Date of Award

Spring 2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering

Program/Concentration

Modeling and Simulation

Committee Director

Andreas Tolk

Committee Member

Michael L. McGinnis

Committee Member

John A. Sokolowski

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.E53 D48 2008

Abstract

Command and Control (C2) systems are critical components in decision-making systems in both the military and civilian domains. These systems act as the data evaluation and dissemination tools for larger Command, Control, Computer, Communication, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Recognizance (C4ISR) systems. Typical C2 systems accept a wide variety of inputs from many sources such as radars, weapons systems, simulators, operators, and other C2 systems. The C2 system processes the input data and presents to the user information with which decisions are made. The C2 system also determines what information should be translated and disseminated to other C2 platforms.

The basis for interoperability between cooperating units (CUs) is the dissemination and sharing of information. In the military arena, C2 systems achieve interoperability by implementing an exchange of information over a Tactical Data Link (TDLs) such as Link-16, Link-11, Link-4A or Link-22. These systems each exchange information in a binary format as prescribed by the respective Military Standards (MIL-STDs) or Standards Agreements (STANAGs) that define them. Link-16 is a secure, jam-resistant, versatile, and widely used TDL system among branches of the United States military and other NATO countries. For these reasons, Link-16 has become the lingua franca of interoperability among tactical C2 systems.

While Link-16 provides a means for platform interoperability, the high cost, lack of modularity, and platform specific implementations have led to attempts to standardize and normalize information exchange between C2 systems. One of these efforts is the Joint Consultation Command and Control Information Exchange Data Model (JC3IEDM). The origins stretch back to 1976 and lay the groundwork for the Army Tactical Command and Control Information System (ATCCIS) in 1980. This voluntary, multinational effort led to the Land C2 Information Exchange Data Model (LC2IEDM), the predecessor of the JC3IEDM. In 2001, this effort merged with C2 data model efforts administered by the Multilateral Interoperability Programme (MIP) to form the C2IEDM. Then, in 2004, NATO signed a memorandum of agreement to collaborate with this effort to produce the JC3IEDM as a common information exchange model between command and control systems.

Within this thesis, an examination of key Link-16 messages will be applied to the fields and structures of the JC3IEDM to determine if the JC3IEDM is capable of interoperability with the Link-16 data model. The result is a mapping of C2 application data to a paradigm of distributed Modeling and Simulation (M&S). This mapping will serve as a basis for the extension of the JC3IEDM data model to accommodate the Link- 16 TDL message set.

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DOI

10.25777/7re1-xb07

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