Net-Centric Collaborative Environment for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)

The execution of missions in the littoral environment significantly impacts the decision making process due to the closed-in environment which may limit maneuverability and the likelihood of multiple and diverse threats. These conditions drive the need to provide the LCS crews with critical information in real time and in a format that is readily discernable. To provide this information a collaboration network is proposed that distributes video, audio, as well as mouse and keyboard controls under an authority structure tailored for the needs of LCS. The collaboration network is built using commercial technologies and standards to provide performance at a minimal cost. The control and management of this collaboration network is being developed by the small business in conjunction with the customer to ensure that end users needs are met and all aspects of the problem have been addressed including Information Assurance (IA) and security.