C2 islands: the picture exists, but not in one place
Programmes buy command and control systems to solve their own problem, and each does that well. A counter-drone system of systems has its own C2. So does the base security system, the air picture, the logistics tool and the headquarters. Each gathers valuable data, but it stays inside the system that collected it.
The result is familiar. Staff re-type information from one screen to another. Liaison officers relay updates by phone or chat. Bespoke point-to-point gateways are built for each pair of systems, and every new system adds more of them. The commander who needs the combined picture gets it late, incomplete or not at all.
The intelligent glue between C2 systems
Consilium sits between C2 systems rather than replacing them. It connects to each system once, understands what that system holds, and shares the right parts of it with every other connected system. Add a new C2 system and it joins the same layer, instead of needing a new gateway to each of the others.
- ConnectAttach to each C2 system through its APIs, message bus, database or a vendor adapter, without changing how that system works.
- UnderstandMap what each system holds, such as tracks, units, tasks, alerts, zones and status, into one common model.
- Decide relevancePolicy and playbooks work out which data each other system actually needs, by area, mission, threat type or time.
- Decide releasabilityAttributes on the data, the receiving system, its network and its users decide what it may see, using HarbourGuard.
- Protect and deliverByteHarbour protects each item with data-centric security, and Consilium delivers it in the format the receiving C2 system understands.
- RecordEvery share, and every refusal, is logged with the policy that decided it.
An example: one system of systems feeding the others
A site runs a counter-drone system of systems with its own C2. It holds drone tracks, sensor health, alerts and operator decisions. Several other systems need parts of that picture, but not all of it.
| Receiving C2 system | What Consilium shares with it |
|---|---|
| Base force protection C2 | Confirmed drone tracks over the base, alerts and the guard force tasks that follow |
| Air picture or air traffic system | Tracks inside controlled airspace, with position, height and identity where known |
| Higher headquarters C2 | A summary of incidents, trends and readiness, without the raw sensor detail |
| Coalition partner C2 | Only the tracks and video released to that nation by attribute, protected with DCS |
| Engineering and support tools | Sensor health and faults, so failing equipment is repaired before it matters |
Point-to-point gateways compared with an orchestration layer
| Point-to-point gateways | Consilium as the orchestration layer |
|---|---|
| A new gateway for every pair of systems | Each system connects once and joins the same layer |
| Sharing rules hard-coded in each gateway | Relevance and releasability decided by policy, in one place |
| Protection often stripped at each hand-off | Data-centric security travels with each item |
| Hard to see what was shared, and why | Every share and refusal recorded with the policy that decided it |
| Adding a system means more bespoke work | Adding a system means one more connection |
Where this fits with data-centric security
Data-centric security protects the data itself, so it can travel safely between systems and domains. C2 integration is what makes sure it actually reaches the systems that need it. Together they deliver decision advantage: the right information, to the right person or system, at the right time, for the right reason.
The same approach that shares protected video between nations also shares a whole C2 system's picture with the systems around it. Read about data-centric interoperability and moving data across domains.
What Consilium does, and does not, do
| Consilium does | Consilium does not |
|---|---|
| Connect existing C2 systems from different suppliers | Replace the C2 systems you already own |
| Share the data each system needs, by policy | Share everything with everyone |
| Protect data with DCS as it moves between systems | Bypass the security or accreditation of a connected system |
| Pass requests to another system through that system's own interface | Take over another system's authorities or effectors |
Where it is used
Common questions
What is C2 integration?
C2 integration connects separate command and control systems so that data held in one can be used in the others. Espanaro's Consilium takes the data from an entire C2 system, decides by policy what is relevant and releasable to each other system, and shares it in a form that system understands.
Do we have to replace our existing C2 systems?
No. Consilium sits between your C2 systems. Each one keeps its own users, screens and authorities, and Consilium connects to it through its APIs, message bus, database or a vendor adapter.
Does every connected system see everything?
No. Policy and playbooks decide what each system needs, and attributes on the data, the receiving system, its network and its users decide what it may see. Every share and every refusal is recorded.
How is data protected when it moves between C2 systems?
ByteHarbour applies data-centric security to each item, so its protection and classification labels travel with it from one system to the next. Espanaro has demonstrated DCS Level 3 for documents and live video, not independently certified.
What happens when we add another C2 system?
It connects once to Consilium and joins the same layer. Its data can then be shared with every other connected system, by policy, without building a new gateway to each of them.
How do we get started with C2 integration?
Start with a discovery conversation about the C2 systems you run, what each holds and who needs what. We then connect two systems in a short pilot and expand from there.