As warfighters execute critical real-time decisions that shape the outcome of battles, the certainty of information conspires to slow and confuse that process. Warfighters need C2decision aids that permit the rapid assessment, planning, and execution of missions to ensure swift attainment of goals through constraint-based, information-intensive systems. These decisionmaking systems must organize, explore, and recommend options across a spectrum of military operations.
This subarea focuses on all elements of the decision-making process from tactical assessment, through course-of-action (COA) analysis, intelligence preparation of the battlefield, plan preparation, deconfliction, to rehearsal and execution. The major subarea emphasis is on acquiring, organizing, and manipulating information needed to dominate and neutralize adversary forces. This includes a real-time awareness of the location, activity, and intent of friendly, adversary, and neutral forces throughout the battlefield area, providing a common and consistent understanding of the current situation. One of this subarea's primary objectives is to achieve information superiority by meeting warfighter needs for a flexible command with a supporting information-presentation system that can be configured rapidly and a structure dynamically adapted to optimize force effectiveness and survivability. This subarea applies leading-edge M&S, computing, and software technologies to significantly improve warfighter performance by eliminating laborious, time-consuming manual procedures and processes that pervade U.S. operational assessment, planning, and execution. Computer-aided processes and procedures replace exclusively human ones. The warfighter is provided with an intuitive view of his battlespace, an enlightened perspective of information (C2, intelligence, logistics, weather, trends, expected outcomes, and other critical data), and the ability to explore alternatives in faster-than-real time (e.g., exploring 10-hour battles in several minutes).
3.1.2.1 Goals and Timeframes. The goal of the decision making subarea is to provide automated, real-time decision support to the warfighter. The warfighter will rapidly interpret and understand information provided to him through interactive 2D/3D presentation of the tactical situation (situational assessment cues identifying troop formations, site fortifications, potential problems, or interest areas). The commander will view relevant forecasts for weather, enemy intent, enemy strength over time, friendly strength, and logistics tail, conduct COA analyses, allocate resources, initiate a wargame (real-time simulation) to explore battlespace options, and collaboratively plan and rehearse battles. Such a capability will result in the precise direction of a diverse, synchronized task force armed with overpowering information superiority and decisionmaking capability. Table III-4 shows the goals and timeframes for the decision making subarea. Figure III-7 shows the decision-making technologies development roadmap.
3.1.2.2 Major Technical Challenges. The major challenges are as follows:
3.1.3.1 Technology Demonstrations. Technology demonstrations are scheduled for FY97 with the XVIII Airborne Corps and U.S. Atlantic Command (ACOM), Operation Joint Endeavor, 3rd Fleet, and the Army's Task Force XXI (TFXXI) experiment. These demonstrations will include collaborative planning, 2D/3D visualization and mission rehearsal, force synchronization, and dynamic force monitoring. Each program cited lists relevant demonstration opportunities.
Joint Force Air Component Commander. The JFACC program will streamline and revolutionize command and control of joint and coalition air forces through the incremental development, integration, evaluation, demonstration, and transition of technologies and systems. These systems enable new operational concepts for planning and execution that will significantly improve the responsiveness, efficiency, effectiveness, and flexibility of joint air operations. The resulting capabilities (1) transform air operations planning of the JFACC from a reactive, sequential system to one that provides continuous, near-real-time predictive planning, as well as rapid response to dynamic situations; (2) provide robust planning enabling rapid evolution of alternatives, with less human involvement during complex planning processes, and allowing rapid feedback on campaign accomplishment; (3) provide a JFACC planning and execution system that can be tailored to theater needs, with significant reachback capabilities where appropriate; and (4) provide a system that can support a range of operational concepts, especially decentralized execution of operations.
