Command Forces: An Extension of DIS Virtual Simulation

Command Forces (CFOR) is a concept that incorporates explicit modeling of battlefield command and control (C2) in virtual simulation. CFOR extends the Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) architecture by adding a new class of DIS entities (command entities) and explicit representation of the information exchanged among these entities (Command and Control Simulation Interface Language). Command entities themselves are structured in a layered architecture separating general DIS interface capabilities, command vehicle representation, command entity information services, and command decision making. CFOR utilizes the basic DIS virtual simulation architecture for platform ground truth information exchange and interaction (e.g., Entity State PDUs) and transmission of CCSIL (i.e., Signal PDUs). 1 Vision and Goal for CFOR Beginning with SIMNET, the promise of entitybased virtual DIS has grown. By providing a realistic, man-in-the-loop synthetic environment for training and concept evaluation, virtual simulation provides the opportunity for the DoD to experiment with real-life combat situations in a simulated environment, interacting with one another and with simulated entities representing friendly and opposing forces. A goal of DIS proponents is to represent increasingly larger-scale and more diversified military operations in virtual simulation, extending DIS to incorporate larger numbers of active entities and to represent a wider range of combat and environmental effects. They envision that commanders at all echelons, ultimately to the Joint Task Force Commander and his staff, will be able to operate in a fully virtual combat theater representing both conventional regional contingency operations and non-traditional military operations. By providing battlefield representation to the resolution of the fighting entities, this expanded virtual battlefield will provide a dynamic, realistic environment for exercising the next generation of military requirements. A key element in achieving this goal is the ability to represent both fighting forces and their commanders in software. Current semi-automated forces (SAFOR) development is recognized as providing a first generation semi-automated forces capability. SAFOR technology allows the virtual battlefield to be populated with a useful, but not exhaustive, collection of combat entities at the individual platform and small unit levels (platoons, sections, batteries, teams, etc.). To support extension of virtual simulation to largerscale applications, CFOR extends the basic DIS architecture to incorporate explicit, virtual representation of command nodes, C2 information exchange, and command decision making. 2 CFOR Technical Approach Extension of DIS to incorporate command and control is based on four fundamental ideas (see Figure 1). 1. C2 can be represented in terms of the interactions and behaviors of command entities The CFOR technical approach for incorporation of C3 into the virtual simulation environment is based on the close match between the real-world C3 process and the SIMNET/DIS paradigm. While C2 relationships are typically depicted in terms of the hierarchical relationships among commanders at different echelons, the physical instantiation of C2 on the battlespace can be viewed more directly as interactions among autonomous decision-making entities. The battlespace is composed of physical platforms (e.g., tanks, aircraft, ships). Each of these platforms has a physical representation and multiple behaviors. To the extent that a platform hosts a commander, it is also the locus of command decision making behavior, and can be considered as a "command entity." Command entities are virtual military decision makers at different echelons (see Figure 1). They might represent the individual or collec-