Underwater Robots Part I: Current Systems and Problem Pose

International audienceThis paper constitutes the first part of a general overview of underwater robotics. The second part is titled: Underwater Robots Part II: existing solutions and open issues

1995 BRAC Commission

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport Detachment, New London, CT - Data Call 3. Box 184, L-116

A methodology for the quantification of doctrine and materiel approaches in a capability-based assessment

Due to the complexities of modern military operations and the technologies employed on today's military systems, acquisition costs and development times are becoming increasingly large. Meanwhile, the transformation of the global security environment is driving the U.S. military's own transformation. In order to meet the required capabilities of the next generation without buying prohibitively costly new systems, it is necessary for the military to evolve across the spectrum of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF). However, the methods for analyzing DOTMLPF approaches within the early acquisition phase of a capability-based assessment (CBA) are not as well established as the traditional technology design techniques. This makes it difficult for decision makers to decide if investments should be made in materiel or non-materiel solutions. This research develops an agent-based constructive simulation to quantitatively assess doctrine alongside materiel approaches. Additionally, life-cycle cost techniques are provided to enable a cost-effectiveness trade. These techniques are wrapped together in a decision-making environment that brings crucial information forward so informed and appropriate acquisition choices can be made. The methodology is tested on a future unmanned aerial vehicle design problem. Through the implementation of this quantitative methodology on the proof-of-concept study, it is shown that doctrinal changes including fleet composition, asset allocation, and patrol pattern were capable of dramatic improvements in system effectiveness at a much lower cost than the incorporation of candidate technologies. Additionally, this methodology was able to quantify the precise nature of strong doctrine-doctrine and doctrine-technology interactions which have been observed only qualitatively throughout military history. This dissertation outlines the methodology and demonstrates how potential approaches to capability-gaps can be identified with respect to effectiveness, cost, and time. When implemented, this methodology offers the opportunity to achieve system capabilities in a new way, improve the design of acquisition programs, and field the right combination of ways and means to address future challenges to national security.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Mavris, Dimitri; Committee Member: Bishop, Carlee; Committee Member: Brown, David; Committee Member: Costello, Mark; Committee Member: Schrage, Danie

Proceedings of the 8th MIT/ONR Workshop on C[3] Systems, held at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 24 to 28, 1985

"December 1985."Includes bibliographies and index.Office of Naval Research Contract no. ONR/N00014-77-C-0532 NR-041-519edited by Michael Athans and Alexander H. Levis

Hybrid architectural framework for C4ISR and Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) to support sensor-driven model synthesis in real-world scenarios

While the application of a time-step approach in modeling C4ISR in Missile Defense Warfare (MDW) suffers inaccurate time estimation and relative slow speed, Discrete Event Simulation (DES) can elegantly satisfy these shortages. However, current DES frameworks typically rely on detailed efforts in event analysis for numerous replications before software modification of the simulation scenario can be meaningful. Such approaches have limited adaptability, especially regarding flexibility of scenario design and customizability of entity definition. This dissertation proposes an improved DES framework, Adjustable and Extensible Modeling Framework DES (AEMF-DES), which embeds the primary principles of a topical theme into a program to perform adjustable and extensible studies that can be explored by the analyst. To prove the feasibility of AEMF-DES, a Missile-Defense Simulation application (MDSIM) is also developed during this research. MSDIM simulates the C4ISR processes in Missile Defense Warfare and can estimate the overall effectiveness of a defenders deployment or attackers strategy. Additionally, based on the interest in sensor deployment evaluation, a k-coverage rate problem is also studied. Current k-coverage algorithms can only deal with binary and omnidirectional sensor models which cannot provide enough simulation fidelity if higher resolution is needed. An improved k-coverage rate algorithm is proposed in this research to handle the probabilistic and directional sensor models. A separate simulation test successfully demonstrates the feasibility of this new calculation algorithm in estimation of the k-coverage rate problem with probabilistic and directional sensor models. Considered together, the architecture implemented in this example software illustrates the value of integrating hybrid simulation techniques to support C4ISR analysis related to Missile Defense Warfare.http://archive.org/details/hybridrchitectur1094537598Lieutenant Commander, R.O.C. (Taiwan) NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited