Post-Westgate SWAT : C4ISTAR Architectural Framework for Autonomous Network Integrated Multifaceted Warfighting Solutions Version 1.0 : A Peer-Reviewed Monograph

“Post-Westgate SWAT : C4ISTAR Architectural Framework for Autonomous Network Integrated Multifaceted Warfighting Solutions Version 1.0” : A Peer-Reviewed Monograph by Nyagudi Musandu Nyagudi – Security Analyst Nations are today challenged with multiple constraints such as declining population and financial austerity, these inevitably reduce military/security forces preparedness. Faced with well resourced adversaries or those of the asymmetric type, only a Nation that arms itself “intelligently” and fights “smart” attains advantages in the world's ever more complex and restrictive battle-spaces. Police SWAT teams and Military Special Forces face mounting pressure and challenges from adversaries that can only be resolved by way of ever more sophisticated inputs into tactical operations Lethal Autonomy provides constrained military/security forces with a viable option, but only if implementation has got proper empirically supported foundations. Autonomous weapon systems can be designed and developed to conduct ground, air and naval operations. This monograph offers some insights into the challenges of developing legal, reliable and ethical forms of autonomous weapons, that address the gap between Police/Law Enforcement and Military operations that is growing exponentially small. National adversaries are today in many instances hybrid threats, that manifest criminal and military traits, these often require deployment of hybrid-capability autonomous weapons imbued with the capability to taken on both Military and/or Security objectives. The Westgate Terrorist Attack of 21 September 2013 in the Westlands suburb of Nairobi, Kenya is a very clear manifestation of the hybrid combat scenario that required military response and police investigations against a fighting cell of the Somalia based globally networked Al Shabaab terrorist group. A theoretical solution by way of an Architectural Framework is rendered as a viable solution in this monograph. It seeks to eliminate the practice of procurement without empirically supported deliberation. Inappropriate procurement causes financial losses and inefficiency in tactical operations when a weapon system is fielded, with the overall result being loss or diminishing of sovereignty. Notably the most expensive and painful human endeavours are unplanned military/security operations. Weapons systems must be built with a wide range of operating environments and contingencies in mind, this can only be achieved if ample research precedes the design and development stages.