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The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is undergoing organizational and operational changes to adapt to new warfighting requirements in today’s world. The USMC Force Design 2030 describes new concepts, such as Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO), with a focus on reconnaissance/counter-reconnaissance and maritime interdiction. To examine and evaluate new concepts of operation, force structures, weapon systems, tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as other adaptations for such operations, the USMC requires models and simulations that can represent the full range of variations related to these expected changes. The Combined Arms Analysis Tool for the 21st Century (COMBATXXI) is a combat simulation jointly developed by the USMC and the US Army to support modeling and analysis. Developed over the past 20 years, COMBATXXI possesses many of the fundamental capabilities needed to study these new concepts but currently lacks realistic representation in some key areas, such as maritime surface combatants needed for examining critical aspects of the new role of maritime interdiction. Such representation requires platform identification, targeting, and assessment of damage that can lead to determination of their continued ability to perform operational missions. The purpose of this study is to examine new warfighting concepts related to EABO and to identify relevant modeling approaches using the COMBATXXI simulation. The study describes a modeling approach, initial implementation of that approach in COMBATXXI, and preliminary evaluation of the utility of the model for supporting scenarios and studies relevant to the new USMC concepts of operation. The study concludes with recommendations for follow-on work to further improve or employ the developed capability.

Project Summary: Ongoing Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) research in Network Optional Warfare (NOW) and shipboard light fidelity (LiFi) has shown that light communication has the potential to decouple personnel networking from sensitive shipboard networking. LiFi can also reduce significantly electromagnetic (EM) radiation and Telecommunications Electronics Material Protected from Emanating Spurious Transmissions (TEMPEST) vulnerabilities, thus, lowering probability of intercept as well as interference. Naval surface warships have typically upgraded onboard lighting systems to utilize light emitting dode (LED) fixtures that are themselves compatible with LiFi networking equipment. However, cable distribution for network data remains quite difficult and even problematic for nontrivial distances. Power line communication (PLC) offers the promise of avoiding separate cabling requirements, if lighting circuits can be adapted to support such networking without interference or impacts with other ship systems. This project builds on knowledge gained from associated optical signaling work performed by prior Naval Research Program (NRP) project NPS-17-N091-C and related research.

Project Summary: The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) has applied and integrated a wide range of open-source open- standards capabilities to support Navy and Marine Makers who are learning and applying three- dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM). Building on the work of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 3D Print Exchange (3dprint.nih.gov), the Extensible 3D Graphics International Standard (X3D) Model Exchange (ModelExchange.nps.edu) enables Navy and Marine Makers to learn how to find, share, produce, and print 3D models that impact the future of Navy and Marine operations. Whereas the NIH site is built using Drupal 7 with a "pipeline" for processing uploaded models, the Navy's X3D Model Exchange is developed with the latest version of the Drupal 8 Content Management System (CMS). This public-facing portal leverages the highly evolved NPS version-control repository (GitLab.nps.edu/ModelExchangeGroup) using best practices for Agile-software Development Operations (DevOps) progress to encourage broad partnerships and re-use. Security requirements are met through account management and Common Access Card (CAC) authentication of users. Version control ensures that all changes and incremental improvements are trackable, repeatable and fixable (if ever needed). Access control for administrators, developers, makers and the public ensures that models remain uncorrupted and only available to the appropriate community of users. This project reports on follow-on continuation of the design phase performed by preceding Naval Research Program (NRP) project NPS-17-N244-A.

NPS has applied and integrated a wide range of open-source open-standards capabilities to support Navy and Marine Makers who are learning and applying 3D printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing (AM). Building on the work of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 3D Print Exchange (3dprint.nih.gov), the X3D Model Exchange (ModelExchange.nps.edu) enables Navy and Marine Makers to learn how to find, share, produce, and print 3D models that impact the future of Navy and Marine operations. Whereas the NIH site is built using Drupal 7 with a “pipeline” for processing uploaded models, the Navy's X3D Model Exchange is developed with the latest version of the Drupal 8 Content Management System (CMS). This public-facing portal leverages the highly evolved NPS version-control repository (GitLab.nps.edu/ModelExchangeGroup) using best practices for agile developer operations (DevOps) to encourage broad partnerships and re-use. Security requirements are met through account management and Common Access Card (CAC) authentication of users. Version control ensures that all changes and incremental improvements are trackable, repeatable and fixable (if ever needed). Access control for administrators, developers, makers and the public ensures that models remain uncorrupted and only available to the appropriate community of users. This project reports on follow-on continuation of the design phase performed by preceding Naval Research Program (NRP) project NPS-17-244-A.

Naval air defense is a critical facility for ship survivability and has been subject of a number of studies. We investigate here three different approaches to modeling it with computer software. One approach focuses on the problems of information processing and communication for the air-defense team, and is good for analyzing its efficiency. Another approach focuses on the inference of the nature of observed tracks, and is based on the novel psychological theory of conceptual blending. A third approach uses an expertsystems approach that can learn from experience and be more substantially automated than the other two approaches. Each approach has its own advantages: The first provides insights for organizing and managing air-defense personnel, the second provides insights into cognitive biases in analysis that should be examined during training, and the third suggests a way to mostly automate the airdefense process to save money. This work suggests the value of multiple simulations of the same process when that process is important to understand.

