Utilizing Internet-Of-Things (IOT) Sensors or Similar Physical Sensing Systems

TOPIC SPONSOR: ACC/A22C

How can the AF leverage in-situ or fortuitously placed Internet-Of-Things (IOT) sensors or similar physical sensing systems coupled with cyber-surveillance to collect data and information to overcome barriers to physical proximity and access and coupled with cyber-reconnaissance to collect data and information associated with adversary personnel and systems in order to meet collection and observation needs, to capture essential elements of information, and to determine the state of key adversary indicators required to mitigate information and intelligence gaps?

• Ames, Lt. Col. Jacob C., "Ready for What? Considerations for Evolving Cyber Forces," AWC SSP, 2025, 30 pgs. 
  • Explains how cyber-reconnaissance is used to determine the state of adversary systems and mitigate intelligence gaps without physical access. It highlights how cyber forces use active scanning and native network protocols (like ICMP) to reveal opportunities for exploitation and identify adversary operational resources. Furthermore, it discusses how adversaries and cyber forces can purchase technical data on targets from private aggregation services or dark web black markets to complement their reconnaissance efforts.
• Bailey, Maj. Ryan A., "Command of the Air via Control from the Air: Evolution of the Core C2 Competencies Needed to Win Future Contested Operations," SAASS thesis, 2023, 100 pgs.  
  • Details how the military plans to fuse these disparate data collection methods into a unified "Internet of Things" to achieve decision superiority. It explains that the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) is an acquisition strategy focused on machine-to-machine connectivity, designed to connect every sensor to every shooter. This interconnected network will rely on a combination of organic, off-board, and tactical data link sensors to grant decision-makers real-time tactical battlespace awareness.
• Donoho, Maj. Rachel, "Connecting Everything to the Network Won't Make Warfighting Easier," AF Fellows paper (Idaho National Laboratory), 2024, 3 pgs. 
  • ​​​​​​​Warns that the military's push to integrate all systems into the Internet of Things (IoT) creates a massive, centralized vulnerability where everything could fail simultaneously. She outlines three critical flaws in this approach: the military prioritizes cost-efficiency over "no-fail" reliability for its networks, it dangerously assumes the internet will always be available despite adversaries inevitably targeting it as a center of gravity, and it creates a single point of failure by relying solely on standardized IP-based networks rather than investing in diverse transmission mediums like Radio Frequency (RF). To prevent catastrophic failure, Donoho concludes that the military must shift its communications paradigm, prioritize network diversity, and actively train personnel to operate their weapon systems offline.
• Galbraith, Maj. Shane, "EMS+COG-2.0," ACSC CAOSS paper, 2025, 20 pgs. 
  • ​​​​​​​This paper explains how every day, fortuitously placed IoT devices like smartphones can be leveraged for cyber-surveillance to overcome physical access barriers. It highlights a 2022 Israeli study demonstrating that a smartphone can be used to send or receive ultrasonic tones—imperceptible to human ears—to transfer data across networks and jump "air gaps". This illustrates how an unwitting actor leaving a phone in the wrong place can be exploited as an in-situ sensor for intelligence and counterintelligence operations.
• Khasilev, Eugene, "If Drugs Meet Digits: Anticipating the Adoption of Cybercrime by Transnational Criminal Organizations," AFGC thesis, 2024, 48 pgs. 
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Provides a concrete example of how cyber-surveillance can exploit ubiquitous, internet-connected systems to gather data on populations without requiring physical proximity. It details how malicious actors infiltrated electronic point-of-sale systems across numerous municipalities to monitor credit card transactions. This form of cyber-reconnaissance demonstrates how everyday electronic devices can be co-opted into a potent surveillance network to gather data in the information age.
• Klare, Capt. Christopher D. Klare, "Artificial Intelligence: Air Force Unprepared for 2025 Recommendation," SOS AUAR, 2021, 12 pgs.
  • Addresses how the military can deploy microscopic in-situ physical sensing systems, known as "Smart Dust," to collect data in denied areas. These microelectromechanical systems are only a cubic millimeter in size but can house cameras, environmental sensors, and communication mechanisms to transmit data. By connecting these sensors to the internet and teaming them with machine learning, the military can create a near-undetectable collection network that reduces the need for forward-deployed assets to physically access targeted areas.