Simulation Environment for Complex, Man-in-the-Loop, Real-Time Systems

As the United States strives to implement a more network-centric approach to warfare, solutions to improving system interoperability often overlook the consequences of system modifications on the more complex aspects of the battlefield environment. These complex aspects include strategic asset allocation; warfighter response, decision time delays, and workload; and communications bottlenecks. A method to effectively model a distributed battlefield environment that is able to capture and identify various metrics on issues such as workload prediction, system saturation, and asset cost and performance trade-off analysis would be extremely beneficial in reducing system errors caused by unforeseen effects of new network-centric technology. Through the use of the distributed battlefield environment simulation metrics, modeling of command and control (C2) networks would afford the Department of Defense (DoD) community the opportunity to utilize discrete event simulations to effectively reduce risk while enhancing interoperability. As an innovative approach to a C2 network environment simulation, Lakota proposes to develop an Open Architecture Battlefield Environment Simulator (OA-BES) that will be able to build upon discrete event simulations to form a setting that will allow a user to carry out performance trade-off and cost analyses of new system development through the collection and identification of various metrics.