Close Air Support (CAS) operations are conducted in highly demanding, dynamic environments. The effectiveness of the ground scheme of maneuver and the safety of its participants often relies on critical decisions made by the aviators in the air. Two factors have been identified as the most critical for the success of CAS missions: communication between the Joint Terminal Attack Controller or Forward Air Controller and the Close Air Support provider, and the capabilities of the pilot/CAS platform. In typical CAS missions, both missing and incorrect information conveyed via the communication channel has to be detected and immediately rectified while the pilot is operating the aircraft - this puts very stringent performance requirements on pilots. Training for CAS operations is therefore complex and time consuming. Current training approaches observe Cognitive Load Theory and a scaffolding approach, and guide trainees through a series of part-task training opportunities. This paper focuses on the two critical factors - the communications (practiced through instructor-driven 'chalk-talk' sessions) and procedures. As the number of available instructors is limited, currently perceived training needs are directed towards a stand-alone, part-task trainer that allows self-paced practice of standardized communication commands. The paper details our efforts in developing such a system: it includes task analysis, survey of the user domain, design and development of prototype system using commercial-off-the-shelf technologies, and a feasibility study with a review of system performance and an informal test with experts. The developed prototype trainer addresses the issues identified in the survey and adds technology-enabled training capabilities beyond traditional practices. An added level of real-time visual and auditory feedback supports effective acclimatization to the actual task and enables more realistic user interactions. We believe that once fully developed, this approac

The Navy small arms training and qualification instruction focused on dry fire and simulators should be utilized when available. However, naval personnel often do not have access to dry fire training opportunities and therefore may be at risk for losing perishable marksmanship skills. The purpose of the study was to determine if the use of a simulator is at least as effective in marksmanship training as traditional dry fire techniques. A between-groups study with a random selection of volunteers (blocked by previous marksmanship experience) was conducted to determine if participants who completed simulation-based training showed greater improvement and retention of marksmanship skills than participants completing dry fire training. The main measures were the qualification scores, average shot group size, shot group size and mean point of impact to center zeroing point length. The experiment utilized a simulated M9 Berretta for the qualification. Results demonstrate that simulation training improved performance on the seven-yard line to a greater extent than current naval training. Exploratory analyses suggest that simulation training may be most beneficial for lessexperienced shooters, and that a minimum of two weeks time is needed to detect group differences in the retention of skills.

The current generation of junior officers have spent the last ten years continuously deployed with tactical units focused on stability operations for both training and execution. This has led to a significant degradation in Major Combat Operations (MCO) planning and execution abilities at both the tactical and especially the operational-level. Faced with an unclear operating environment and a population of experienced combat vets, the senior military leaders must determine the training direction of the armed services. In a fiscally-constrained environment, web-based learning games can assist in rapidly bridging the gap between the familiar and unfamiliar at a lower cost and at increased adoption rates versus large simulations. This thesis describes the designing and development process of an original web-based wargame that familiarizes junior field-grade and senior company-grade officers on MCO operations at the joint level. The end state was the production of a completed paper wargame and a VASSAL module which adapted the paper version into an electronic form. Lastly, using HTML5, Javascript and mainly free-to-use tools, we created a prototype wargame that only requires a web browser for service members to play.

The use of the aircraft carrier has been the norm for delivering sizable amounts of air power swiftly to any part of the world. A capstone project, conducted by the system engineering curriculum, proposed to distribute the air assets from the aircraft carrier to multiple Expeditionary Airbases (EABs), which are land bases located within the operating theater. This thesis studies the logistical demands of the EABs, and adopts the Marine Aviation Logistics Support Program II (MALSP II) concept for the logistics supply of the Distributed Air Wing. Airship, fixed wing Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), and rotary wing UAV are explored as the main cargo transportation means. This thesis develops a vehicle routing optimization model to optimize the transportation fleet size and mix, and a discrete event simulation to analyze the logistics concept. Experiments are conducted to determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of using cargo UAVs, using cargo trucks as a reference for comparisons. All platforms achieved the three days’ turnaround time, as stipulated by MALSP II. The airship is found to be the most cost-effective solution. Rotary wing and fixed wing UAVs deliver their supplies much faster, but are more suitable for quick response missions, instead of large cargo deliveries.

The use of responsible autonomous systems may not be far away. Prior to developing or using responsible autonomous systems, it may be important to know if tactical leaders would make different types of decisions with automated systems than they would make with a human live crew. This work attempts to determine if decisions, time to make decisions, and confidence in decisions differ when tactical leaders rely on an autonomous wingman or a live wingman. Virtual Battlespace Simulation 2 was used to provide the virtual environment in which 30 military personnel completed a simulated mission that entailed five decision points. Participants were randomly assigned to have an autonomous or live wingman. Decision patterns were compared to a standard based on Army Doctrine for mechanized infantry Bradley sections and subject matter experts. Results indicated no significant group difference in decisions made, time to make decisions, and confidence in decisions. However, significant group differences emerged in the aspects of the wingman that participants trusted most and least. Although most participants indicated that they would not trust autonomous wingmen in real combat, results suggest that participants would revert to doctrinal decisions when faced with an unambiguous situation with an unmanned system with which they had some experience.

The modeling and simulation community has used probability threat maps and other similar approaches to address search problems and improve decision-making. Probability threat maps describe the probability of a location containing one or more enemy entities at a particular time. Although useful, they only describe the likelihood that the location is occupied without addressing the degree to which it is occupied. Thus, we investigate whether threat density maps that describe the searcher’s expectation of seeing a number of target agents at a certain location in a given time interval are a viable method for improving synthetic behaviors in combat simulations. As a proof of principle, this paper introduces a probability model which quantifies the searcher agent’s subjective belief about the number of enemy entities in a location, given the initial information described by a prior density function and the information provided by the assumed sensing model. In addition, this paper discusses a framework for initializing the model, as well as the model’s key advantages and current limitations.