| Short Term (97-98) | Mid Term (99-01) | Long Term (02+) |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated multisensor air/land/sea picture on digital maps (theater and national products) with hyperlinks to multimedia information products. | Scalable, battlefield visualization shared across the joint force for plans, logistics, weather; real-time friend/enemy situational representation. | Fully automated, multidimensional, tailored, "virtual battlefield view" (100% consistent across echelons, measured against time). |
| Semiautomated, collaborative situational assessment. Semiautomated identification and force analysis tools. | Partly automated situational reasoning, target and threat analyses, decision making under uncertain conditions; automated "situation server" demonstration to support planning, replanning, pattern recognition, tactical picture management, intelligent cueing. | Fully automated situational reasoning supported by multimedia techniques for STS targeting, combat identification, multihypothesis data fusion, and resource allocation under uncertain conditions. |
| Planning systems of differing architectures interconnected for theater COA, campaign plan, battle plan, force-level air-mission plan preview in < 12 hours. | Cognitive decision support for distributed situational assessment, supported by dynamic 3D virtual battlefield displays. | Automated situation projection; fully automated links to planning, rehearsal, and other decisionmaking tools; automated warfighter cueing to prioritized issues. |
| Automated air operations planning aids. Semiautomated applications for COA analysis, time and event-based forecasting, route planning, and limited resource allocation functions. | Demonstration for distributed, cooperating agents and algorithms for COA generation and crisis response, automated plan generation, plan deconfliction, resource allocation, targeting, and weaponeering. | Joint, common-core mission planner with service-unique modules; compatible with COTS, DSS, and EIS products. |
| Semiautomated near-real-time dissemination of mission tasking and time-critical information; use DBS/ GBS with enroute C4I updates for replanning and rehearsal. | Fully integrated collaborative planning (planning support from remote anchor desks, split-base operations for logistics and asset visibility); distributed, in situ mission rehearsal. | Fully automated real-time situational assessment, forecasting, plan generation, resource allocation including weapon/target pairing, and mission rehearsal. |
| Demonstrate air battle plan repair for up to 25% of sorties contained in original plan. | Automated real-time dissemination of mission tasking, mission status and time-critical information. 2D and 3D perspective displays to aid rapid understanding of battlespace (less than 1 hour). | Fully interactive, distributed wargaming. |
| Limited real-time alerts or "pointers" to identify problem areas or areas of interest. | Replan entire missions across single echelon in less than 1 hour; integrate effects and constraints assessment from total asset visibility status changes. | Integrated all-mission, all-echelon replanning and execution (2,500-sortie integrated ATO regenerated and retasked at 1-hour intervals); fully automated and tailored displays based on echelon, mission, region and other factors; extensive use of intelligent agents. |
Advanced Joint Planning ACTD. AJP will provide ACOM, Joint Staff, and other CINC elements with an increased ability to rapidly plan, package, and deploy forces to multiple regional conflicts. The three primary areas of focus are on force readiness and deployment planning, force employment planning, and force rehearsal and evaluation. Technologies developed by DARPA and others will be tailored for this purpose, integrating and evolving operational concepts in close collaboration with operators and sustainers. This new functionality will provide a supported, leave-behind capability at ACOM. One of the components will be transitioned through the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) GCCS Leading Edge Services (LES) into the GCCS core service for application with other users. AJP addresses a different scope and echelon of planning challenges than JFACC and APPEX.
Dynamic Multiuser Information Fusion. DMIF will provide the joint warfighter with a clear and actionable picture of the battlespace. The program will develop advanced information fusion applications for transition to the service fusion systems (Army All-Source Analysis System (ASAS), Air Force Combat Information System (CIS), JMCIS, Marine Intelligence Analysis System (IAS), and Global Command and Control System (GCCS)) in support of joint force operations.
Battlefield Awareness and Data Dissemination ACTD. BADD is demonstrating advanced information integration, intelligent filtering, and high-bandwidth satellite communications to provide a consistent operational picture extending from tactical to theater levels, with different aggregations and views of the information for each echelon. BADD demonstrations emphasize advanced techniques for fusing, displaying, and aggregating relevant, multimedia information. A warfighter's associate (WFA) computer workstation is used to present tailored information to the commander and staff. WFA is based on COTS technology and will employ advanced, higher level applications for data and tactical visualization developed from the Army's technology base program and other DARPA and service programs.
