Unmanned systems interoperability standards

Over the past several years, there has been rapid growth in the development and employment of unmanned systems in military and civilian endeavors. Some military organizations have expressed concern that these systems are being fielded without sufficient capabilities to interoperate with existing systems. Despite recognition of this requirement, interoperability efforts remain diverse and disjointed across the United States and internationally. The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Monterey, California, was sponsored by the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (JGRE) in Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) to explore (1) enhancement of robotics education; (2) improved representation of robotic systems in combat simulations; and (3) interoperability standards for military robotics systems. This report discusses work performed in FY16 to identify current and emerging interoperability standards for unmanned systems, including interactions of robotic systems with command and control (C2) and simulation systems. The investigation included assessment of the applicability of standardization activities in the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) in its development of the Phase 1 Coalition Battle Management Language (C-BML) and currently in-progress Command and Control Systems - Simulation Systems Interoperation (C2SIM) standardization efforts. The report provides a recommended approach, standards, activities, and timetable for a cross-system communications roadmap.Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise, 3090 Defense Pentagon, Room 5C756, Washington, DC 20301Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Coalition Battle Management Language (C-BML) Study Group Final Report

Interoperability across Modeling and Simulation (M&S) and Command and Control (C2) systems continues to be a significant problem for today\u27s warfighters. M&S is well-established in military training, but it can be a valuable asset for planning and mission rehearsal if M&S and C2 systems were able to exchange information, plans, and orders more effectively. To better support the warfighter with M&S based capabilities, an open standards-based framework is needed that establishes operational and technical coherence between C2 and M&S systems

Current and future efforts to vary the level of detail for the common operational picture

The Joint Staff developed the C4I for the Warrior Concept in 1992 which stated that the warrior needs a fused, real-time, true representation of the battlespace. To help accomplish this vision, the Global Command and Control System was created. It provides the Common Operational Picture described above, but only down to the level of the Unified Commander. This thesis is a comprehensive report that gives a complete review of the current situational awareness systems available to the commander in addition to current and future efforts to bring a common operational picture to all levels of command. These thesis is designed to give situational awareness to all levels of command. The detailed discussions in the thesis of these systems will help students and researchers in the Joint C4I curriculum at the Naval Postgraduate School develop a better understanding of the difficulties in getting a true common operational picture to all services at all levelshttp://archive.org/details/currentfutureeff00hageLieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

The Brigade Combat Team (BCT): A Revolution in Organizational Structure

This paper explores the U.S. Army’s force reorganization around the Brigade Combat Team (BCT), which began in 2002. The BCT shifted how various army units interacted by changing the echelon at which different types of units report to a single commander, essentially creating self-sufficient units of about 2,500 soldiers instead of the previous self-sufficient units of about 15,000 soldiers. This paper utilizes existing organizational theories and research to better understand the implications for such a dramatic change in organizational structure. It contextualizes the army’s reorganization by applying the Rational Actor, Political, and Bureaucratic Models outlined in Essence of Decision by Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow. These models help explain why the army found the restructuring necessary. In changing the organizational structure of the U.S. Army, some processes that existed prior to the BCT became less effective and arguably outdated, such as the army’s decision-making process and personnel management system. At the same time, the army instituted a new communications system which was designed to better integrate disparate units, but was also stymied by the outdated decision-making processes. After understanding these factors, this paper asserts that various new technologies have failed to meet their full potential within the BCT due to ongoing implications related to not satisfactorily adjusting decision-making, communications systems, and personnel management based on the BCT reorganization. These technologies include unmanned aerial vehicles, integrated communications networks, and a particular armored vehicle (known as the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle). This paper has implications for non-military organizations which have undergone or are examining the effects of structural reorganization

Constrained Cognition: Information Management and the Practical Limits of Nuclear Escalation Control

Nuclear escalation control theory rests on the idea that decision makers, in a limited nuclear war scenario, will choose their actions based on a rational assessment of the available information. That information essentially consists of intelligence reports about one\u27s adversary and information reporting the status of one\u27s own forces\u27 ability to execute offensive actions and the damage level of vital national targets. Yet the practical limits of managing the flow and quality of this information, coupled with the fog and friction inherent in human analyses, significantly affect the decision-making process vis-à-vis nuclear escalation. Hence, these limitations cast a pall over any military doctrine that relies heavily on the assumption that nuclear escalation can be controlled with precision. Examining information management during the Cuban Missile Crisis shows the practical limits of managing this information flow, which in turn limits the ability of national leaders to make such decisions properly

What Constitutes an Act of War in Cyberspace

In December 2005 a new mission statement was released by the Air Force Leadership, to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests...to fly and fight in Air, Space and Cyberspace. (Wynne & Mosley, 2005) With the stand up of the AFCYBER command and the use of cyberspace to carry out our daily mission the U.S. needs to have a clear understanding of what war in cyberspace looks like and what the laws are governing war in cyberspace. This research and it\u27s resulting data analysis is intended to provide a better understanding of what the current laws of war are and how they translate to cyber war and the complexities that exist, along with recommendation on future revisions of the laws

Return on investment in the public sector

In an environment of scarce resources and rising federal deficits the people not only expect, but demand greater accountability for the spending of public funds. This demand has created a trend in the public sector, not only in the United States, but worldwide as well, towards the importation of private sector business practices to improve accountability-oriented analysis. One example is increased emphasis on return on investment (ROI) analysis in public sector organizations. Development and application of ROI analysis is challenging in the public sector since most government organizations do not generate profit necessary for calculation of ROI in the manner in which it is done in the private sector. This thesis develops the methodology necessary for use of ROI analysis in the public sector. ROI methodology is applied for test evaluation with the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) in San Diego. The test demonstrates that ROI can be applied successfully to assess the relative efficiency of value-added work and to improve the process of choosing between investment alternatives. Properly designed ROI analysis reveals how and for what goods and services money is spent and provides a means for comparing the value derived from investment and work performed.http://archive.org/details/returnoninvestme109451317Lieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited