NETWORK-CENTRIC WARFARE TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

The Network-Centric Warfare Technology Program Element is budgeted in the Advanced Technology Development budget activity because it addresses high payoff opportunities to develop and rapidly mature advanced technologies and systems required for today's network-centric warfare concepts. It is imperative for the future of the U.S. forces to operate flawlessly with each other, regardless of which services and systems are involved in any particular mission. The overarching goal of this program element is to enable technologies at all levels, regardless of service component, to operate as one system. The objective of the Joint Warfare Systems project is to create enabling technologies for seamless joint operations, from strategic planning to tactical and urban operations. Joint Warfare Systems leverage current and emerging network, robotic, and information technology and provide next generation U.S. forces with greatly increased capability, lethality, and rapid responsiveness. Critical issues facing this project are: (1) U.S. opponents using systems that are flexible, robust, and difficult to neutralize; and (2) U.S. doctrine that limits the use of firepower to lessen the impact of operations on noncombatants. These problems are magnified in urban and semi-urban areas where combatants and civilians are often co-located and in peacekeeping operations where combatants and civilians are often indistinguishable. Meeting these challenges places a heavy burden on joint war planning. Understanding opponent networks is essential so that creative options can be developed to counter their strategies. Synchronization of air and ground operations to apply force only where needed and with specific effects is required. This project supports all levels of the force structure including: (1) the strategic/operational level by generating targeting options against opponents' centers of gravity that have complex networked relationships; (2) the tactical/operational level by managing highly automated forces with tight coupling between air and ground platforms; and (3) the focused tactical level by developing platforms and tools, which acquire targets of opportunity and cue network-based analysis of likely enemy operations thus maximizing the effectiveness of ground forces in stability and support operations. The Maritime Systems project is identifying, developing and rapidly maturing critical advanced technologies and system concepts for the naval forces' role in today's network centric warfare concept. Improvements in communications between and among submarines, surface ships and naval aircraft have allowed these forces to operate seamlessly with each other and with other Service's network centric systems. Naval forces will play an ever-increasing role in network centric warfare because of their forward deployed nature, their unique capability to operate simultaneously in the air, on the sea and under the sea, and their versatile ability to provide both rapid strike and project-sustained force. The technologies developed under this project will capitalize on these attributes, improve them and enable them to operate with other network centric forces.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2023
• Source ID: 0603766E_3_0400_PB_2023
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2021: Decrease reflects SBIR/STTR transfer offset by reprogrammings. FY 2022: Increase reflects Congressional adds for Program Increase-deployable surveillance systems, ABII acceleration, and Ukraine Supplemental. FY 2023: FY 2023 funding increase reflects the fact that the FY 2022 President's Budget request did not include out-year funding.
• Service Agency Name: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Entities

Organizations

• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms
• Autonomy
• Ground and Sea Platforms
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Air Force
• Aircrafts
• Artificial Intelligence
• Command And Control
• Control Systems
• Data Analysis
• Defense Systems
• Fabrication
• Global Positioning Systems
• Information Systems
• Reliability
• Ship Design
• Test And Evaluation
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Unmanned Systems
• Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
• Warfare

Readers

• Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
• Military History / Militaries and War Studies
• Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.

Technology Areas

• AI & ML
• AI & ML - Autonomous Systems
• AI & ML - DoD AI Strategy
• Autonomy
• Autonomy - UAVs