Defensive Planning and Execution ATD. The DPE effort consists of two parts, an ATD and a follow-on development process that will support the integration of DPE capabilities into existing fielded systems. The ATD will reduce risk by developing and demonstrating an automated capability for force level planning and execution management of defensive counterair assets and active and passive defense assets (in conjunction with offensive assets) to be tasked with the destruction or neutralization of enemy aircraft and theater missiles. The follow-on effort will develop and integrate into components of the GCCS (1) effective (optimal) employment of air/ground surveillance, air defense, and attack operations assets; and (2) capabilities that support distributed, dynamic scheduling and target handoff by evaluating tactical-level capabilities, enforcing force-level management, and adhering to encoded doctrine while following joint rules of engagement (ROE) during allocation of weapon platforms across services.
Rapid Battlefield Visualization ACTD. The RBV ACTD will demonstrate the ability to respond swiftly to any global crisis, by rapidly mapping and developing a high-resolution digital map of the area of operations, and then employing that map in an advanced C4I visualization system. The RBV workstation will display terrain features, C2 environmental, cultural, logistical, and other relevant information in a 3D VR. The RBV workstation is a functional equivalent of the BADD WFA and, where appropriate, they are the same machine. Application modules for these workstations will be imported from the battlespace command and control (BC2) ATD. These include situational assessment; forecasting; COA analyses; collaborative battle planning, replanning, and rehearsal; wargaming; and execution monitoring. Current iterations of the RBV workstation are providing a limited set of the aforementioned functions to the XVIII Airborne Corps and ACOM in a series of live exercises. The BC2 ATD will support the RBV ACTD in demonstrating multiechelon, multiservice, multinational interoperability among the C4I systems cited above.
Advanced Logistics Program. ALP will develop and demonstrate software tools and protocols needed to gain control of the logistics pipeline and enable the warfighter to project and sustain overwhelming combat power sooner. Specifically, ALP will produce advanced information technology to put the right materiel in the right place, at the right time, while supporting the need to do so with reduced reliance on large DoD inventories. The program will develop a shared technology base of information manipulation and planning tools to support planning, execution, monitoring, and focused replanning throughout the logistics pipeline. This will be demonstrated through a system that tightly couples continuous planning and execution monitoring in an interoperable COA and logistics support environment linking CINC Operations (J3) and Logistics (J4) staff, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and U.S. Army Transportation Command (TRANSCOM). The program will focus on four main areas: (1) transportation tools to track assets and make smarter use of lift, (2) rapid supply services for faster and more flexible acquisition of supplies, (3) force sustainment planning and sourcing, (4) logistics COA feasibility planning that is linked to the war plan.
Battlespace Command and Control ATD. The BC2 ATD will leverage commercial and service systems and development efforts in advanced decision aids to provide an integrated, joint-force/coalition-force capability for commanders and staff. These aids include automated situation assessment, COA analysis, all-terrain route planning, force synchronization, limited interactive wargaming, and force monitoring. Coalition and joint service interoperability will be addressed at the protocol, message, and linguistics (COTS machine language translation) levels.
Joint Task Force ATD. The JTF ATD develops and demonstrates advanced technologies needed for defense operations for the 21st century. The program develops advanced information processing concepts to support a geographically dispersed staff for crisis management. These include an architecture and infrastructure, software tools, applications, and repository that can be integrated to form the foundation of a next-generation JTF C4I capability for planning, execution, and management of joint force operations including the areas of logistics, transportation, weather, and communications. This technology base will facilitate a scaleable joint planning, replanning, and execution system providing enhanced collaboration, visibility, and common perception of the battlespace.
3.1.3.2 Technology Development. The decision making subarea comprises three major technology activities: consistent battlespace understanding (CBU); forecasting, planning, and resource allocation (FPRA); and integrated force management (IFM). When integrated, they represent the fundamental C4I processes of "assess, plan, and execute." Technology is being actively pursued to achieve the goals outlined in Table III-3 above.
Consistent Battlespace Understanding. CBU is developing a capability to continuously acquire, fuse, and analyze multisensor, multisource, and multimedia data to form a coherent tactical picture. This tactical picture includes awareness of the overall theater and tactical situations of friendly, enemy, and neutral forces and an understanding of the constraints and environment in which they operate. Improved assimilation and a deepened understanding of the tactical situation will reduce casualties and fratricide, while ensuring a dominant posture for friendly operations.