This work focused on the design of a graphical user interface to improve instructional design models and decision support for Marine aviation training. Trainee performance data was collected, analyzed, and compared the results of a survey of instructor pilots to find correlations between the scores assigned and opinions on the critical items identified by instructors. This information was used to inform the design of a system that provides leadership with trainee trends in visual form. Such a system could allow for early training interventions for those who struggle and better training management for those who are excelling. Although this thesis focused on the aviation domain, this methodology could be generalized to any U.S. Marine Corps or military training evaluation system using a criteria-referenced performance rating system. The sample data did not provide sufficient statistical evidence to predict future performance; however, it was sufficient to provide a meaningful visual representation of performance trends. The results gained in the analysis allowed for recommendations on changes to the current evaluation system and improvements to the technologies used to inform decision makers. A prototype of the designed graphical user interface is presented.

The overall project is focused on the development of the curriculum for the new 38-Gulf Civil Affairs Officer training. This part of the project is focused on the development of a model that will be used in the classroom to help students understand the complexities of nation-state building and to refine their skills in managing the effort. The model will be a multi-agent based representation of the complex interactions and dependencies that must be carefully balanced to bootstrap a failed state back into autonomous nation-state-hood. The model is fundamentally an attempt to take our substantial body of qualitative 'lessons learned' and convert them into quantitative models that can be executed within a geographically contextualized simulated environment. Stable nation states are characterized as requiring five interdependent sectors by established and integrated. The challenge is keep the process balanced in a context which is often turbulently unstable. The developed model is expected to serve as a framework within which future lesson-learned and theoretical advancements can be integrated.

The goal of this research is to determine experimentally the best methods of training naval personnel in current and future naval surface warfare principles, practices, and tactics of electronic warfare (EW) and anti-ship cruise missile defense (ACMD), including both hard-kill (kinetic) and soft-kill (electronic warfare) in order to produce the most tactically proficient operators at the lowest cost. We are helping design and evaluate modifications to Strike Group Defender (SGD), a new game built for training surface personnel involved in ACMD, such as tactical action officers, EW operators, and other combat information center personnel.

High Power Radio Frequency (HPRF) weapons are being developed for the US Navy. To assess the utility of potential of these systems for surface Navy applications, a tool is required to simulate dynamic aspects of vessel versus vessel engagements to evaluate their effectiveness and the development of optimum concepts of employment. Such development may be aided by the use of modeling and simulation software capable of modeling the engagement of the HPRF platform and the threat in surface engagement scenarios. This project is a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award to WarpIV Technologies (http://www.warpiv.com) in San Diego, CA, with NPS as part of the project team providing multi-disciplinary technical expertise across modeling, environmental effects, visualization, statistical analysis, and HPRF physics. WarpIV will employ its high-speed, distributed simulation software as the underlying code base for the project. The MOVES Institute will provide technical consultation together with coordination and liaison with other disciplines at the school.

There are two main parts to the behavior development part of this project. The first is to develop tools and methodologies to facilitate building dynamic behaviors both for low echelon units and to control higher level maneuver. The second part is to use these tools to build specific behaviors in support of ongoing studies done at MCCDC. Most of the methodological developments are based on an extended notion of Hierarchical Task Networks (HTNs) that provides a way to structure complex behaviors and leverages the Simkit based event mechanism in COMBATXXI. The main goal of this work is to make the creation of these kinds of behaviors easier by providing tools that help visualize and structure the behavior logic in an easy to comprehend way and by hiding low level implementation details.

This thesis applies several Firepower Score attrition algorithms to real data. These algorithms are used in highly aggregated combat models to predict attrition and movement rates. The quality of the available historical data for validation of attrition models is poor. Most accessible battle data contain only starting sizes and casualties, sometimes only for one side. A detailed database of the Battle of Kursk of World War II, the largest tank battle in history, has recently been developed by Dupuy Institute (TDI). The data is two-sided, time phased (daily), highly detailed, and covers 15 days of the campaign. According to combat engagement intensity, three different data sets are extracted from the Battle of Kursk data. RAND's Situational Force Scoring, Dupuy's QJM and the ATLAS ground attrition algorithms are applied to these data sets. Fitted versus actual personnel and weapon losses are analyzed for the different approaches and data sets. None of the models fits better in all cases. In all of the models and for both sides, the Fighting Combat Unit Data set gives the best fit. All the models tend to overestimates battle casualties, particularly for the Germans, http://www.archive.org/details/fittingfirepower00goze, First Lieutenant, Turkish Army, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Tactical land navigation is a very important, but extremely difficult task performed daily by small unit leaders. In an effort to find ways to develop expertise more efficiently, a detailed description of expert performance is presented and contrasted with novice and intermediate performance. This definition fits the Recognition Primed Decision model of human cognitive behavior. Then, through use of the Critical Decision Method of knowledge elicitation, interviews with experts at the U. S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course formed the basis of a detailed cognitive model of expert tactical land navigation. Four important characteristics of experts emerge: (1) they rely on high-fidelity mental maps; (2) they blend multiple cues; (3) they adjust and recalibrate tools dynamically; and (4) they visualize spatial information. Finally, a multi-agent system computationally represents the route planning portion of the performance model., http://archive.org/details/representingtact1094532964, NA, NA, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Virtual environments have achieved widespread use in the military in applications such as theater planning, training, and architectural walkthroughs. These applications are generally expensive and inflexible in design and implementation. Re-purposing these applications to meet the dynamic modeling and simulation needs of the military can be awkward or impossible. Video games are designed to be both technologically advanced and flexible in design. We evaluated current games and modified Quake 3 Arena(Q3A) to serve as both an architectural walkthrough and a primitive team trainer. To accomplish this, we incorporated a real Naval Postgraduate School building into Q3A. We also modified the game's source code, characters and their behaviors, weapons models and characteristics, and overall game play. By re-purposing commercial entertainment software, we have produced a viable military virtual environment application that is less expensive yet arguably as engaging as current computer- based options. This application was created in approximately 300 man-hours with a cost of $6780 (including hardware); far less than the development time and cost of similar military virtual environment applications. Game evaluations included in this thesis facilitate and inform similar modification efforts by highlighting entertainment technology available in the year 2000 game market, http://archive.org/details/repurposingcomme1094526726, Lieutenant, United States Navy, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

This research investigated how different experts in a single domain chose their individual subjective evaluation criteria of a highly aggregate task based upon their individual differences. The Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) was utilized to provide a domain of experts and a subjectively evaluated task. 116 expert ship-handlers were investigated to understand how their personality affects their evaluation of a novice performing an underway replenishment (UNREP). The experts were issued a survey that inventoried their personality, UNREP evaluation criteria, and ship handling style. In general, the participant experts were lower in Neuroticism and higher in Extraversion and Conscientiousness than the average adult. Extraversion appeared to be correlated with the expert's desire to use sensory input as a critical evaluation criterion (p=.18) while Openness was correlated with analytical input (p=.16) and UNREP style (p=.16) as critical evaluation factors. Also correlated with UNREP style was Agreeableness (p=.16). Finally, the expert's level of Conscientiousness correlated with the critical evaluation criteria of analytical input (p=.17) and sensory input (p=.39). Results from this research provide insight to the link between observed behavior and its subjective evaluation and will allow COVE's programmers to develop an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) that will customize the automated training process, http://archive.org/details/theroleofpersona1094526741, Lieutenant, United States Navy, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

This research will produce a documented and tested methodology to apply Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) methods to decisions situations in order to expand mission command oriented analysis. Mission command features decentralized execution with subordinate commanders exercising disciplined initiative while acting aggressively and independently to accomplish the mission within the commander's intent. MCTS methods will be implemented in ASC-U, a model for scheduling UAVs using Discrete Event Methodology.

The research aims to gain insight into optimal wargaming decision making mechanisms using neurophysiological measures by investigating whether brain activation and visual scan patterns predict attention, perception, and/or decision-making errors through human-in-the-loop wargaming simulation experiments. We investigate whether brain activity and visual scan patterns can explain optimal wargaming decision making and its development with a within- person design; ie, the transition from exploring the environment to exploiting the environment. In this report, we first describe ongoing research that uses neurophysiological predictors in two military decision making tasks that tap reinforcement learning and cognitive flexibility.

This is the first phase of a two-phase project to develop and apply an XML data structure for capturing Virtual Battlespace (VBS2) scenario content. The work involves systems analysis and data modeling using XML technologies. Phase 1 (FY13) will focus on learning XML, XML schemas, and the Extensible Stylesheet Language for Transformations (XSLT), in addition to gaining familiarization with the VBS2 data structures and MSDL. The work will produce an initial XML schema describing VBS2 scenario data content. This project largely will be performed by two Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) graduate students (one Marine, one Army) in the Modeling, Virtual Environments, and Simulation (MOVES) curriculum, with assistance from research faculty for technical instruction, consultation, software development, and laboratory support. The students will address specific and cross-cutting issues of their respective services to maximize benefits to scenario interchange and resource reuse across both services, while also investigating acquisition policy issues for future affordability and open competition. Phase 2 (FY14) will extend and enrich the initial schema, and develop software to parse scenario data to translate from VBS2 to XML and vice versa.

Early Synthetic Prototyping (ESP) is a new concept the Army is exploring that will use game environments to assess novel designs and concepts early in the acquisition cycle. ESP is a process and tools that enable Soldiers to assess emerging technologies within game scenarios to provide feedback to decision makers. Acquisition, science and technology, and industry partners will develop scenarios and models and place them on the network for Soldiers to play and assess. This allows an unbounded increase in ideas to be explored at minimal cost. The goal is to engage the whole Army in defining the future of the Army and to ensure that the Soldier remains the centerpiece of future development.

This project utilizes engaging, strategic games to teach players about counter-terrorism tactics. The games teach the methods and mindsets of terrorist tactics as well as how to contend with them as players face off against each other. The games are developed with a combination of HTML, CSS, and Javascript to allow cross-platform web browser play.

Tasks at upper levels of sensor fusion are usually concerned with situation or impact assessment, which might consist of predictions of future events. Very often, the identity and relations of target of interest have already been established, and can be represented as relational data. Hence, we can expect a stream of relational data arriving at our agent input as the situation updates. The prediction task can then be expressed as a function of this stream of relational data. Run-time learning to predict a stream of percepts in an unknown and possibly complex environment is a hard problem, and especially so when a serious attempt needs to be made even on the first few percepts. When the percepts are relational \201logical atoms\202, the most common practical technologies require engineering by a human expert and so are not applicable. We briefly describe and compare several approaches which do not have this requirement on the initial hundred percepts of a benchmark domain. The most promising approach extends existing approaches by a partial matching algorithm inspired by theory of conceptual blending. This technique enables predictions in novel situations where the original approach fails, and significantly improves prediction performance overall. However an implementation, based on backtracking, may be too slow for many implementations. We provide an accelerated approximate algorithm based on best-first and A* search, which is much faster than the initial implementation., Presented at the 15th International Conference on Information Fusion held in Sinapore on 9-12 July 2012. Sponsored in part by Office of Naval Research and Office of Naval Research Global.

