The best way to describe WICS is to separate the system into its functional components. There are four basic components to WICS: Data Collection, Data Processing, Information Presentation, and Communications. Data collection involves all activities where data is collected. Processing is the element of the system that transforms data into useful and recognizable information. Information presentation involves the military user's ability to access information; it is the interface between the processed information and the user. The communications element involves all chain-of-command communications, the transmission of information from the system to the user, and feedback from the user to the system.

The timely access and global coverage advantages of space-based platforms will be particularly important in satisfying the demand for "in-time" information. WICS will use a constellation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, called LEO Harvesters, to gather and preprocess the data from a number of existing (in 2025) space- and ground-based data- collection sources. The sensors themselves could be commercially developed and operated as predicted by New World Vistas, ¹ or they could be owned and operated by the government. In 2025, data-collection systems will most likely be some combination of military and commercial.

The individual data-collection systems will be operated and controlled independently of WICS but they will be "plugged into" WICS by dumping the data they collect to the LEO Harvesters. It is anticipated that in 2025 these individual systems will include the general categories of weather, navigation, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Additionally a "self awareness" system could be implemented that would function as a space-based military traffic and logistics control system and would keep track of all friendly systems. An "enemy tracking" system could keep track of enemy assets, activities, and maneuvers. ² The basic concept of WICS data collection is summarized in figure 3-1.

The LEO Harvesters will receive periodic data updates from the individual collection systems via secure laser communications links. A laser communications system will be used because of its potential for increased bandwidth and security. ³ Lasers can offer increased data rates on the order of billions of bits per second. The increased security is a consequence of the smaller beam divergence angles, which make the signal more difficult to intercept. ⁴ Also, communicating at optical frequencies will inherently involve smaller components. ⁵ For transatmospheric links, one of several infrared (IR) wavelength bands can be chosen that fall within "spectral windows" that have a reasonably high atmospheric transmissivity (see table 2). Spectral windows also exist at other wavelengths. Visible bands (0.4-0.7 *m) will be avoided to maintain options for covert operations. Low-frequency signals should be avoided because they correspond to lower energy levels, resulting in an increase in atmospheric attenuation.

The type, quality, and quantity of data collected will depend on the capabilities of the individual collection systems. It is also possible that data-collection systems that exist today as independent systems could be combined in 2025 to form a multimission sensor (e.g., weather and reconnaissance combined). Regardless of what the individual collection systems look like, they will need to be only modified slightly to be compatible with WICS. They will each need to be equipped with a laser transceiver system, and each must be programmed to periodically "dump" their data to the LEO Harvesters via the laser link. When new collection systems come on line they can easily be "plugged into" WICS.

Remote-sensing satellites will not be the only means of acquiring information. Other data-collection sources will include standard intelligence operations (e.g., human intelligence, communications intelligence, etc.), unmanned aerospace vehicles (UAV) and remotely piloted vehicles (RPV), unattended ground sensors (UGS), sensors on weapon systems, and possibly other systems, depending on what is available in 2025. A summary of possible 2025 data-collection systems is given in table 3. Data collected from terrestrial systems may be periodically uplinked to the LEO Harvesters via a laser communications link.

On-orbit data processing is needed to quickly reduce, analyze, and format the vast amount of data that will be collected and to transform it into information that can be distributed and used. Processing data on-orbit will save much-needed time. Given sufficient technological advances (see chap. 5), ground-based processing, storage, and analysis will not be needed in 2025. Satellites today are used in a "bent-pipe" fashion in which data is collected and transmitted to ground stations for processing. This takes time. In 2025 this bent-pipe paradigm will be eliminated and processing will be done on board the satellites for faster delivery to the user. Basically the processors used by WICS will transform all of the collected data into information, the distinction being that information is the usable subset of the data (fig. 3-2).

WICS has two options for the processing: geosynchronous orbit (GEO) processing or low earth orbit (LEO) processing. GEO processing will occur in the following manner. After the LEO Harvesters gather and preprocess the data from the individual collection systems, they will uplink the data via a secure laser communications link to one of a number of GEO processing satellites, called GEO Processors (fig. 3-3). The GEO processors will have massive computing capabilities, and their positions in GEO will give global coverage with only a small constellation of satellites.

With sufficient advances in distributed processing technology, the LEO Harvesters could be used in a networked fashion to process the data and transmit the information product to the user base. To maintain coverage, many more satellites will be required for LEO-based distributed processing. This alternative is demonstrated in figure 3-4. One disadvantage of processing at GEO is the introduction of about a quarter second time lag for the signal to travel there and back. Regardless of the location of the processing, software updates to space-based processing satellites can be made easily, but it will be more difficult to replace hardware as it fails or becomes outdated. A cheaper and more responsive satellite development and launch system, therefore, will be necessary to provide the ability to easily and cheaply field and replace satellite systems as the hardware fails or becomes outdated. A summary of some of the trades associated with processing at LEO or at GEO is provided in table 4. The direction chosen will largely depend on the state of the art in processing technologies and also on the responsiveness and economy of spacelift capabilities in 2025 (i.e., our ability to field, support, and replace space systems).

