Ed Sullivan

From Perception to Coordination: Advancing Edge-Based Warfighting for Marine Corps Operations

Modern Marine Corps operations are not constrained by a lack of data—they are constrained by the ability to turn that data into timely, coordinated ac…Modern Marine Corps operations are not constrained by a lack of data—they are constrained by the ability to turn that data into timely, coordinated action. In distributed maritime and expeditionary environments, the challenge is not collection, but r…Modern Marine Corps operations are not constrained by a lack of data—they are constrained by the ability to turn that data into timely, coordinated action. In distributed maritime and expeditionary environments, the challenge is not collection, but relevance, adaptation, and speed at the tactical edge.At TurbineOne, our work to date has focused on solving this problem from the ground up—starting with perception.Our Frontline Perception System (FP…Modern Marine Corps operations are not constrained by a lack of data—they are constrained by the ability to turn that data into timely, coordinated action. In distributed maritime and expeditionary environments, the challenge is not collection, but relevance, adaptation, and speed at the tactical edge.At TurbineOne, our work to date has focused on solving this problem from the ground up—starting with perception.Our Frontline Perception System (FPS) is deployed today and enables real-time, operator-driven Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) directly at the edge. Unlike traditional approaches that rely on centralized model development and static datasets, FPS allows Marines to create, refine, and deploy detection models in minutes to hours, within the operational environment itself. This ensures that what is being detected is not just technically accurate, but mission-relevant and environment-specific.This shift—from pre-built models to adaptive, operator-driven perception—has immediate operational impact. Units can respond to evolving signatures, novel threats, and changing terrain without waiting for reachback support. Detection becomes a dynamic capability, aligned to the fight as it unfolds. But perception alone is not enough. As the number of sensors and autonomous platforms continues to grow, the next challenge is how those assets are coordinated. Today, this coordination burden falls heavily on operators, requiring manual tasking, constant communication, and significant cognitive overhead—especially in contested and communications-degraded environments.TurbineOne is actively extending FPS into this domain through collaborative autonomy at the edge.By combining real-time ATR with lightweight, edge-based coordination, we are enabling systems to begin operating in concert—sharing detections, prioritizing targets, and supporting distributed units without requiring continuous human direction or persistent connectivity. This approach reduces the need for manual synchronization while improving the speed and coherence of operations across air, maritime, and ground assets.What we can provide to Marines today—and within the next year—is a practical step forward: ● Mission-adaptive ATR at the edge, created and refined by operators● Faster targeting and detection timelines, aligned to real-world conditions● Initial collaborative behaviors across distributed sensors and platforms● Reduced cognitive load in managing multi-domain assets● Resilient performance in DDIL environments, without reliance on cloud infrastructure These capabilities are being fielded and iterated now, with a clear focus on operational utility rather than theoretical promise.Looking ahead, we are building toward a more comprehensive system that enables perception and coordination through a single operational framework: Frontline C2.Frontline C2 represents the next evolution—not as a replacement for FPS, but as the system that enables it to scale. It introduces an edge-native approach to command and control that organizes information and action around areas of operation, ensures only relevant data is shared across the network, and aligns system behavior with commander’s intent.By incorporating agentic AI at the edge, Frontline C2 will allow missions to be decomposed into executable tasks, coordinated across distributed assets, and continuously adapted in real time—even in denied, degraded, intermittent, and limited environments.In this model, FPS provides the eyes and understanding, collaborative autonomy provides the initial coordination, and Frontline C2 delivers the structure and scalability to unify operations across the battlespace.The long-term impact is a shift in how Marine units operate: from manually orchestrating individual assets to supervising coordinated, adaptive systems that can act at machine speed while keeping humans in control of critical decisions.This is not about future concepts disconnected from reality. It is about building from what is working today—edge-based perception—and extending it step by step into a more capable, resilient, and scalable way of fighting.Everything we build is designed for the environment Marines will actually operate in: contested, distributed, and often disconnected. Not adapted from the cloud, but built for the edge from the start.The advantage will go to forces that can adapt fastest, coordinate effectively, and act decisively at the edge.TurbineOne is delivering that capability—today, and into the next phase of warfighting.Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More

Ed SullivanCol (ret.), USMC Principal, Business Development, TurbineOne, Inc.