The individuals charged with the task of planning, developing and implementing force protection measures both at the unit and installation level must consider numerous factors in formulating the best defensive posture. Currently, force protection professionals utilize multiple sources of information regarding capabilities of systems that are available, and combine that knowledge with the requirements of their installation to create an overall plan. A crucial element missing from this process is the ability to determine, prior to system procurement, the most effective combination of systems and employment for a wide range of possible terrorist attack scenarios. This thesis is inspired by the work done by James Harney, LT, USN (2003). The thesis will expand the Anti-Terrorism Force Protection Tool developed during the original thesis by including the capability of testing force protection measures in multiple scenarios by utilizing models of force protection equipment and forces, virtual worlds of existing naval facilities, and terrorist agents that exhibit intent and behavioral characteristics which can test the effectiveness of the force protection equipment used. The result of this work is a scalable and repeatable methodology for generating large-scale, agent-based simulations for AT/FP problem domains providing 3D visualization, report generation, and statistical analysis., http://archive.org/details/evaluatingeffect109452645, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

A family of advanced weapon systems that deserves special attention comprises aerial autonomous weapons called Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), which are characterized by the ability to loiter in the target area, sense the targets, acquire the targets, and then engage them. Modeling this combination of capabilities in a specific operational setting is necessary for addressing design and operational issues of this weapon. This work focuses on the development of an analytic probability model that captures key aspects of the autonomous weapon systems' engagement process. Special attention is given to simultaneous attack occurrences, imperfect battle damage assessment, and attack coordination properties. The model is a continuous-time Markov Chain and for its implementation a state generator and an algorithm that computes the transition and limiting probabilities has been developed and programmed in Java based software. The Markovmodel derives values for several measures of effectiveness (MOEs), and the average engagement time. Different operational scenarios and design configurations are examined in a sample analysis to demonstrate the model's capabilities. Tradeoffs among sensing, data processing capabilities, vulnerability and lethality of UCAVs are explicitly represented with respect to selected MOEs., http://archive.org/details/designndoperatio109452015, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Currently, a gap exists between seminar-style shiphandling training and higher fidelity simulations available to the U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer (SWO). There is currently no individually accessible, low cost, intermediate level, interactive modality shiphandling resource that would allow SWOs to practice shiphandling skills without requiring instructor oversight. A student research team from the Naval Postgraduate Schools MOVES Institute exposed newly commissioned SWO students at the Surface Warfare Officers School to basic task scenarios designed to be complementary to material covered in their introductory course of instruction utilizing VSTEPs Ship Simulator Extremes game. The students completed the treatment task trainer protocol utilizing a Coast Guard High Endurance Cutter model and continued with the standard introductory course curriculum where they utilized the fully immersive Conning Officer Virtual Environment (COVE) shiphandling trainer. Students were later evaluated in COVE on their ability to maneuver a Guided Missile Destroyer, a similarly configured but larger ship, underway from a San Diego pier. The students exposed to the game-based scenarios performed at a statistically significantly higher level in the categories of Standard Commands and Margins of Safety Maintainedtwo key indicators of shiphandling proficiencyfollowing their normal course of instruction, than the control group. Also of note, the novice level students encountered difficulty in unlearning the handling characteristics of one model and learning a new one through the course of their instruction. Our findings suggest that an individually accessible, game based, shiphandling task trainer with ship models matching those found in the COVE and Full Mission Bridge would benefit newly commissioned SWOs by reinforcing classroom instruction. This trainer could potentially be used by SWOs of all skill levels as a self-study tool prior to participation in high level, fully immersive, and

The Marine Corps' Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) marries fly-in troops to their gear in an expeditionary environment. The arrival and assembly operation underneath this larger umbrella of MPF Operations proves itself a somewhat chaotic, definitively complex and dynamic logistics operation. From the moment the offload of the ship or ships begins when equipment and rolling stock exit the ships, until it ends as using units sign for their intended equipment, all personnel involved in this process--drivers, assistant drivers, heavy equipment handlers, crane operators, equipment managers--and all equipment involved present a flurry of activity that must be effectively managed, tracked, and optimized. Modeling, Virtual Environments, and Simulation, or MOVES, tools, aid in providing such capability. The creation of a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) using the open-source tool Viskit enables MPF planning, training, and analysis in its ability to portray the effects that size, amount of personnel support, and time have on the operation. Scenario Authoring and Visualization for Advanced Graphical Environments (Savage) comprises an archive of extensible three dimensional (3D) models that, when tied to the DES in an Extensible 3D (X3D) Graphics environment, enable the animation of the simulation, and when connected to real-world tracking data of the offload, allow for real-time visual tracking of this logistics process, creating a Common Operating Picture (COP) for the Arrival and Assembly Operations Group (AAOG)., http://archive.org/details/improvingmaritim109453731, US Marina Corps (USMC) author., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

