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Operation architecture plays a more important role in Network Centric Warfare (NCW), which involves dynamic operation networks with complex properties. Thus, it is essential to investigate the operation architecture under the informatization condition within NCW and find a proper network construction method to efficiently coordinate various functional modules on a particular situation, i.e., the aerial combat. A new method integrating the physical level and functional level of NCW is proposed to establish the operation architecture, where the concept of network operation constraints unit and net constructing mechanisms are employed to avoid conflicts among different platforms. Meanwhile, we conduct simulations to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of the constructed operation architecture and analyze the influence of the network parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the introduction of the concept of information warfare, the way military operations are done is changing quickly. Now, much more than it was in past, quick acquisition of information and effective decision making are crucial. Especially, these days the ratio of multimedia data is on the rise. A data management system has been put in place since the 1980s which encrypts information before storing it, and allowing only authorized users to gain access to it according to the proper procedures. In this paper, a secure and effective multimedia data management system that uses homomorphic operations is designed and implemented. By using homomorphic operations, it is able to quickly process stored ciphertext without a decryption process, allowing fast decision making after information gathering in a NCW environment. In order to assess the performance of the effective multimedia data management system implemented in this paper, it was compared to an ordinary system in which ciphertext has to be first decrypted before it can be modified. The secure and effective multimedia data management system for information warfare implemented in this study is highly versatile because any public encryption algorithm can be used, and has short response times thanks to the homomorphic algorithm which allows processing to be done directly on the ciphertext. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combat system-of-systems in high-tech informative warfare, composed of many interconnected combat systems of different types, can be regarded as a type of complex heterogeneous network. Link prediction for heterogeneous combat networks (HCNs) is of significant military value, as it facilitates reconfiguring combat networks to represent the complex real-world network topology as appropriate with observed information. This paper proposes a novel integrated methodology framework called HCNMP (HCN link prediction based on meta-path) to predict multiple types of links simultaneously for an HCN. More specifically, the concept of HCN meta-paths is introduced, through which the HCNMP can accumulate information by extracting different features of HCN links for all the six defined types. Next, an HCN link prediction model, based on meta-path features, is built to predict all types of links of the HCN simultaneously. Then, the solution algorithm for the HCN link prediction model is proposed, in which the prediction results are obtained by iteratively updating with the newly predicted results until the results in the HCN converge or reach a certain maximum iteration number. Finally, numerical experiments on the dataset of a real HCN are conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed HCNMP, in comparison with 30 baseline methods. The results show that the performance of the HCNMP is superior to those of the baseline methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been many research literature on traditional direct fire combat modelling. Recently, network centric warfare (NCW) is an active research topic, in which information plays more important role than in the traditional warfare. It can be easily agreed that the use of information affects the combat results greatly. However, it is not straightforward to measure the effect of the information, thus decision making involving the impact of information during combat is a non-trivial task. In this study, we propose a simple model for NCW modified from the original Lanchester differential equation, which can be used as a basic model for analysing characteristics of NCW. We derive some useful properties of the model in a special case. In order to solve the optimal fire allocation decision under this model in general case, we propose an algorithm based on reinforcement learning, followed by numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is about how the United States military has become dependent on networked technology. As arguably the largest contributor to national security, it has become so dependent that its chief doctrine integrates networked technology into nearly every specialty, with particularly intense focus on Network Centric Warfare. As the military’s old guard is replaced by the highly technical Millenial Generation, there is cause to pause when assuming this techno-acuity brings nothing but advantage and success. Vulnerabilities stemming from such extensive dependence offer opportunities for exploitation that have not gone unnoticed. The first step to moving forward from this point is to fully understand the extent to which the military has become dependent on computer networks. It might be the Millenials’ war today, but it would be quite unwise for the United States military to think about it and fight it in a purely Millenial way. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Network security is rapidly developing, but so are attack methods. Network worms are one of the most widely used attack methods and have are able to propagate quickly. As an active defense approach to network worms, the honeynet technique has long been limited by the closed architecture of traditional network devices. In this paper, we propose a closed loop defense system of worms based on a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technology, called Worm-Hunter. The flexibility of SDN in network building is introduced to structure the network infrastructures of Worm-Hunter. By using well-designed flow tables, Worm-Hunter is able to easily deploy different honeynet systems with different network structures and dynamically. When anomalous traffic is detected by the analyzer in Worm-Hunter, it can be redirected into the honeynet and then safely analyzed. Throughout the process, attackers will not be aware that they are caught, and all of the attack behavior is recorded in the system for further analysis. Finally, we verify the system via experiments. The experiments show that Worm-Hunter is able to build multiple honeynet systems on one physical platform. Meanwhile, all of the honeynet systems with the same topology operate without interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to bring into debate the tendency of defining and classification of warfare, as opposed to the practical element, planning and conducting war. Why do we need to define each conflict? Is warfare changing its essence? The answer is negative, so why is it important or where does the necessity to define each type of warfare rise from? How does a certain war classification help from the operational point of view? Why don't we find in military regulations steps or procedures for each conflict that the analysts are bringing into attention? Warfare is a way to clear up a political or geostrategic dilemma. Is that enough? Principles that describe the new warfare characteristics and typology are the result of the modern general laws of the military conflicts and the current and future society issues, and these bring into our analysis elements under continuing development and changes that are hard to define. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper describes the possibilities of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) employment where the radar sensors are part of it in the area of NEC (Network enabled capability) in armed forces domain. The main task is to discover the methodology of how to disseminate each individual UAV in 2D and 3D area in order to achieve the best estimate of target position. Each individual optimization strategy is proven by simulation in Matlab and based on the mathematical concept expressing the sensor matrix layout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Military operations are very complex undertakings. However, complexity is not a feature unique to military operations. When biologists wanted to understand the properties of gene mutation they also faced complexity. Confronted by a large number of genes featuring different characteristics, a difficult-to-decode interaction among those genes, and an environment that could not be excluded as a factor, Sewell Wright introduced the shifting balance theory, also known as the theory of the fitness landscape. The theory allows complexity to be seen as a process that rests on adaptation and mutation. These two processes are also central to military operations as it is imperative to offset the changing conditions coming both from the environment and the interaction with the enemy. In the article the author uses Wright's theory to help see military operations as a complex optimization problem that includes approximations and estimations regarding optimal values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tactical data links (TDL) are elements of C4ISR system, which provide a continuous data exchange in (nearly) real time about space, ground, air, surface and subsurface platforms including allied, neutral and foe units data. The main scope of TDL is to provide the operation monitoring capability (for commander) and to send particular commands and data (for subordinates), being one of the basic components of network centric warfare concept implementation. A TDL uses data link standards in order to provide communication via radio waves or cable to transmit, relay and receive tactical encrypted data. This paper aims to outline a comparison between the main TDL standards and their capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radar emitter classification is a special application of data clustering for classifying unknown radar emitters in airborne electronic support system. In this paper, a novel online multisensor data fusion framework is proposed for radar emitter classification under the background of network centric warfare. The framework is composed of local processing and multisensor fusion processing, from which the rough and precise classification results are obtained, respectively. What is more, the proposed algorithm does not need prior knowledge and training process; it can dynamically update the number of the clusters and the cluster centers when new pulses arrive. At last, the experimental results show that the proposed framework is an efficacious way to solve radar emitter classification problem in networked warfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the end of Operation Protective Edge in August 2014, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) claimed to have discovered and destroyed more than 30 tunnels spanning from beneath Gaza into Israeli territory. Hamas officials have praised these tunnels as an innovative approach to fighting an asymmetric war with a far more conventionally powerful Israel. The purpose of this case study is to examine the complexity of Hamas' vast tunneling network by assessing the motivations behind the group's decision to construct the network, to identify the factors that enabled Hamas to engage in such a complex engineering task, and to assess the level of effectiveness of the tunnel network both strategically and tactically against the IDF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the information age soldiers need to control combat operations, other than weapons, they need information and analytical tools for effective command in combat operations. This article focuses on the description of the properties of a probabilistic model for processing of sensor signals using a probabilistic model of recognition Custom/Foreign (Identification Friendly or Foe-IFF) and access to the current intelligence picture of the commander in the common operational picture (COP) for C4I2 systems. This view defines a comprehensive approach to processing of signals from the sensors using a probabilistic model of recognition Custom/Foreign (Identification Friendly or Foe-IFF) and access to current intelligence picture of the commander and the ability to use full access to information, use of common communication and information environment within systems to support command and control in the environment NEC to describe the relative information superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to show and highlight through an example, the relevance of designing a properly strategic communication model (SCM) in order to improve organizations efficiency standards when a sharing knowledge network is used. This example shows as well that even if this configuration upgrades the competitor s standards it will give as an answer the ontological foundations for the knowledge to be shared that guarantee the best practice involved in the framework of the Knowledge Management (KM process). The case of study takes advantage of some lesson from Network Centric Warfare (NCW) and the Network Enable Capability (NEC) systems to developed a Strategic Communication Model that looks for increasing the falcon breeding efficiency which it is a direct function of the falcons ight efficiency which creates a free wild-life area in the most sensitive airport locations and which is a priority concern of nowadays falconer's organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A myriad of applications and services of information and communication technology (ICT) has been developed in the past decades, within which networks are the fundamental architecture to connect people and things. As one of the network-based ICT