From core to tactical edge: A unified platform for defense innovation

Share Driven by the need for agility, security, and sovereignty, the defence sector is undergoing a rapid digital transformation. Military organizations are increasingly operating across a hybrid infrastructure, spanning the strategic core, deployed edge, and tactical edge, while maintaining absolute control over their systems. However, this evolution presents significant challenges, from siloed technologies to cybersecurity threats. Defence organizations must navigate these obstacles by adopting a unified platform approach, leveraging an open framework based on open standards to strengthen autonomy, security, and seamless operations across all environments. Traditionally, defence operations began in the strategic core, which were large, on-premise data centers disconnected from the internet. These handled everything from mission planning to logistics. The first wave of transformation introduced private cloud solutions, allowing military organizations to scale infrastructure dynamically while maintaining digital sovereignty. Many defence entities remain cautious about using the public cloud due to security concerns, opting instead for air-gapped private clouds—physically isolated environments within their facilities—so only screened personnel and verified secure networks have access. Today, the focus has shifted to edge computing, highlighting the need for smarter, real-time, and autonomous decision-making in the field. Defence organizations now operate across two key edge environments, the deployed edge and the tactical edge. The deployed edge consists of mini data centres, capable of running mission-critical applications, processing intelligence and supporting AI workloads. Meanwhile, the tactical edge encompasses lightweight, ruggedized devices such as drones, autonomous vehicles, and soldier-worn systems that can collect, analyse, and act on data in real time, often completely disconnected from central networks.