The ALSP Joint Training Confederation: A Case Study of Federation Testing

The Aggregate Level Simulation Protocol (ALSP) resulted from a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to identify mechanisms suitable to facilitate the integration and interoperation of existing (so-called “legacy”) constructive training simulations. The Joint Training Confederation (JTC) – the primary application of ALSP – has evolved from two models in 1992 to twelve in 1997 and supports several largescale command post exercises (CPXs) each year, including the annual Ulchi Focus Lens, Prairie Warrior and Unified Endeavor exercises. Along with the Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) protocol efforts, the ALSP JTC serves as a key progenitor of the High Level Architecture (HLA). This paper highlights the testing approach used within the JTC and places it within the broader verification, validation and accreditation (VV&A) framework. The challenges presented by federation testing – some fundamental, others practical and programmatic – are