CBU demonstrates technology that enables the commander to exploit and shape the battlespace by dynamically directing and integrating tactical and supporting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance resources for targeting, weaponeering, mission preview, battle damage assessment (BDA), and combat assessment. This capability provides end-to-end, task-synchronized, multimission support products to the warfighter to facilitate the application of precision weapons, precision forces, and rapid response. Some technical challenges are collection, exploitation and organization of information, quality assessment and correlation of information, intelligent filtering and preparation of information, fusion of the picture, presentation of the picture, and automated, collaborative situational awareness.
Forecasting, Planning, and Resource Allocation. FPRA is developing and will demonstrate a planning system that provides a core of integrated forecasting and planning tools to support the generation of joint plans across echelons, services, and mission areas. The goal is a 75% common planning system across the services, with a capability for service-unique applications that examine available information, forecast possible outcomes, and plan the allocation and scheduling of resources in pursuit of an identified mission objective. In collaborative planning, the impacts of planning at one site will be reflected at other sites to support coordination, deconfliction, and group decisionmaking. An objective is to achieve collaborative planning across distributed force and mission areas, within a 1-hour planning cycle, and deconflict, refine, preview, finalize, and update integrated plans within 3 hours.
FPRA focuses on distributed planning processes that provide look-ahead, multioption optimization of offensive and defensive strategy across time, space, resources, and EM spectrum. Subsets of this process include collaborative crisis assessment, target/shooter pairing and continuous plan generation, collaborative plan refinement, deconfliction, and evaluation. The process will also provide the ability to rapidly tailor systems and updates as stimulated by threat actions. Program examples designed to overcome existing FPRA technical challenges are battlespace commander's decision aids, joint force air component command, optimal route planning, and advanced joint planning. Within these and other decisionmaking programs, mission planning/rehearsal initiatives support forecasting and COA generation using knowledge bases and case-based, goal-based, and constraint-based reasoning. Real-time updates, mission evaluation, and wargaming will be used.
Integrated Force Management. IFM is developing advanced capabilities to dynamically synchronize and manage the execution of tactical operations across joint forces using intelligent, knowledge-based rules of engagement. The goal of this effort is to achieve fully synchronized friendly force activities, including real-time retasking and retargeting (with cued, timely delivery of the latest and best information) between distributed sensors, decisionmakers, and shooters. Fully coordinated operations across the force will result in faster adjustment of mission plans in a dynamic tactical environment and a reduction in casualties and fratricide.
IFM is developing a capability to recognize and predict enemy intent, collaboratively adjust and resynchronize forces, and integrate offensive and defensive systems across services. This supports force-wide coordination of scheduling, placement, dynamic tasking, and retasking of detection and engagement assets. ATDs and technology initiatives in IFM focus on the integrated planning and execution of coordinated operations at the tactical level (e.g., brigade, wing, battle group, and below) and explore detailed platform, weapons, and target models. In addition, sophisticated optimization algorithms are being investigated for achieving synchronized, coordinated tactics. Simulation support focuses on detailed event rehearsal and effectiveness evaluation versus aggregate-level attrition assessment. Some challenges for execution management are dynamic, broad-ranging monitoring and synchronization; development of effective knowledge bases for pattern recognition; and automated doctrine, resource reassignment and execution deconfliction, dynamic sensor-to-shooter targeting, plan repair, execution coordination, and context-based intelligence.
Small Business Innovation Research. Several interrelated SBIR efforts are being coordinated and focused on artificial intelligence/knowledge-based/expert-system-based approaches to automated situational assessment, COA analysis and recommendation, automated doctrine recognition, intelligent sentinels, and related technologies. Each of these developments will feed service programs through the DTAP, the decisionmaking web site, and collaboratory activities.
3.1.3.3 Basic Research. There are several critical ongoing research efforts required to meet the challenges of
Information Superiority,
Precision Force, and
Joint Readiness and Logistics technology areas. Rule-based, knowledge-based, and AI modules are required that can provide the intelligent agent functions for a broad spectrum of applications with imperfect data. Also required are 3D rendering algorithms that permit perspective viewing on a range of computer platforms from low to high end, and interactive force-on-force wargaming models to permit real-time simulation of potential battle actions and to explore related options.
