How Digital Transformation is Modernizing the Cyber Force

How Digital Transformation is Modernizing the Cyber Force
November 28, 2022
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Photo: U.S. Cyber Command, Josef Cole

How Digital Transformation is Modernizing the Cyber Force’s Training and Readiness 

Lockheed Martin’s MR2 platform is helping the U.S. military digitally transform with real-time reports on employee training and readiness.

Lockheed Martin initially built MR2—which stands for Mission Readiness and Reporting—for the Joint Cyber Command and Control ecosystem. The cloud-based platform assists commanders with mission planning, ensuring they have the capabilities ready and available to address cyberspace threats.

How Cyber Mission Readiness Impacts Outcomes

Like in other areas of defense, success in cyberspace requires personnel equipped with a broad set of skills. MR2 allows cyber operators to get a full view of capability and skill levels across the entire workforce, removing the need to consult multiple systems and networks.

“MR2 is a unique capability for us in that we created a platform customers didn’t even know they needed,” said Tish Rourke, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Cyber & Intelligence market. “This system will provide a seamless and streamlined integration of current capabilities to 21st Century Security mission planning needs.”

cyberforce

MR2 is a simple concept. It's a cloud-based management application, displayed as a customizable dashboard, that monitors the capacity of personnel, teams, equipment, and infrastructure. But that just scratches the surface.

The technology synchronizes between military networks and communications systems. This includes the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPR),  Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPR) and the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System (JWICS), filling a gap in most existing systems. It also tracks, training statuses and provides predictive analysis for future mission needs.

“Getting information from one network to another is a constant struggle for our customers and time is always of the essence,” explained Rourke. “A platform like MR2 allows them to get a holistic view of not only personnel training statuses, but where manpower is located at any given time. It’s a game changer.”

The Future of MR2

Lockheed Martin currently uses the MR2 capability with U.S. Army Civilian Career Management Activity (USACCMA). The system will support cyber readiness and training for up to 17,000 civilian cyber personnel and can scale to track up to 100,000 personnel.

“The exciting thing about MR2 is that it isn’t reliant on native systems to operate efficiently,” said Rourke. “With our technology, USACCMA is able to utilize training tools from partners like Ultimate Knowledge Institute and Aries Security, LLC on the Amazon Web Services govCloud and centralize all that data in one dashboard. Our customers will be able to preserve systems they use while stepping forward in digital transformation.”

Due to its many unique and customizable features, it can scale to serve industries like healthcare, education and commerce.

The MR2 platform brings modernization in training management where it matters most and is helping the U.S. military stay ahead of ready.

For more information on how MR2 can propel your business ahead of the mission, contact Andrew Zeigler at andrew.j.zeigler@lmco.com.