NETWORK-CENTRIC WARFARE TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

The efforts described in this Program Element (PE) address the Advanced Technology Development associated with the Network-Centric Warfare Technology Program that 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 PE 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, 2024
• Source ID: 0603766E_3_0400_PB_2024
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2022: Decrease reflects SBIR/STTR transfer offset by reprogrammings. FY 2023: Decrease reflects a Congressional reduction. FY 2024: Increase reflects initiation of the Banyan and Osprey programs as well as the scaling up of efforts in the Autonomous Multi-domain Adaptive Swarms-of-Swarms (AMASS), Assault Breaker II (ABII), Advanced Propulsors and Experimental (APEX), and classified programs.
• Service Agency Name: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Entities

Organizations

• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms
• Autonomy
• Energy and Power Technologies
• Ground and Sea Platforms
• Kinetic Weapons
• Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Artificial Intelligence
• Battle Management
• Command And Control
• Control Systems
• Defense Systems
• Fabrication
• Information Systems
• Internet Of Things
• Military Operations
• Navy
• Network Architecture
• Reliability
• Swarming Technologies
• Test And Evaluation
• Unmanned Surface Vehicles
• Unmanned Systems
• Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

Readers

• Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
• Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.

Technology Areas

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