applications, recently, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) cooperation systems have attached much attention due to their successful applications in complex military and civilian missions. In this paper, we propose a navigation data-assisted optimal opportunistic spectrum access scheme for wireless communications in heterogeneous UAV networks, to achieve maximized long-term data rate by flexibly scheduling the spectrum subbands. Thanks to the navigation data that is always available locally at the entities in the network, rough prediction of wireless link quality can be obtained to assist subband allocations. Furthermore, to formulate the optimal spectrum scheduling problem, we develop a parallel restless bandits model, which can reduce the NP-hard optimization problem to simply selecting the link with the minimum index in the online stage. Extensive simulation results are also presented to demonstrate the significant performance improvement of the proposed scheme compared to the existing one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory on the use of information technology in military operations assumes that bringing together units in an information network helps units to work together. Decentralized command systems such as mission command have been proposed for these networks, so that units can adapt to changes in their turbulent working environments. Others have proposed centralized command systems that permit higher organizational levels to closely direct military operations. This article uses Perrow’s (1984, 1999) Normal Accidents Theory to propose that increasing interdependencies between units in information networks places incompatible demands on the design of networked military operations. It is concluded that networked military operations require decentralized command approaches, butonlyunder the condition that interdependencies between modules of networked units areweakrather thantight. This precondition is essential for retaining control over networked military operations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The rapidly changing battle conditions in modern network-centric operations prescribe expectations for speedy deployment and nimble ad hoc reconfiguration of military networked teams. In this paper, a formal command and control (C2) structure is presented that allows for reliable ad hoc reconfiguration of tasks and resources of multiple simultaneous missions. Missions and assigned resources can be removed or added in an online manner without affecting other running missions. A mathematically justified software tool called the Reconfigurable Discrete Event Control (RDEC) is proposed by extending an existing framework using simple matrix decomposition. The RDEC effectively allows multiple fighting platforms of different interdisciplinary fields to join and leave the network easily in a “plug-and-play” manner. The proposed C2 structure is developed and demonstrated on a simulation study involving a Singapore armed forces team with three realistic attack missions. Extensive simulation results verify that the networked team is fairly sequenced and the missions and resources can be removed or added without blocking effects. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article examines the possibility for the Russian Armed Forces to adopt a network centric command approach and control principle. The core idea of network centric warfare is discussed, along with details on social, cognitive, and informational environments. The issues that hindered the development and operation of the concept in Russia are noted including legislative mismatches, the lack of adequate information support for the tasks, and low quality of automation and communication assets.

The article discusses the development of a distributed electronic warfare (EW) system based on the U.S. Armed Forces' Network Centric Warfare concept. Topics include the success of the Network Centric Warfare concept in the U.S., the joint operation of radio stations with commercial information transmission systems, and the feasibility of mobile self-configuring communication networks. Also mentioned is the introduction of programmable radio technologies.

Within the framework of the current revolution in military affairs, at the End of the Cold War a new concept was born: the concept of War Based on Computer Networking or NCW Network Centric-Warfare which was established as a central element of modern military operations Determined by the progress recorded in the field of communication systems of all types, technology of information (HI-Tech, IT), war based on computer networking brings a change in the war paradigm and its inherent components In this respect, logistics based on computer networking represents one of the ways in which the reality of the battlefield is preserved which enhances the joint perspective upon the military forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While information warfare (IW) has been treated by its foremost western proponents as a strategic revolution, the reasons for such a claim are actually rather weak if one considers how non-western approaches to the informational components of warfare have put forth their positions within a multidimensional context of strategy. This article ventures an Asian perspective that can potentially offer a more nuanced contribution to the study of IW. This article will pan out by first critically analyzing the predominantly American interpretation of IW as a set of five characteristics that can be contrasted to an Asian rival. Subsequently, we will elaborate a list of features likely to characterize a generic Asian IW approach, which I will argue, is more appropriately termed information operations (IO). These Asian IO features will be teased out through a reading of Sun Tzu, Mao Zedong, and Vo Nguyen Giap. An Asian IO approach will not distinguish wartime and peacetime applications, and neither will it place a premium on liberal democratic ideology as a basis for information superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Near-surface wave propagation at microwave frequencies, especially 2 GHz and above, shows significant dependence on atmospheric ducts that are the layer in which rapid decrease in the refractive index occurs. The propagating signals in the atmospheric ducts are trapped between the ducting layer and the sea surface, so that the power of the propagating signals do not spread isotropically through the atmosphere. As a result, these signals have low path loss and can travel over the horizon. Since atmospheric ducts are nearly permanent in maritime and coastal environments, ducting layer communication is a promising method for b-LoS communications especially in naval communications. To this end, we overview the characteristics and the channel modeling approaches for ducting layer communications by outlining possible open research areas. In addition, we review the possible utilization of the ducting layer in network-centric operations to empower decision making for the b-LoS operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]