This thesis done in cooperation with the MOVES Institute, The Information Age empowers individuals, and affords small groups an opportunity to attack states' interests with an increasing variety of tactics and great anonymity. Current strategies to prevail against these emerging threats are inherently defensive, relying on potential adversaries to commit mistakes and engage in detectable behavior. While defensive strategies are a critical component of a complete solution set, they cede initiative to the adversary. Moreover, reactive measures are not suited to quickly suppress adversary networks through force. To address this shortfall in strategic planning, the science of networks is rapidly making clear that natural systems built over time with preferential attachment form scale-free networks. These networks are naturally resilient to failure and random attack, but carry inherent vulnerabilities in their highly connected hubs. Taking the offensive against networks is therefore an exercise in discovering and attacking such hubs. To find these hub vulnerabilities in network adversaries, this thesis proposes a strategy called Stimulus Based Discovery, which leads to rapid network mapping and then systematically improves the accuracy and validity of this map while simultaneously degrading an adversary's network cohesion. Additionally, this thesis provides a model for experimenting with Stimulus Based Discovery in a Multi-Agent System., http://archive.org/details/redefiningttackt109451063, Lieutenant, United States Navy, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Research on animals has shown that injections of adrenalin paired with a learning experience improved memory retention. Adrenalin is a key hormone in emotional arousal and fight or flight responses. It stands to reason that emotional arousal (in moderation) may also have a positive impact on human learning. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the impact of emotional arousal on learning in virtual environments. An experiment was conducted to observe learning differences in a low-arousal condition and a high-arousal condition. A first-person shooter videogame (America's Army: Operations) was used as the virtual environment. In the low-arousal condition, participants wandered peacefully through a scenario memorizing objects they encountered. High-arousal participants wandered through the same environment, but were required to fight through the scenario while under attack. Results indicated that individuals in the high-arousal condition performed better on recall tasks immediately following the exposure and also 24 hours later., http://archive.org/details/theimpactofemoti109454425, Lieutenant, United States Navy, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

A common problem between Military applications and operators is the consistent and meaningful exchange of data. Currently, several models and simulations exist for the purposes of training and analyzing military data. Due to the absence of an agreed-upon standard with which to represent unit data, much is lost during interchange and applications are not maximized. This thesis is a step towards a solution. Extensible Markup Language (XML) technology has been widely accepted as a standard for representing information in such a way that it is self-documenting, self-validating and platform independent. By using the Command and Control Information Exchange Data Model (C2IEDM), formerly known as Generic Hub, and XML it is possible to develop a representation of unit data that is extensible and broadly useable by tactical systems and human operators alike. This thesis approaches the problem exploring the Model Driven Architecture (MDA) and the Extensible Modeling Simulation Framework (XMSF) as possible overarching architectural concepts for a global solution. The C2IEDM is used as the core data interchange model for this research and applies XML technologies, schema and the Extensible Stylesheet Language for Transformations (XSLT) to derive a formatted data representation that is acceptable within the Flexible Asymmetric Simulation Technologies (FAST) Toolbox. The transformation example serves as template for other simulation programs to follow for interchange through the common base model. This thesis shows that by using a common data representation like C2IEDM coupled with the power of XML and XSLT, unit information can be transformed and interchanged between applications. In order to accomplish this, an extensive analysis is done on recently performed and ongoing research as well as the development of exemplars to show how the proposed process is completed. The result of this work is a transformation of unit data extracted from an example C2IEDM instance file that is co, http://archive.org/details/designingcommoni109451410, Major, United States Army, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

The Cultural Geography (CG) Model is a multi-agent discrete event simulation developed by TRAC-Monterey. It provides a framework to study the effects of operations in Irregular Warfare, by modeling behavior and interactions of populations. The model is based on social science theories; in particular, agent decision-making algorithms are built on Exploration Learning (EL) and Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD), and trust between entities is modeled to increase realism of interactions. This study analyzed the effects of these components on behavior and scenario outcome. It aimed to identify potential approaches for simplification of the model, and improve traceability and understanding of entity actions. The effect of using EL/RPD with/without trust was tested in basic stand-alone scenarios to assess its impact in isolation on entities perception of civil security. Further testing also investigated the influence on entity behavior in the context of obtaining resources from infrastructure nodes. The findings indicated that choice of decision-making methods did not significantly change scenario outcome, but variance across replications was greater when both EL and RPD were used. Trust was found to delay the rate of change in population stance due to interactions, but did not affect overall outcome if given sufficient time to reach steady state.

Military plan validation is typically a long-drawn process requiring planners to validate their plans using anticipated scenarios or through military exercises. While military exercises provide realistic simulation of the plan, it is often the most expensive way of validating a plan. On the other hand, although using anticipated scenarios is relatively cheaper, the robustness of the validated plans is dependent on the extensiveness of the scenarios that they are validated against. This thesis explores the possibility of using a multi-agent system (MAS) to generate the aggressor's air strike plans, which could be coupled with a low resolution Discrete Event Simulation (DES) based air defense simulator to augment human planners in their plan validation. A MAS-based strike plan generator was built based on the tactics described in air strike doctrines. A DES-based air defense simulator was also built to provide an agent environment by modeling the behavior of air defense assets and their interactions with the aggressor's fighters. The resulting system demonstrates the ability to validate air defense plans using MAS generated strike plans and a low resolution DES-based simulator. It also provides a platform to assist air defense planners in foreseeing the action, reaction and counteraction dynamics of their air defense plan against a range of possible strike plans., http://archive.org/details/plvalidationusin109453768, Outstanding Thesis, Singapore Defence Science and Technology Agency authors (civilians)., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

This Thesis done in Cooperation with the MOVES Institute, Recently, a great deal of attention has been given to the use of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGS) for both gaming and military applications. The revenue generated by MMOGs and the effect that they have on the network infrastructure has resulted in significantly more developmental resources being applied to commercial MMOG technology than for military distributed virtual (DVE) development. All DVEs share a common set of characteristics, and additional requirements exist for the interoperability of military DVEs. It is possible to exploit these similarities to take advantage of developments in the supporting technologies of commercial MMOGs. Specific capabilities of interest include scalability for large numbers of players, capacity for large amounts of network traffic, portability across operating systems, and adaptability to connect diverse codebases, network protocols, and data formats. Project Darkstar is a Sun Labs research project, which has developed an open-source middleware for MMOGs. This thesis has produced and tests a MMOG server, which interconnects heterogeneous simulators in a DVE using the Project Darkstar middleware and locally developed network gateways. The performance of the system and the character of the network traffic it generates are analyzed. Initial test results warrant further development and eventual deployment., http://archive.org/details/integratingdistr109454631, US Navy (USN) author., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

