NAVWAR to offer training for multiple configurations of CANES while increasing access for sailors and students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Navy held previous trainings in two schoolhouses where the service had to pay for the maintenance and sustainment of the hardware the sailors trained on. Because the new training is cloud-based, the service is increasing the availability to eight locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor each TVE [training virtual environment] instantiation, that sailor has their own network instantiation to learn to operate, to troubleshoot, they\u2019re able to inject anomalies, and that sailor can then troubleshoot and has their own sandbox to leverage during \u2026 the course,\u201d Boehme said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The upcoming year<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the rest of the year, Boehme wants to increase the digital representation of CANES networks in the cloud to further software development capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That would allow teams to create more applications, which could include programs for command and control, battle management, or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are driving to increase the number of applications that are being developed in a cloud environment and leveraging containers and microservices,\u201d Boehme said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
To speed up the process, the service is designing more software in the cloud and testing applications with digital twins that replicate the afloat network.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":55323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":87,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"6":{"categories":["daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"daily-news-roundup"},"7":{"categories":["daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"daily-news-roundup"},"10":{"categories":["daily-news-roundup","newsletters","naval"],"primary_category":"naval"}}},"categories":[7,87,106,29,36,32,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3252],"class_list":["post-24693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-battlefield-tech","category-cloud","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-it-networks-battlefield-tech","category-newsletters","category-smr"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"P6MZH5WDYJE6ZIJHF7LWRX4GRA","arc_canonical_url":"\/smr\/cloud\/2021\/04\/20\/us-navy-uses-cloud-more-to-get-software-tools-to-ships-faster\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n