Discrete Event Command & Control for Networked Teams with Multiple Missions

Abstract

During mission execution in military applications, the TRADOC Pamphlet 525-66 Battle Command and Battle Space Awareness capabilities prescribe expectations that networked teams will perform in a reliable manner under changing mission requirements, varying resource availability and reliability, and resource faults. In this paper, a Command and Control (C2) structure is presented that allows for computer-aided execution of the networked team decision-making process, control of force resources, shared resource dispatching, and adaptability to change based on battlefield conditions. A mathematically justified networked computing environment is provided called the Discrete Event Control (DEC) Framework. DEC has the ability to provide the logical connectivity among all team participants including mission planners, field commanders, war-fighters, and robotic platforms. The proposed data management tools are developed and demonstrated on a simulation study and an implementation on a distributed wireless sensor network. The results show that the tasks of multiple missions are correctly sequenced in real-time, and that shared resources are suitably assigned to competing tasks under dynamically changing conditions without conflicts and bottlenecks.

Dynamically reconfigurable command and control structure for network-centric warfare

“…In this section the rule-based matrix formulations of the DEC framework proposed in Lewis et al 11 and Pang et al 17 are briefly summarized. Basically, military missions are specified by mission commanders as a sequence of tasks that are triggered by certain events and require the use of certain resources.…”

“…C2 frameworks based on mathematical models ensure consistency, conciseness, and completeness of missions while avoiding bottlenecks and deadlocks in resource allocation. 11 Military strategists have primarily used Lanchester equations and game theory while planning battles against adversarial forces. 12 Colored petri nets model distributive decision making, 13 and have been proved to be useful but limited in their ability to adapt to online ad hoc reconfiguration of missions and resources.…”