In a world where technological innovations constantly transform our ways of living and working, military and civilian operations management also faces significant change. At the center of this development is the increasing role of TAK and AI in warfare. The Team Awareness Kit (TAK), a powerful geospatial operating system, has evolved into an indispensable tool for operational forces worldwide. But what will the future of TAK look like, and what transformative role will Artificial Intelligence (AI) play in modern warfare? These questions were at the heart of Ryan McLean’s keynote speech at the TAK Product Center Offsite 2024, which intensively addressed the symbiosis of TAK and AI in warfare.
The Genesis of TAK: A Vision Becomes Reality
The story of TAK begins with Al Yosida, a highly decorated veteran and pioneer in the system’s development. Following a tragic friendly fire incident, Yosida recognized the urgent need for a system to improve friend-or-foe identification and target correlation. His vision and tireless dedication were crucial to the creation of TAK.
Today, TAK has evolved into a versatile system that runs on various operating systems and supports a wide range of plugins. It is no longer just a military tool but finds application in various areas of public safety and crisis management.
TAK Today: An Ecosystem of Connectivity
TAK’s strength lies in its ability to exchange data and enable interoperability between different units and organizations. In his speech, McLean emphasized the need to “break down silos” and promote collaboration between agencies, military units, and partners. This philosophy has led to TAK being used far beyond its original military application scope today.
More than 300,000 TAK users are distributed across the US Federal Government, including organizations like the FBI. Twelve other militaries, including foreign partners like Ukraine and Spain, use TAK in its military variant, and over 20 US military programs, including SOCOM (Special Operations Command), have been successfully using TAK for years. A particular advantage of TAK is the immediate interoperability between all users, as the system is built on a common foundation. This enables seamless collaboration across organizational boundaries—a crucial advantage in crisis situations.
The Open-Source Strategy: Innovation Driver and Challenge
One of TAK’s most remarkable characteristics is its open-source nature. The kernel and the entire TAK suite are freely accessible but are actively managed and developed by a dedicated team of currently about 30 TAK Product Center employees. With an annual budget of 10.5 million dollars, the US government invests considerable resources in the further development of this critical system.
The decision to release TAK as open-source software was not only strategic but also pragmatically motivated. An important factor was the AES256 encryption used in TAK Server’s OpenSSL libraries, which complicated the public release of the technology under US export regulations. To distribute the software to partners without violating these regulations, the TAK Product Center (TPC) chose the path of open-source release.
Furthermore, the TPC hoped that making TAK open-source would result in stronger community participation in the software’s further development. Opening the source code allows developers worldwide to work on TAK, develop new plugins, and fix bugs. This promotes innovation and ensures that the system remains flexible and adaptable to respond to changing requirements.
However, the open-source approach also brings challenges, particularly regarding integration with proprietary systems. To address these challenges, the TPC recently made changes to the licensing model. Originally, the TAK Server source code was under the GPL3 license, which posed an obstacle for companies like Palantir that develop closed, proprietary software.
The GPL3 license requires that software containing GPL3 code must also be released under the GPL3 license. This would have meant that companies like Palantir would have had to disclose their source code or also place their software under the GPL3 license, which was unacceptable for competitive reasons.
To solve this problem, the TPC, in collaboration with Palantir, developed a custom licensing model for TAK Server. This new model allows companies to integrate TAK Server into their proprietary architectures without having to disclose their own source code or change their license. This adaptation of the licensing model demonstrates the TPC’s flexibility and pragmatic approach to promote the broad adoption and integration of TAK.
TAK in Practice: From Fighter Jets to Aircraft Carriers
TAK’s versatility is evident in its broad application. A fascinating current research project is working to make fighter jet head-up displays TAK-capable. This would significantly improve pilots’ situational awareness and real-time decision-making.
Surprisingly, even within the US military, for which the system was originally developed, TAK is not universally known or in use. McLean shared an anecdote about an aircraft carrier that used Google Maps for navigation until he made those responsible aware of the in-house solution. This story underscores the need to further raise awareness of TAK’s capabilities.
TAK and AI in Tomorrow’s Warfare
The focus of McLean’s speech was on the TPC 3.0 vision and the integration of AI into the system. He demonstrated that since ChatGPT, AI is no longer a futuristic vision but a tangible reality in the tactical environment. He emphasized the value of “good AI” that facilitates users’ work rather than instilling fear.
McLean identified several key elements for the success of TAK and AI in warfare. Data is viewed as a strategic asset, with the telemetry data generated by TAK applications offering valuable insights into usage patterns and being used to improve the system and develop AI algorithms. Given the sensitive nature of the data collected by TAK, developing ethical guidelines for data collection, storage, and use is essential. Additionally, the TAK community must be able to process and analyze large volumes of data to fully exploit AI’s potential.
The vision for TAK Product Center 3.0 foresees an expansion from an organization that develops mapping software to one that delivers specialized AI tailored to the tactical end user. This requires expanding the team with data specialists and data engineers.
Prerequisites for TAK 3.0
To enable the transition to TAK 3.0, McLean identified important prerequisites:
- Centralized TAK Investments: Coordinated investments in TAK’s further development are crucial to ensure interoperability and avoid redundancies.
- Seamless, Continuous Deployment: Software updates and new features should be made available to users as quickly as possible.
- Digital Rights Management: Clear regulations for access to and use of data are essential to ensure the system’s security and integrity.
The Future Vision: AI-Supported Operations Management
McLean presented five main goals to be achieved through the integration of AI into TAK. TAK should learn through the analysis of user data and behavior and adapt to users’ needs, leading to cognitive applications. AI should support the control and coordination of unmanned systems, thus increasing the effectiveness and safety of operations. Through the analysis of operational data, tactics and strategies should be continuously improved and adapted to changing threats. The chain of command should become more flexible and responsive by having AI dynamically delegate tasks to the most suitable units. Finally, the integration of new sensors, weapons, and other systems should be simplified and accelerated through AI-supported tools.
The Way Forward: Innovation Through Collaboration
McLean concluded his speech with a passionate appeal to the TAK community to harness the potential of hackathons to advance the development of AI-supported solutions. He encouraged participants to team up with other developers, data specialists, and especially with end users to find innovative solutions to real-world problems.
Conclusion: A Revolution in Digital Operations Management
The integration of AI into TAK promises to fundamentally change the way military and civilian operations are planned, executed, and evaluated. However, this vision requires a collective commitment from the entire TAK community, from developers to decision-makers to end users.
For organizations looking to benefit from these developments, TAK Hub offers comprehensive support. From customized training to specialized server solutions—TAK Hub helps you unlock TAK’s full potential for your specific requirements.
The future of digital operations management is promising, and TAK stands at the forefront of this revolution. With the right preparation and support, organizations of all kinds can benefit from the enormous possibilities that TAK and AI offer. Stay at the pulse of the times and discover how TAK can elevate your operations to the next level.
