Command and Control Training in FCS Units with Manned and Robotic Elements

The FCS vision of future armored and mechanized military structure includes use of mixed teams of human and robotic forces on a dynamic, rapidly changing battlefield. This will require an overall force reduction with multiple entities controlled byindividual team leaders and multiple teams to be lead by higher-echelon commanders. To accomplish this, systems will have to be designed to require less human interaction and greater robotic autonomy. Successful implementation of this shift will requireautonomous and semi-autonomous robotic forces and a command and control infrastructure that will allow both human and robotic-teams to be controlled quickly and easily. Key to this will be the degree to which teams and individual robots are autonomous, andwhether the commander's human-machine interface is designed so the commander has superior control & awareness of the situation. The initial phase of this effort will determine whether an agent framework built around the three specified agent types(Tasking, Coordinating, Monitoring) can be constructed to add an intelligent abstraction layer between human military commanders and robotic battlefield entities. The focus will be to identify the human-interface issues, design potential solutions andcreate software that supports the commander's tasks and mitigates human performance limitations.The technical and theoretical accomplishments produced by this project will be crucial for successfully implementing the FCS force transformation vision becauseit will provide the multiplier effects necessary for optimal control of robotic teams. Other FCS command and control programs will thus be the primary commercial opportunity. In addition, the interface agent system developed for this project hasapplications in other domains with similar command and control requirements. Crisis management, for situations such as natural disasters, riot control, event or personal security, and terrorist attacks, where tight coordination of multiple cooperatingteams is crucial, is a key domain in which Cooperative Interface Agents for Networked Command, Control and Communication (CIANC3) technology can provide enhanced performance. Other domains include factory control and automation, mass transit management,and emergency room management.