MoD announces data strategy for defence
It elaborates a structure for data leadership that unites all Defence organisations
The Ministry of Defence's (MoD) new Data Strategy for Defence document - outlining its vision for data and setting outcomes to be achieved by 2025 - recognises the growing importance of data, calling it the UK's 'second most important asset behind people'.
The new data strategy is meant to provide a structure for data leadership in the defence sector, and highlights the transformative changes required to use data as a strategic asset.
"Our ambition to 'unleash the power of data' is stronger than ever," said Charles Forte, MoD Chief Information Officer, Digital Functional Lead, in the report's foreword.
"Our future will be shaped by how we protect and exploit Defence's assets. Data will become our second most important asset only behind our People. This is the clear intent of our Data Strategy."
The document discusses the data rules, tactical outcomes, and common foundations needed to ensure that data becomes an enabler and an enduring capability across Defence. It also descibes a structure for data leadership that unites all Defence organisations.
The strategy lists four outcomes to be achieved by 2025:
- Data is curated, integrated and is human and machine ready for exploitation to enable digitalisation of the battle space
- Data is treated as the second most important asset behind people
- Those people are skilled enough to exploit data in order to drive advantage
- Defence organisations become data leaders with allies, partners, the tech industry
A key element of the data strategy is a set of six rules for how Defence should treat data, and how all of Defence will adhere to the same data criteria. These rules provide the basis for a future connected Defence enterprise, underpinned by a business model 'optimised for data exploitation'.
The rules demand that the Defence sector must:
- exercise sovereignty over data, including accountability and ownership;
- standardise data across the defence landscape;
- exploit data at the most effective and relevant point of the value chain;
- secure digital data at creation, curation, and when handling, storing and transmitting;
- curate data, ensuring it is assured, discoverable and interoperable;
- ensure data is retained as an asset beyond individual projects.
The strategy goes on to outline various success enablers, including organisational leadership driving Defence's functional data mandate, and the need for effective governance and controls.
Along with these are facilitators required to co-ordinate and facilitate the execution of the data strategy by establishing and embedding data enablers.
In March, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace outlined the 2030 vision for the country's armed forces, as part of the government's plan to further modernise military capabilities.
The strategy, 'Defence in a Competitive Age,' came off the back of the government's 'Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy,' which has been called the largest foreign and security policy overhaul since the Cold War.
The 2030 vision proposes investing billions of pounds across the land, air, sea, cyber and space domains, to enable fast responses to equally swift changes in the field.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK needs to advance its cyber capabilities to ensure that threats are "thwarted at every turn".
The UK spent £38 billion on defence in 2019, or about 2.1 per cent of GDP. This was more than any other European country, though far below the 3.5 per cent of GDP spent by the USA.