Title: Case Study: Net-centric Mission Thread Modeling and Analysis

ID: 5519 Title: Case Study: Net-Centric Mission Thread Modeling and Analysis Abstract Text: AbstractText: Abstract The US Defense Strategy requires delivering the critical enabling capability to conduct network-centric operations. This strategy, being implemented via DOD Global Information Grid (GIG) initiative, significantly increases the acquisition risks due to increased complexities for the acquisition process, information system and operational concepts. Mission threads, widely identified as a desirable method to capture Department of Defense (DOD) acquisition requirements, use various non-executable static forms such as Microsoft Office products, Visio files and/or DOD Architecture Framework (DoDAF) products. These documentation methods make the mission thread development and maintenance highly labor intensive. These are not adequate to deal with the evolving mission thread complexities and require new technologies and processes enabling collaborative development, successive refinement and early verifications of GIG innovative information flow strategies via simulation. This case study establishes a need to model and simulate GIG mission threads and uses standard based COTS tools for a well known DOD Time-Sensitive-Targeting (TST) mission thread. It 1. Assesses OMG developed BPMN standard to address the evolving needs for executable DOD net centric mission threads to support the acquisition process. 2. Projects operational capacity of the current operational and system architecture in terms of number of targets and their inter-arrival times. 3. Evaluates the TST time for alternative information flows for a DOD well known F2T2EA (Find, Fix, Track, Target, Engage, and Assess) mission thread. The case study concludes that the BPMN Standard and its cost effective implementation in COTS tools such as “iGraFx for Six Sigma 2006” have reached the maturity level meeting the technology needs of DOD mission threads. Primary Author: Dr Prem P Jain MITRE Additional Author(s): Brian Pridemore