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56-422: "In name only, Cyberspace had its origins in science fiction: its historical beginnings and technological innovations are clearly military (from NASA's primitive flight simulators of the 1940s to the ultra-modern SIMNET-D facilities in Fort Knox, Kentucky)..." - James der Derian, Antidiplomacy The MWTB started as the initial site of the SIMNET-D program in 1986. SIMNET-D was a spinoff of the SIMNET program, which

112-448: A 3D graphics consultant of Softtool Consulting. The graphics processor, the GDP, custom developed for SIMNET by Gary Wilson (Sr HW Engineer), won out over existing Silicon Graphics HW because of its low cost and because its architecture. It was the first simulator display processor to use a frame buffer and Z-buffer algorithms on a per display channel basis to show the simulated view. SIMNET

168-480: A company of SIMNET M1 simulators, augmented by a battalion of BLUFOR from the Semi-Automated Forces system. The LOSAT system, which used a hypervelocity kinetic-energy missile and a sophisticated fire control system, was evaluated for human-interface and system performance. The A2ATD program used a series of six experiments, along with extensive improvements to simulation technology, to demonstrate

224-781: A decade in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to BFT adoption by many users including the United States Marine Corps , the United States Air Force , the United States Navy ground-based expeditionary forces (e.g., United States Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) and Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) units), the United Kingdom , and German Soldier System IdZ-ES+. In April and May 2009, Pentagon and army officials announced that

280-527: A dense, urban environment. The Complex Web Defense Experiment examined the effectiveness of systems and tactics of a force composed of a Combined Arms Bn (CAB), one Stryker Infantry Battalion, Force Design Update (FDU) Reconnaissance Squadron, supported by appropriate joint and army enablers against a predominantly dismounted enemy that was embedded in a semi-urban environment. It was one of the first large distributed exercises using OneSAF with classified performance data. The Advanced Reconfigurable Research Tool

336-674: A force wraparound generated in constructive simulation with actual vehicles fitted with emulators of future C2 technologies on the ranges at Ft. Knox in real-time; this experiment examined workload and stress of crews of future manned vehicles under varied threat conditions. The Counter Insurgency Experiment was a large, multi-site exercise that included most members of the BLCSE . It simulated downtown Baghdad, Iraq, with US and Iraqi soldiers, Iraqi police, armed and unarmed civilians from several groups, like Shia and Sunni, and armed insurgents. It examined how Future Combat Systems technologies work in

392-407: A key enabling technology for SIMNET's on-ground point of view and large numbers of moving vehicles. Z-buffering is memory intensive relative to Binary Space Partitioning but was made possible in part because the cost of RAM at the time had dropped significantly in price. Z-buffering puts overlapping textured polygons in an order to be rendered, farthest from the viewer to closest. Depth Complexity

448-598: A lean management style, the site carried Garvey's initial philosophy to establish many of the concepts and techniques for experimentation using distributed simulation. The first use of SIMNET for Developmental Tests occurred in March and April 1988 at Ft. Knox and Ft. Rucker. These tests were feasibility studies to determine whether SIMNET could be used for Force Development Test and Evaluation (FDT&E) and Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E). A total of 164 soldiers and pilots from Ft. Bliss, Ft. Knox, Ft. Rucker, and

504-1109: A memorandum on 23 June 2009 that canceled the Future Combat Systems program and replaced it with separate programs under the Army Brigade Combat Team Modernization umbrella to meet the Army's plans. The following subsystems were swept into the Brigade Combat Team Modernization Program : FCS was networked via an advanced architecture, called System of Systems Common Operating Environment (SOSCOE) that would enable enhanced joint connectivity and situational awareness (see Network-centric warfare ). SOSCOE targets x86-Linux , VxWorks , and LynxOS . The FCS (BCT) network consists of five layers that when combined would provide seamless delivery of data: The Standards, Transport, Services, Applications, and Sensors and Platforms Layers. The FCS (BCT) network possesses

560-510: A point of view above the Earth's fixed surface, this technique is ineffective near the ground, where the order in which polygons overlay each other changes with the location of the point of view. It is also ineffective with a large number of moving models, since moving a model changes its depth coherence relative to the polygons representing the ground. In contrast, Z-buffer techniques do not depend on pre-computed depth coherence and were therefore

616-439: A strong focus on measurement of battlefield effects from Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) simulation. This was in marked contrast with the then-prevalent approach of using highly scripted, closed-form simulations, where the outcome was defined by the scenario designer. HITL provided an opportunity to evaluate new systems and concepts whose application was not yet fully understood. With an enthusiastic embrace of technical innovation and

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672-527: A variety of air and ground vehicles, some human-directed and others autonomous. Jack Thorpe of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) saw the need for networked multi-user simulation . Interactive simulation equipment was very expensive, and reproducing training facilities was likewise expensive and time consuming. In the early 1980s, DARPA decided to create a prototype research system to investigate

728-507: A virtual battlefield. SIMNET was developed for and used by the United States military . SIMNET development began in the mid-1980s, was fielded starting in 1987, and was used for training until successor programs came online well into the 1990s. SIMNET was perhaps the world's first fully operational virtual reality system and was the first real time, networked simulator. It was not unlike our massive multiplayer games today. It supported

