Simulation-Based Decision Support for Command and Control in Joint Operations

ABSTRACT: Predicting and evaluating the consequences of tentative plans are essential parts of the decision-making in joint operations. Decision support based on simulation aims to facilitate these two activities. This paper first analyzes the decision-making and the generic planning process in joint operations. Based on this analysis, the paper describes both multi-agent simulation used to predict the consequences of tentative plans and multi-attribute evaluation to evaluate and compare the multi-attribute consequences based on the goals or objectives for the operation. It also clarifies the relationships between plans and agent models as well as consequences and utilities. In order to realize embedded simulation support, an architecture is suggested for network based Command and Control (C2) systems. As a result, this simulation based decision support will enhance the situation awareness by the ability to, not only present and explain the situation, but also to predict it. By iteratively using multi-agent simulation and multi-attribute evaluation in the different planning phases, the commanders will be able to verify and evaluate possible plans in different aspects such as opportunity versus risk, feasibility versus difficulty, task versus consequence, etc. Finally the iterative process leads to a deliberate plan. Therefore, the simulation-based decision support will become an essential part in future C2 systems