The recently completed integrated project by the Systems Engineering and Analysis Cohort 15 at NPS has devised a regional Maritime Theater Security Force to conduct Phase Zero operations based on a tasking from OPNAV N8F. The force's airlift capability was identified as a critical component in the accomplishment of the missions and the required force structure was determined using a mix of mathematical and linear optimization modeling. The goal for this thesis is to develop a stochastic model using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) that can be employed to analyze the devised force structure's airlift operation performance at the operational/tactical level to augment the analysis work performed under that project. The intent is to provide a more complete solution for any stakeholders who want to take the project further to the next level. The resulting model demonstrates the ability to measure the airlift operation performance and provide insights into the operation workflow efficiency. The experiments conducted support the earlier findings on the devised Phase Zero force's ability to meet the most stringent mission requirements but suggested a different maximum airlift capability., http://archive.org/details/airliftoperation109454442, Singapore Defence Science and Technology Agency author (civilian)., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

The research presented in this thesis attempts to show how using a competitive approach to artificial intelligence (AI) design can lead to improvement of the AI solutions used in military simulations. To demonstrate the potential of the competitive approach, ORTS, a real-time strategy game engine, and its competition setup are used. To justify the thesis statement, a set of exploratory experiments are conducted. The experiments represent a tournament of virtual battles between base case AIs and test case AIs. The existing OTRS clients are used as base cases, and the test cases are evolved using the competitive approach to AI design described in this work. The analysis of the results from the tournament proves the advantages of the competitive approach. At the end of the thesis, some conclusions and recommendations for future work are made., http://archive.org/details/usingcompetitive109454150, Bulgarian Army author., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

This thesis addresses the development of a physically based modeling simulator for a ship in a 3-D virtual environment to be used in naval tactical training systems. The objective is to develop a computer simulation program in which physical models are implemented in order to achieve a realistic representation of a ship in a virtual environment considering its physical features in the presence of environment conditions including waves, ocean current, wind, fog and day/night issues. The simulator was developed by integrating five marine models with a virtual ocean environment created with a visual simulation builder tool. The marine models include a maneuvering model, a wave model, a wind model and an ocean current model. The numerical results from another complex wave model were also combined using linear interpolation to increase the realism level of the simulator. The result of this thesis shows that the integration of multiple models from different sources is a feasible approach to meet the application requirements. The result also indicates that the use of the interpolation technique to take advantage of complex models yields a simulator with acceptable level of realism while imposing very low computational load in the application program., http://archive.org/details/physicallybasedm109456269, Technologist Senior, Brazilian Navy, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

In a net-centric environment, data, tools and people operate in a distributed network. A key research question is whether a software framework can become so usable and intelligent that integration of web services can be done on-the-fly as self-integration. Given data, software agents and supporting software infrastructure, web services integration on the fly means that human coding is not required to integrate web services into a Web Service Architecture. This thesis explores a generic, flexible, scalable, usable and intelligent web services architecture framework that enables sharing and integration of data and tools on the fly. This software framework is a key enabler for systems of systems architecture in a net-centric environment. The envisioned Web Service Architecture Intelligent Framework (WSAIF) is applied to the Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation (MOVES) domain. Specifically, the framework is applied to provide the capability to search and retrieve visualization models and their matching behavior models in a collaborative environment. This thesis elaborates on the design, implementation, deployment and test results of web services for the Scenario Authoring and Visualization for Advanced Graphical Environments (SAVAGE) archive, which is a set of web-based 3D graphics models plus corresponding agent-behaviour models. SAVAGE web services can perform both "find" and "get" operations for models in the archives. SAVAGE web services operations can be composed to form business processes. These business processes can be expressed using modeling techniques such as Web Service Business Process Execution Language (WSBPEL). Future capabilities include semantic activities using Web Ontology Language for Services (OWL-S). The study and comparison of various modeling techniques that enable integration, orchestration and adaptation of composable web services is mentioned. The design and implementation approach matches industry best practices for information arch, http://archive.org/details/webservicesinteg109453758, Singapore DSO National Laboratories (civilian)., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

This thesis was done at the MOVES Institute, S). The result of this work was "a fully integrated, prototypical, Java-based application that demonstrates how various Open-Source, webbased technologies can be applied in order to provide the tactical operator with tools to aid in Force Protection planning" (Harney 2003). Following Lieutenant Harney, Lieutenant Sullivan added a great deal of functionality to the system by "providing the ability to evaluate security alternatives utilizing models of force protection assets, existing naval facilities, and terrorist agents" in a 3-D virtual environment with data collection for output analysis (Sullivan 2006). My work further expands the simulation's capabilities by adding the functionality to simulate small boat and swarm attacks against underway Arleigh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyers (DDGs) conducting straits transits using variable, realistic Artificial Intelligence (AI). The additional tools were designed specifically to evaluate current weapons and tactics by collecting data on saturation of crew-served weapons, engagement timelines, and lines of approach. This allows future researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of prototype sensors, weapons, and tactics visually or through output analysis in order to make more informed decisions regarding systems acquisition or doctrinal changes., http://archive.org/details/smallboatndswarm109453912, US Navy (USN) author., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Many discrete event simulation (DES) systems have been built using Simkit as the underlying infrastructure. Simkit advocates a modeling paradigm where DES applications can be rapidly built with simple, independent modules that are assembled in a component-like fashion. This modeling paradigm encompasses several modeling approaches--active role of events, entities as independent components, and chaining components to enable interactivity--that are excellent ways of building a DES system. This thesis is inspired by the great work achieved in the mechanisms of the underlying infrastructure. Detailed study of the enabling mechanisms and design patterns was conducted. Design patterns are proven design solutions that embody best practices of software-design concepts; this thesis proposes new design that incorporates suitably identified design patterns into the mechanisms of the infrastructure to bring out the elegance of design, robustness, and maintainability that heighten the maturity of a simulation engine. The result of this research work has been a success; several design patterns have been identified and incorporated into a new design of the mechanisms behind a simulation engine. A DES application that was built for the SEAs project was able to switch over to run on the new simulation engine while keeping its business model intact., http://archive.org/details/astudyonmodeling109453113, Singapore Ministry of Defense author (civilian)., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

