The emergence of asymmetric warfare and increased counterterrorism efforts will continue to fuel increased U.S. spending on interoperability and integrated solutions for the next decade, according to a recent forecast report by Strategic Defence Intelligence.
The strong demand among military strategists for advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities facilitating precision strikes will shape modernization patterns away from heavy weaponry, SDI states in “The Global C4ISR Market 2014-2024.” U.S. C4ISR spending in 2014 is estimated at $65 billion, and is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 1.34 percent. If the U.S. maintains current C4ISR investment levels, spending will reach $74.3 billion in 2024.
“The efficacy of these systems has already been tested in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the fresh challenges posed by ISIS in the Middle East means that IT and cybersecurity, electronic warfare, 24/7 airborne surveillance and information collation for command centers are now vital points of differentiation for the U.S. military,” says Saktishree D. Majhi, an analyst at SDI, in a news release. “All of these capabilities are facilitated by C4ISR equipment such as UAVs, radars, electro-optic and infrared systems, target acquisition and fire-control sensors, IP-based radio and satellite communication devices.”
