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JOCS (Joint Operations Command System)
The Challenge
Through the Joint Command System Initiative (JCSI), the UK’s armed forces are being equipped with a new command, control and intelligence (C2I) system. The second phase of this initiative is a Joint Operational Command System (JOCS) to provide a central means of communication for senior personnel in the MoD, Army, Navy and RAF, connecting the permanent joint headquarters in Northwood with 40 sites around the world. Implementation of JOCS began in 1999 and the system was used during the UK-US operation, Iraqi Freedom, in 2003 to link Northwood to deployed formation headquarters. To minimise costs, risks and delays, JOCS uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software packages. There is particular emphasis on support for common environment standards. The components have been integrated by prime contractor EDS, the leading global technology services company that pioneered IT outsourcing over 40 years ago.
Interoperability featured strongly in the requirements, with JOCS expected to connect to more than 30 other systems (including BAE’s FOCSLE project). It had to be configurable to accommodate any combination of forces and systems that might be involved in multinational operations. An incremental programme was planned to deliver an integrated system able to support both command teams controlling forces in the face of increasingly sophisticated threats and also the forces themselves while in theatre and while travelling to and from it.
The Nexor Solution
For its secure messaging capability, JOCS incorporates multiple instances of several Nexor products, all conformant with STANAG 4406:
Messages are protected using digital signatures to check that the origin is authentic. Stringent rules are applied to messages entering and leaving the system. There are two security domains, Secret and Top Secret. JOCS in its entirety has been evaluated to the UK ITsec E3 level of assurance.
Level E3 means that several checks have been satisfied:
- Source code has been produced
- The detailed design has been shown to correspond with the source code
- Acceptance procedures have been used
- Implementation languages are to recognised standards
- Retesting has been done after error correction
The Result
Fundamental to the MoD’s programme for integrating its C2I systems across all UK Armed Forces, JOCS is one of the key means by which future ability to meet military commitments will be achieved. The messaging capability achieved through Nexor’s products:
- Provides a central means of communication for staff of all the UK’s Armed Forces at sites across the world and even from transit cases
- Facilitates information exchange within single services and between joint services or allied forces, ensuring accurate and up-to-date intelligence for all parties involved in an operation
- Uses commercial tools and techniques for publishing and distributing information, reducing the training needed by new users of the system.
The standards-conformant nature of JOCS will enable it to be migrated smoothly to the Defence Information Infrastructure (DII). More information about this ten-year programme is available from the Ministry of Defence website.