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Decision Support for Geo-Enabled Battle Command

Eric Nielsen U.S. Army Topographic

Engineering Center

4 February 2009

Definitions

•  Command and Control – “The exercise of authority and direction…over assigned and

attached forces in the accomplishment of a mission” (FM 1-02)

•  Mission – “The task, together with the purpose, that clearly indicates the

action to be taken and the reason therefore” (FM 1-02)

•  Task – “A clearly defined and measurable action, activity, or event…” (FM 7-15)

•  The 5 W’s

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Geo-Centric View of C2

Beliefs and Assumptions

• Ubiquitous across C2

• Terrain and weather are fundamental enablers/constraints to force, system, sensor and soldier performance

• Military operations and behaviors are not random

• Warfighting Value: Knowledge > Information > Data

• Deserves the same rigor of “explicit, quality, consistency of representation” applied to other battlefield information

E SPT

x

HHC MI

x x

HHC

HQ

SNIPER

HQ

MGS

SNIPER

41 723 989 48 373 285 28 284 821

430 487

41

115

108

102

64

108

190

51

32

856+ 3537 3921

Tasks for every different unit type & echelon

106

Tasks – Engineered Knowledge

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Task-To-Terrain - GeoBML

•  Tier 1 - foundation products • Pre-computed for large Areas of Analysis

• Answer OAKOC questions

•  Tier 2 - mission or task specific • Based on Tier 1 Product(s)

• Cover smaller Areas of Analysis • Consider additional factors of METT-TC

•  Tier 3 – represent Command Decision • Informed by Tier 2 Product

• Generally have an associated Graphic Control Measure (GCM)

coarse fine

general / reusable mission specific

primarily static more dynamic

Tier

ed T

SO

Stru

ctur

e

Tac$cal Spa$al Objects (TSOs) provide the specific set of geospa$al informa$on necessary to support the decision maker

Tactical Spatial Objects

data Information

Tier 1 Tier 2

Tier 3

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Terrain Reasoning Informs Tac$cs and Opera$ons 

Observa(on &  Fields of Fire 

Concealment  Cover & Concealment 

Mobility Corridors 

Avenues of Approach 

Co & Bn Chokepoints 

Maneuver Network 

Network and complex data informs the development of more tac$cally focused and mission specific terrain products 

II 

CCP 

AA DOG 

An Example - 2/3 SBCT

2d Bn Commander wants to aKack to defeat enemy forces in OBJ O2. He assigns OBJ D1, E1 and F1 to companies D, E and F respec$vely.  

He wants F company to aKack by fire enemy on OBJ F1 so he requests BTRA to ini$ate the ABF engine. 

OBJ O2 OBJ D1 OBJ E1 OBJ F1

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2/3 SBCT ABF TSO Request

Example of TSO use (Attack by Fire)

•  Engine calculates potential positions for ABF

•  Considers –  LOS (Elevation/curvature) –  Target/Observer Height

•  Sample points within Objective area (OBJ F1)

•  Relatively flat terrain provides limited LOS

•  Concealment values evaluated, but not heavily weighted

•  Areas with no value as ABF show as clear

ABF Engine result

Objective F1

~1000m

~1500m

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Example of TSO use – Planning for F/2/3

•  Engine calculates potential positions for Attack By Fire (ABF)

•  Considers –  LOS (elevation/curvature) –  Target/Observer height

•  Sample points within objective area (OBJ F1)

•  Relatively flat terrain provides limited LOS

•  Concealment values evaluated, but not heavily weighted

•  Areas with no value as ABF displayed as clear

ABF Engine result

Objective F1

~1000m

~1500m

Tier 2 to Tier 3 – Graphic Control Measure

•  Examine ABF Engine result •  Eliminate inappropriate

locations/areas –  User decision based on

actionable information •  C2 application to designate

actual position •  Consider approach/ingress

ABF Graphic Control Measure

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CCP TSO generation Casualty Collection Point for F/2/3

•  Initial placement at ABF –  900 m circle for CCP

analysis

•  Consult Complex for – –  Concealment –  Reverse slope

900 m Initial CCP Location

TSO Enabled Reasoning Movement Planner generates route

•  F Company route from Assembly Area to ABF position –  Use Maneuver Network –  Most concealed route –  Avoid roads in urban areas

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TSO Enabled Reasoning Route informs decision

•  Concealment for CCP paramount – to include ingress/egress

•  March order •  Tradeoff: Change location

–  Simplicity – easier to implement from march

–  Security – concealment is equal to original position

•  Multiple, related TSOs = Better, terrain informed decisions

This is good, but…

Require additional functionality to dramatically increase speed and quality of command and control.

Geospatially Aware Battlefield Object (GABO)

•  Robust data structure for geospatial reasoning with military objects – –  Location –  Time –  Parentage/Order of Battle/Task Organization –  Capabilities of units/weapons –  Interaction(s) with control measures, organizations,

and forces •  Under development – Initial capability 4th Qtr, FY09 •  Integrate BML tasks to govern behavior of objects •  Implement JC3IEDM compatibility

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BTRA Battle Engine (BBE)

•  Fast COA development based on –  Abstracted battlespace –  Friendly/Enemy order of battle –  Dupuy-derived combat model –  Genetic algorithm

•  Delivers abstract COAs, requires: –  BML to generate comprehensive task (what) –  GeoBML for precise location (where) –  GABO to manage & display interactions (who/when)

- Styker Co. ordered to attack to seize OBJ

- C2 App generates route

-Minefield reported – intersects route - C2 app determines additional movement cost - Alerts user of route/time constraint

Task will not be completed in time required. Do you want to:

Re-generate Route Ignore Change Task

- Styker Company Continues to OBJ

GABO-BML C2 Use Case

Route re-generated. Do you want to:

Re-generate Route

Accept Route

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-Minefield reported – intersects route - C2 app determines additional movement cost - Alerts user of route/time constraint

Task will not be completed in time required. Do you want to:

Re-generate Route Ignore Change Task

Change Task - Do you want to change:

Time to complete Add Task Task Organization

User Adds “Breach Minefield” task

Recalculate time cost to OBJ

Attack Defend Move Breach Withdraw Delay Occupy AA

Symbol updated when unit completes Breach task

Stryker Company Continues to OBJ

Use Case – Task Change (add)

-Minefield reported – intersects route - C2 app determines additional movement cost - Alerts user of route/time constraint

Change Task - Do you want to change:

Time to complete Add Task Task Organization

-User queries for units with mine plows -Application identifies nearest unit, generates route

Route re-generated. Do you want to:

Re-generate Route

Accept Route

Define Command Relationship:

Attach TACON OPCON

- Engineer Platoon symbol disappears once co-located with the Company it’s attached to

- Minefield breached, Stryker Company continues to OBJ

Use Case – Task Org change (add)

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BML-GABO-BBE

•  Order-to-task •  Task-to-terrain •  Terrain-to-Abstract COAs •  Abstract-to-Refined COAs

–  Context-specific TSOs –  5 W’s

•  COA-to-Order •  Order-to-Subordinates

BM

L

Geo

BM

L

BB

E

GA

BO

BM

L

Result: Very rapid analysis, development and dissemination of plans and orders that exhaustively consider the full range of METT-T*.

* Civil Considerations – not yet implemented

Decision Support for Geo-Enabled Battle Command

Eric Nielsen U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center

4 February 2009

Questions?