Open Architecture as an Enabler for FORCEnet Cruise Missile Defense

Advancements in missile technology have made cruise missile capability available worldwide. Current US naval weapon systems lack full interoperability across multiple platforms and full integration of detection, control, and engagement processes against incoming targets. The key to defeating future threats to our military assets is in gaining additional reaction time. This can be accomplished by leveraging collective sensor detection data throughout the battlespace, utilizing the FORCEnet data resources to evaluate the threat, and engaging the threat with a tiered defense. The objective of this capstone project is to address the above issues through the use of Open Architecture (OA) within a FORCEnet environment. This report focuses on the development of a conceptual architecture for Cruise Missile Defense (CMD) that combines FORCEnet architecture requirements with Program Executive Office of Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) OA functional architecture technical requirements. Further, this conceptual architecture is compared with PEO IWS's functional architecture via a series of systems engineering diagrams. These diagrams culminate in a simulation model that analyzes and determines the validity of the conceptual architecture. Results from the simulation model show that the conceptual architecture performed significantly better than PEO IWS's. These results are attributed to the addition of a re-engagement loop called Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA).