Research Summaries

Back Future Combat Systems – Data and Information Science Technologies as a Force Multiplier

Fiscal Year 2018
Division Research & Sponsored Programs
Department Naval Research Program
Investigator(s) Gallup, Shelley P.
Wood, Brian P.
Nissen, Mark E.
Sponsor NPS Naval Research Program (Navy)
Summary We are quickly approaching the point at which our current, hardware-centric approach to warfare will become inadequate. Even today, legacy combat systems are unable to handle the torrential flows of knowledge and information required for combat efficacy, and even worse, the current manner in which such systems are specified, designed, integrated and tested fails to address the kinds of flexible, composable, systems of systems that will be so critical for combat when these future systems finally become operational.
The Network itself is becoming the relevant “weapons platform,” capable of supporting decision makers in future conflicts where fast, reliable flows of knowledge and information comprise the critical edge required for success. However, it is critical to reexamine how future combat systems have their requirements specified, how they are designed and integrated, and how they are tested to support both human and machine decision makers in future conflicts. Digital and Information Warfare capabilities will be key to future conflicts, and they need to integrate seamlessly into future combat system designs. The current process is inadequate for the task.
We propose to examine how network-centric models and methods—which principally support the design and development of information systems—can be integrated with knowledge-centric models and methods—which principally support people making decisions and accomplishing work—to develop more appropriate approaches to combat system specification, design, integration and testing. By focusing on how performance enabling knowledge and information flows through human-machine teams, one can escape the kind of hardware-centric, engineering design practiced today, and through state-of-the-art techniques for the visualization, analysis and measurement of dynamic knowledge and information, we have the ability to assess, measure and compare the efficacy of future combat systems while in the requirements development stage.
Keywords
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal