Collaborative online communities for increased MILSATCOM performance

The Department of Defense and, subsequently, the U.S. Navy have embraced a strategy of exerting influence through information dominance versus amassing a large presence. This philosophy, called Net-centric Warfare, uses sensor and network technology to leverage naval platforms towards realizing effects previously achievable only by a larger force. In adapting this strategy, the U.S. Navy has realized many benefits, but has also increased its reliance on the technologies implementing Net-centric Warfare. One such technology is the U.S. Navy's future Military SATCOM terminal, the Navy Multiband Terminal, which will provide critical off-ship bandwidth required for these leveraging effects. The Navy plans to sustain the NMT system using the same methods as previous systems. When considering Operational Availability, these legacy methods do not adequately address attributes affecting system performance, creating a risk the NMT system will not perform as needed to successfully execute Net-centric Warfare. This risk can be managed by transitioning away from traditional methods to those utilizing online collaborative technologies. These technologies, coined 'Web 2.0," center around member participation to foster communities. Much like the philosophy of Net-centric warfare, these communities leverage the experience of individuals to the benefit of the entire community.