Artificial intelligence (AI) will be used by the processing satellites to decipher duplicate or erroneous information; it will also act as a smart switchboard to determine and relay critical information to critical assets and to ground centers for further processing. AI will be used to create and prioritize information structures from the synthesized data. This will give WICS the ability to automatically determine what is critical and "tap" the user on the shoulder when there is trouble. An example of critical information would be updates on the positions and velocities of enemy aircraft or ballistic missiles. This information would be downlinked to the appropriate defensive systems.

A challenge for WICS will be to process the data from each individual system while keeping track of the separate applications and user requirements. Processing is very application dependent. Surveillance systems, for example, will require image processing to automatically detect and track potential targets. Here, a spectral "directed vision" concept could be used that would combine a low-resolution rapid area search to detect targets and a higher-resolution secondary system to interrogate reported target locations. ⁷

In addition to the processing done on-orbit, more in-depth human analyses may also be required. For this reason the data from the processing satellites will be downlinked periodically, or upon request, to ground-based processing centers for further analysis. Also, the system will be flexible enough so that the format of the processed data can be easily modified to meet changing user requirements.

The next step is to get the information from the processors to the users. There are two ways that WICS can make this happen. The first is a direct link from the processing satellites (either LEO or GEO) to critical assets to update critical data as it becomes available. The second way the information will be presented to the user is through the battlenet, a streamlined, computer-based, networked information data base similar in concept to the internet. Battlenet will manifest itself in different forms depending on the type of user. All users will have free and open access to the information. Information deemed critical will be updated automatically. Other information can be accessed on a self-serve basis.

Different types of users will have different kinds of information and mobility demands. The main user classes will be the NCA, theater commanders, battlefield commanders, and the troops. A common attribute of popular information systems is that user appetite often exceeds the system capacity. The result is often an overburdened, unresponsive, and clogged system. To avoid this problem battlenet users will access the system through one of many distributed "mirroring sites." These sites will be located at the battlefield level. Because they would be maintained in a distributed manner, there would be less demand on a single transmission path, thus minimizing bottlenecking. Stationary sites can be connected by fiber optics, which can provide extremely high bandwidth. Mobile platforms and individuals can tap into the WICS communications network that will act as an "internet in the sky." ⁸

At the NCA level the information flowing into the battlenet will be part of a larger war room environment. Battlenet information will support a number of activities including strategy development, battle management, keeping track of foreign and enemy capabilities, getting the latest in strategic intelligence updates, offering the means for secure worldwide communications. The battlenet will also give the NCA the ability to conduct high-fidelity war simulations and the capability to watch the war as it happens using a combination of real and virtual data.

At the theater commander level, battlenet will be an integral part of command center operations. Here, theater and battlefield commanders will use its information resources to select targets, conduct near-real-time battle damage assessment, track enemy maneuvers, and keep tabs on the weather. A virtual battlespace will be automatically updated to let commanders "watch" the conflict, make decisions, and implement them as necessary. Data collected and processed by WICS will be used to update terrain maps, targets, and structures in the virtual battlespace.

At the troop level the battlenet will be implemented as the personal interface card (PIC), a do-it-all credit-card-sized computer similar to the "wallet PC" envisioned by Bill Gates. ⁹ It can also be plugged into a weapon system, much like an automated teller machine (ATM) card, effectively making the weapon system an extension of the user, which will customize the weapon system to meet the individual user's needs and capabilities. PIC will update airmen, sailors, soldiers, and marines on their positions, update their weapon systems on the locations of targets, locations of service support (e.g., close air support), and provide a communications link. The layered information access requirements are summarized in table 5.

PIC will add to the tailoring WICS gives to different user classes by acting as an interface agent. A concept described by Nicholas Negroponte, interface agents are located at the receiving-end computing platform and will have the ability to recognize and present the data product in a manner that is most effective for a particular user. ¹⁰ The user and interface agent will have a symbiotic relationship that will build with each new shared experience. The use of interface agents is different from today's paradigm. The situation today is characterized by "dumb" computing systems that do not recognize or understand the needs of a particular user. In 2025 computers will know you much better. The agents will remember a user's specific needs and recall how those needs change under different circumstances.

WICS will handle data/information and voice communications differently. As previously mentioned, the transfer of information between collection systems and the LEO Harvester satellites, between satellites, and from satellites to the mobile users will be done through secure laser communications links. Voice communications up and down the chain of command will be handled through the use of commercial telecommunications satellites. There are many LEO communications systems currently being developed that should be operational by 2010. By 2025 these systems should be fielding their "block II" systems. Also, negotiations are under way today to equip these space-based networks with capabilities for laser communications. ¹¹ The Defense Department could negotiate to have secure military communications compartments on board. Near-real-time, two-way secure communications are needed at each user layer to communicate up and down the chain of command.

The idea of incorporating a commercially owned and operated communications satellite system into a military architecture raises the problem of the satellite system's becoming a potential target for an enemy antisatellite (ASAT) weapon. The "blackhull versus grayhull" problem, as it is commonly called, is neither new nor unique to space systems. There is a real possibility that the owner of a commercial or civil "grayhulled" satellite system, fearing its destruction, would not allow it to be turned into a "blackhulled", -- thus targetable-military asset by placing a military payload onboard. WICS could avoid the problem by employing a dedicated system, identical to the commercial system but owned and operated by the military. Not having to share the system with the commercial/civil community has obvious advantages in terms of available capacity and communications security. The drawback to a government-owned communications satellite system is that the military would incur system operations and maintenance expenses rather than merely paying for the development of a military payload and a "user fee." Another option is to take the opposite approach. The military could utilize the commercial system "as is," without relying on separate satellites or specialized payloads. This approach--the "hide in the weeds" option assumes the level of secure communications a commercial company would require is good enough to satisfy military requirements. While this is probably the least expensive option, the problem arises of maintaining the integrity of a secure network used concurrently by nongovernment entities. In addition, if knowledge of military use of the system reached an ASAT-capable enemy, it may become a target regardless of whether the system is wholly, partially, or not at all owned by the government. ¹²

Table 6 provides a summary of the revolutionary capabilities that the Worldwide Information Control System provides in contrast to the evolutionary path currently being pursued.

Like every other major advance in military technology, from the flintlock musket to the supersonic fighter, opposing countries will tend to develop similar systems in parallel and also look for ways to exploit the weaknesses of their enemy's systems. One possible countermeasure for WICS is an enemy ASAT that could take out satellites, ground segment, and/or satellite-to-ground links. ASAT tactics can take on many different forms, including active shoot/downs, jamming, communications interference, laser blinding of sensing platforms, and induced electromagnetic anomalies. ASATs are a concern because WICS will depend heavily on the use of satellites for data collection and processing. The use of large constellations of microsatellites would diminish the effectiveness of any type of practical ASAT weapon. The large number of satellites would provide redundancy and replacements could quickly be launched (given a responsive launch system). A ground-based backup system for processing the data will allow the flow of information to continue if the processing satellites fail or are attacked. The information baseline provided by the battlenet will not be affected except in the frequency of its updates. The satellites themselves can be protected through signature-reduction techniques, maneuvers, and other options to make them difficult to find, and/or an active threat-mitigation system (e.g., a space-based laser follow-on to airborne laser). Link disruptions will be mitigated because of the small beam divergence angles inherent with laser communications. This will allow for pinpoint delivery of the message (uplink, downlink, or cross-link). Additional message interception mitigation techniques like frequency hopping could also be used. On-board processing, autonomous satellite operations, and distributed user terminals will reduce the need for a centralized (i.e., exposed) ground system.

Another countermeasure facing WICS is an adversary's use of the system to enhance its own war-fighting capabilities. Because the side that best controls information in 2025 will have a distinct advantage, an adversary may be more interested in using the system than in disabling it. Undeterred access to the data from a fully functional database may be far more valuable to an enemy than disabling the system. Information-control technologies must rapidly evolve with the system as an answer to this threat. The key will be to design a system that can easily be adapted to negate countermeasures. Employing denial tactics can introduce errors or completely deny use of the systems to all who attempt to access the information without the proper access codes or keyed terminals. The use of laser communications will also help to prevent unwanted users from tapping into the system.

1

USAF Scientific Advisory Board, New World Vistas: Air and Space Power for the 21^st Century, summary volume (Washington, D.C.: USAF Scientific Advisory Board, 15 December 1995), 10.

2

Collectively these two systems will solve the friendly-fire problem. For example you could incorporate a system in a fighter that would (through the use of WICS) automatically be able to distinguish friendly assets from enemy assets and restrict fire mechanisms when a friendly asset is targeted.

3

J. Frascinella, "Laser Bridge Across the World," New Scientist, 17 June 1995, 25.

4

Morris Katzman, ed., Laser Satellite Communications, (Englewood Cliffs, N. Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1987).

5

R. M. Gagliardi and S. Karp, Optical Communications, 2d ed. (New York: John Wiley& Sons, Inc., 1995), 3.

6

New World Vistas, summary volume, 43.

7

M. R. Whiteley, "Non-Imaging Infrared Spectral Target Detection", Air Force Institute of Technology, masters thesis, 1995.

8

Carol Levin, "Competition Intensifies for Satellite Networks," PC Magazine, 12 March 1996. Available from http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/issues/1505/pcm00011.html

9

Bill Gates, The Road Ahead, (New York: Viking, 1995), 74.

10

Nicholas Negroponte, Being Digital, (New York: Vantage Books,1995), 150.

11

Frascinella, 25.

12

The "blackhull versus grayhull" problem was initially brought to the team's attention during the 2025 Advisors' briefing on 25 Mar 96.

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Contact: Air Force 2025
Last updated: 5 December 1996

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