Dynamic Decision Support in the Advanced Tactical Architecture for Combat Knowledge System

As modern military systems demand faster reactions and become more mobile, the difference between planning and execution will fade until the planning process appears to merge with the battle management process. Continuous planning systems must be fast, intuitive, and accurate. In particular, the amount of information will be overwhelming and the number of options unmanageable for many future tactical environments. The Advanced Tactical Architecture for Combat Knowledge System (ATACKS) has been designed to incorporate both visualization tools and intelligent algorithms to allow for rapid visualization and decision making in these military environments. The work presented in this paper demonstrates how an external, intelligent system, in this case a system based on the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) framework, was adapted and successfully integrated with ATACKS to produce dynamic decision support for battlefield visualization in a distributed environment. The DEVS decision support application was designed to provide recommendations on the feasibility of proposed courses of action enacted in ATACKS. By querying the appropriate unit models, it derives the state of the current battle. Subsequently, DEVS uses its wargaming rules to formulate a Go or No-Go decision, which is communicated back to the commander working with ATACKS.