On Wednesday 3 march, Chief of Defence (designated) Lieutenant General Eichelsheim and Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Vice Admiral Boots, and staff members were briefed on the recently developed Multi-Domain C2 Demonstrator (MDOC2D) platform. They experienced the MDOC2-platform, showcasing the potential of state-of-the-art technology and a likely future of the operational level Command Posts, fully rendered in Virtual Reality .
With this MDOC2D-platform, Lieutenant General Eichelsheim and Vice Admiral Boots experienced an interactive discussion starter of the potential of state-of-the-art technology and a likely future of the operational level Command Posts, fully rendered in Virtual Reality . The NATO C2COE briefed on their foresight for a paradigm-shift in the information sharing and Decision Making Process at Joint Level in which headquarters or command posts are most likely Dispersed, Distributed, data-driven and are using state-of-the-art technology including Artificial Intelligence.
In the vivid discussion that emerged there was consensus on the potential implication that technology will have on the enhanced situational awareness of commanders or their staff. “There is a need to embrace new technology within the armed forces’ to enhance human capabilities and exploit available technology. COVID-19 showed us that working together in a dispersed environment is possible without loosing trust. It even feels business as usual after a while which many did not expect in advance’.
The current COVID situation, together with technology platforms like the C2 Demonstrator, emphasises the necessity for the Dutch armed forces to speed up the transition into an information and data-driven organisation. This will continue to evolve as one of the key elements in its transformation efforts in the near future.
Lieutenant General Eichelsheim will be promoted to Chief of defence on 15 April 2021 and Vice Admiral Boots will be the Vice Chief of Defence from that day on.
