Adaptive Resource Management Architecture for Network Disruptions (ARMAND)

Electronic warfare (EW) measures are an integral component of threat suppression missions such as suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD). A successful EW mission requires an underlying communication network that remains operational even when under attack. The communication network must be able to support the distribution and fusion of data provided by networked sensors. The fused sensor data provides an accurate situational awareness (SA) of enemy capabilities, and is therefore a target for enemy countermeasures. To support EW mission continuity and success while fighting through network disruptions, we propose an architecture that allows seamless dissemination and replication of tasks over a dynamic network. Our architecture will support resource virtualization, so tasks are not tied to a specific physical resource. Overlay networks will provide an efficient and scalable communication scheme that adapts to changing network topologies and conditions, and provide redundancies in the event of network link failures. We will incorporate a prioritized fault tolerance scheme to protect critical tasks without overloading available resources. Also, a data fusion algorithm management module will select and execute the most appropriate algorithm within the general task management framework based on time and accuracy constraints given the current state of the network resources. BENEFIT: We expect the full-scope framework to have immediate and tangible benefit for a number of distributed military algorithms fighting through network disruptions. In particular, the framework will help the execution of data fusion operations in the EW community. The technologies developed under this effort will also be applicable to commercial efforts in the real-time resource management market.