In the physical world, humans gather valuable information about objects through their sight. Information on shape, feel and composition are seen long before the object is touched. This information is generated by light reflecting off the surface of objects. Despite the advancement of computer graphics due to increased hardware rendering capacity, the fundamental equations, which draw three-dimensional scenes, lack the ability to truly model realistic objects. Whether it is smooth like highly polished metal or rough like the shag of a carpet, it is the reflection of light that tells humans what a surface feels like. The attempt taken in this thesis to implicitly model the roughness of textured surfaces through examination of an explicit model rendered with the OpenGL lighting equation. This approach has the potential to successfully increase the realism of computer graphics without increasing polygon count required for explicit surface generation. Through simulation of an explicitly constructed rough surface followed by the analysis of the behavior of its reflected light, the initial behaviors of textured surface reflections are identified. While these behaviors are not enough to create corrections to the OpenGL lighting equation, they lay the foundation for further development., http://archive.org/details/analysisofroughs109452717, US Navy (USN) author

With the aim of creating a skill trainer of conceptual knowledge, what is the development process for ensuring the correct set of objectives are determined, matched to appropriate technology, and implemented? Months and years prior to the first instance of trainer use, the initial steps of the developer determine the end product s success. Computer based trainers fielded for use by the military are rife with poorly matched tasks to technology, often the product of contracts that begin with a list of high-level objectives imitating a detailed requirements document. In those cases, software developers are forced to make best guesses about how to meet those objectives. Is there a better method? We embarked on a project to create a trainer for the military aviation mission of Forward Air Control (Airborne) using a development process that first identified critical tasks, then matched technology to facilitate training those tasks, and finally allowed expert evaluation of positive transfer. We do not assume that our methodology which foregoes a comprehensive transfer study is the preferred approach; rather, in cases where such a study is not feasible, we assert that a good development process, reinforced with subsequent expert evaluation, is a comparable alternative., http://archive.org/details/clearedhotforwar109452643, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Maritime security has become an important security focus area, due to the impact that piracy and terrorism have on the global economy. There are many studies on detecting and engaging asymmetric threats in ports and waterways. However, the threats are typically modeled too simply, with predefined or random paths and fixed responses. There is a need to model representing dynamic, asymmetric threat behaviors so that future threat-response models will be a more realistic evaluation against a dynamically adaptive foe. Discrete-event simulation (DES) was used to simulate a typical portsecurity, local, waterside-threat response model and to test the adaptive response of asymmetric threats in reaction to port-security procedures, while a multi-agent system (MAS) was used to provide the complex adaptive behaviors for our threats. Cover and dynamic pathfinding were used with the sensor framework in Simkit to enhance the spatial interactivity of the agents. This study found that MAS asymmetric threats demonstrate greater flexibility of behaviors and show potential for adaptability. These dynamic asymmetric threats will enable simulation of a wider variety of maritime-threat scenarios, and play an important part in improving the plans for future maritime force and infrastructure configurations., http://archive.org/details/discreteeventsim109453153, Singapore Defence Science and Technology Agency (civilian)., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

lications, each of which can transform the data into their unique input requirements, using the XML family of specifications. XML validation capabilities ensure that data files can be error free, eliminating many runtime application problems. NSS is currently developed as an application that accesses information from a proprietary commercial object-oriented database that does not support XML interchange. Extending NSS to become an XML-based application is now possible using an XML schema that represents the NSS database. Because the proprietary NSS codebase is not readily modifiable, such XML scenario import/export is achieved via text -based data file conversions. Development of an NSS XML schema and exemplars opens up a powerful new direction for future work., http://archive.org/details/towardxmlreprese109456308, Commander, United States Navy Reserve, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

The Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Workbench (AUVW) is an ongoing project at NPS that allows rehearsal, real-time control, and replay of diverse autonomous unmanned vehicle (AUVs) missions. The AUVW increases the situational awareness of operators while allowing operators to learn valuable insights in a robots performance before, during, and after a mission. This thesis examines a variety of strategic authoritative plans for autonomous vehicles to determine functional mission requirements that autonomous vehicles are expected to be performing in the near future. Excellent agreement on tactical needs and requirements was found among these diverse documents. A series of exemplar missions corresponding to specific requirements are presented as a way to explore and evaluate different tactical capabilities. These missions are then compared to the current capabilities of the AUVW by planning, running, and evaluating them in the workbench. Although the AUVW is a powerful tool it still lacks some functionality to make it tactically usable. Nevertheless, perhaps two thirds of the necessary capabilities are already supported in the workbench and further capabilities can be feasibly integrated. The result of this work is a roadmap for future work to add functionality so that the workbench can thoroughly perform user tasks in all mission areas., http://archive.org/details/navyrequirements109453446, US Navy (USN) author., Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.