In austere and afloat conditions, denied, degraded, intermittent, and low-bandwidth (DDIL) networks can be a real problem for military operations. These environments restrict access to real-time communications, limit data transfer, and make it difficult to coordinate across military units and systems.
DDIL conditions can affect the accuracy and timeliness of intelligence and hinder decision-making and situational awareness. They complicate secure communication channels and make it harder to deploy cloud-based or data-heavy applications, impacting the effectiveness of mission-critical technologies.
How to address DDIL challenges
There are several approaches US Department of Defense (DoD) agencies can implement to enhance resilience, maintain operational capabilities, and mitigate the impacts of DDIL environments. These include:
Edge computing. Processing data closer to the source (“on the edge”) reduces the need to send large amounts of data over constrained networks. This approach allows for local decision-making even when disconnected from central systems.
Store-and-forward techniques. In intermittent or low-bandwidth conditions, data can be stored locally and forwarded once connectivity improves, ensuring that critical information is eventually transmitted without real-time connectivity.
Low-bandwidth encrypted optimization. Reducing the size of data packets through compression and optimizing data transmissions (e.g., sending only essential information) helps make better use of limited bandwidth.
Resilient communications protocols. Protocols that adapt to varying network conditions, such as disruption-tolerant networking (DTN) or software-defined networks (SDN), can maintain data flow in DDIL environments.
Satellite communications (SATCOM). Low Earth orbit (LEO) or geostationary satellites can provide alternative communication channels in denied or degraded environments, maintaining connectivity where traditional networks fail.
The most effective option depends on your specific mission requirements, operational context, and available infrastructure.
Ensuring operations in mission-critical environments
In mission-critical environments, the focus must be on ensuring continuity of operations and real-time decision-making, even when network connectivity is compromised. Edge computing plays a vital role in such scenarios by allowing data processing and analysis to occur locally, at or near the point of action. This reduces the need to transmit large volumes of data over constrained networks and ensures that critical functions, like intelligence analysis or operational control, continue without delay. By empowering local systems to function autonomously, edge computing mitigates the impact of DDIL conditions on the speed and reliability of decision-making.
Prioritization and quality of service (QoS) mechanisms ensure that mission-critical data is prioritized over less important traffic, making the best use of limited bandwidth. By allocating resources to essential communications—such as command-and-control data, situational awareness feeds, or threat alerts—organizations can maintain the flow of vital information, even when bandwidth is severely constrained.
Combining these approaches with data compression to optimize transmission efficiency ensures that essential operations continue uninterrupted, reducing the risks posed by degraded or intermittent connectivity.
