Strategic consortium for the Polish Military Forces.
Given the current geopolitical situation, it is important for the security of Poland to provide the Military Forces with software solutions that will significantly increase their combat capability and contribute to the development of the domestic defense industry.
Asseco Poland, Teldat, Siltec, Enigma, CMGI and the Military Technical Academy have formed a consortium that will offer a high-tech Battlefield Management System (BMS).
The national “BMS Consortium” has been established in response to the process of modernization and computerization of the Polish army initiated by the Ministry of National Defense. Armies around the world are investing in systems of this class and therefore the “BMS Consortium” also has a chance for foreign expansion.
The “BMS Consortium” is composed of only domestic companies and the Polish Military Technical Academy (WAT). They compete in a tender for the supply of the Battlefield Management System for the Polish Military Forces. In the age of digitalization of war and weaponry, this solution will be one of the key military IT systems used to manage combat at the tactical level. It will support the processes of command and communication between the staff and crews of all kinds of combat vehicles, including Rosomak transporters. Information from the battlefield will be transmitted to the command headquarters in real time, allowing to correct the adopted tactics of combat. The solution can be operated independently as well as provide a basis for the construction of further IT systems.
“Establishing of the national “BMS Consortium” composed of Asseco, Teldat, Siltec, WAT, Enigma, and CMGI creates huge opportunities for equipping the Polish army with an IT system that will support both officers and soldiers on the battlefield, while significantly increasing their command capabilities, striking power and survival chances,” said Professor Andrzej Najgebauer, Head of Research Team for Modelling, Simulation and Computer Decision Support in Conflict and Crisis Situations at the Military Technical Academy. “The scientific team of our Information Systems Institute operating at the Faculty of Cybernetics of WAT, which I am honoured to manage, has many years of experience in modelling, simulation and decision support in conflict situations that may also contribute to the success of this project. In my opinion, the consortium has all the required products and experience to be considered as a qualified vendor of BMS for the Polish Military Forces,” he added.
The national “BMS Consortium” combines the achievements of Polish companies with the wealth of knowledge gathered by the Military Technical Academy. The Consortium has extensive experience, including in the scope of battlefield management systems, communications, security and protection of information, as well as integration, long-term maintenance and development of ICT solutions. The leader of the consortium is Asseco Poland.
“Asseco is the largest IT company in Poland with a well-established market position and many years of experience in the execution of complex, large-scale information technology projects,” said Przemysław Borzestowski, Vice President of Asseco Poland. “We are a recognized provider of software solutions for Polish uniformed services, as well as for institutions and agencies of NATO and the European Union. In addition, we engage in innovative projects where we can participate in research programs and create technologies of the future. Good examples are space programs carried out by the European Space Agency or projects implemented for Frontex,” he added.
The tender for the delivery of a tactical BMS for the Polish army is open only for domestic organizations that will be responsible for the production, modernization and maintenance of the solution. The Ministry of National Defense has limited this tendering procedure to domestic entities in order to protect the fundamental interests of national security.
“We know and understand the needs of the Polish Military Forces as regards the capabilities to be supported by a modern, automated command system at the tactical level. We have all the necessary knowledge, skills and full technical readiness to provide the Polish army with a top quality product that will be internally consistent both in terms of hardware and software, as well as compatible with thousands of specialized IT solutions successfully used by the Military Forces,” said Professor Janusz Kręcikij, PhD, Head of the Experts Team at CMGI. “Moreover, we have the right expertise to ensure state-of-the-art services and modifications for this product in accordance with the actual needs,” he added.
Teldat company has developed a proprietary system called BMS Jaśmin. The functionality and technology of this solution have been for many years dynamically adapted to match the needs of the Polish army. Furthermore, it has been already tested during military drills, both Polish and international.
“We have been actively working on the development of the national battlefield management system since 2006. We have had a production version of this system for a long time. It can be best proven by actual tests that were carried out as early as in 2010, during the ASTER military drills to which over a dozen companies were invited by the National Defense Department, and subsequently during the BORSUK drills where our product was the only one to satisfy all the requirements set forth by the Polish Military Forces, as confirmed by opinions of the Ministry of National Defense. For many years the system has successfully passed even the most comprehensive tests, including those conducted during international military drills such as Combined Endeavor, NATO CWID/CWIX, and Bold Quest. It was often the only Polish solution implemented in combat vehicles and subjected to mobile testing,” said Henryk Kruszyński, PhD, President of Teldat. “Technological maturity of our product is also reliably evidenced by certificates and confirmations issued by NATO, demonstrating international recognition of this solution,” he added.
Other solutions that have been successfully tested during the ASTER drills are cryptographic protection tools developed by Enigma. These solutions have been certified for cryptographic security for the needs of CONFIDENTIAL, NATO CONFIDENTIAL, EU CONFIDENTIAL clauses, by the Cyber Security Office at the Military Counterintelligence Service, as well as by the ICT Security Department of the Internal Security Agency. Within the national project for the development of the Battlefield Management System, Enigma, leveraging on its 20 year long experience, will be responsible for the design and creation of a cryptographic protection subsystem.