784-531: Is composed of vector and speed elements). The SIMNET protocols provided that whenever the true state of a simulator deviated by more than a certain threshold from its state as computed by dead reckoning, the simulator was obligated to send out a new state update message. The use of SIMNET protocols and SIMNET-based training systems in the First Gulf War demonstrates the success of the SIMNET, and its legacy

840-481: Is created when rendering overlapping textures and if to great can cause RAM overloads. This is still true in today's real-time engines. The 3D Modelers who worked on the project had to take many new concepts into consideration when creating the environments and models. At that time, to transfer environment and vehicle model textures to the simulator the artist would burn the texture files to a prom device and install that piece of hardware into each simulator, on-site. All of

896-562: The 1st Armored Division . In August 2005, the program met 100% of the criteria in its most important milestone, System of Systems Functional Review. On October 5, 2005, Pentagon team recommended "further delaying the Army's Future Combat Systems program" in light of the costs of the Iraq War , Hurricane Katrina , and expected declines in future budgets. The Pentagon announced plans in January 2006 to cut $ 236 million over five years from

952-517: The Future Combat Systems Program. The application of widely distributed simulation to classified experimentation was highly developed during these exercises. The Urban Resolve 2015 was designed to examine Joint Urban Operations (JUO), Military Support for Stabilization, Security, Transition and Reconstruction Operations (SSTRO), and Major Combat Operations (MCO). The RUX06 was a true LVC event, combining manned simulators,

1008-789: The XM1100 Scorpion was established as a stand-alone program in January 2007. The Class II and Class III UAVs were canceled in May 2007. In June 2007, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticized the "close working relationship" between the Army and the lead system integrators. The GAO recommended the Office of the Secretary of Defense reassert its oversight authority and prepare an alternative should FCS be canceled. The Department of Defense agreed with

1064-551: The $ 25 billion FCS 2007–2011 budget. The entire program was expected to cost $ 340 billion. As of late December 2006, funding was scaled back for critical elements of the overall FCS battlespace, and the most advanced elements were deferred. Decreases in the Army’s funding and the high cost of developing the intelligent munition system caused the DoD to delete the project from the FCS contract, and

1120-697: The 2003 Federal Computer Week Monticello Award (given in recognition of an information system that has a direct, meaningful impact on human lives), and the Battlespace Information 2005 "Best Program in Support of Coalition Operations". The proof-of-concept success of FBCB2, its extensive testing during Operation Foal Eagle (FE 99, FE 00), its certification at the Fort Irwin National Training Center , and its proven field usage in live combat operations spanning over

1176-545: The 2D and 3D creation tools were written by the BBN programmers, in-house. They also created the simulator engine and networking software. SIMNET poster SIMNET video SIMNET used Z-buffer displays developed by Delta Graphics. Delta Graphics was founded by Drew Johnston (SW development), Mike Cyrus (President), both from the Boeing Aerospace Company/Graphics Lab, and Jay Beck (CTO and VP),

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1232-649: The Army and Air National Guard participated. The most important early user of the MWTB was the Combat Vehicle Command and Control (CVCC) series of experiments by Army Research Institute that examined various aspects of the proposed upgrades to the M1A1 tank, including computerized navigation and digital command-and-control. They were instrumental in developing the training plans for the M1A2. The experiments used

1288-754: The Army, and on the use of related future systems, like remote sensors and precision fires. It helped pave the way for the Future Combat Systems program. It fostered numerous innovations, like the development of automated mechanisms for evaluating the performance of the command staff, examination of how situational awareness uncertainty affects decision making, information request, and staff dynamics, development of training programs for digital forces along with redesigned command staff processes for optimally efficient use of digital C2 systems, and aggressive employments of image generation and HLA networking. The Battlefield Combat Identification System (BCIS)

1344-483: The DoD commenced the development and demonstration phase in a $ 14.92 billion contract. As planned, FCS included the network; unattended ground sensors (UGS); unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); unmanned ground vehicles; and the eight manned ground vehicles . The Boeing Company and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) worked together as the lead systems integrators, coordinating more than 550 contractors and subcontractors in 41 states. A spiral model

1400-584: The Exercise Manager, and the NetRouter, allowed Tech Control personnel to manage large exercises like COIN with high simulation availability. Data Collection and Analysis was primarily based on the collection and correlation of network simulation traffic (DIS PDUs). The data were written to flat files or directly to a Relational Database where they were further processed and analyzed to produce charts, graphs, tables, spreadsheets and presentations for

1456-643: The FCS Analysis of Alternatives and the Operational and Objective (O&O) analysis to support the FCS Milestone B decision. The experiment was conducted in a human-in-the-loop, simulation supported, secure environment. The experiment focused on the issues of battle command and how it affected measures of force effectiveness. The Omni-Fusion experiments built on the concepts of Battle Command Re-Engineering and C4ISR to refine designs and concepts for

1512-950: The FCS vehicle-development effort would be canceled. The rest of the FCS effort would be swept into a new, pan-army program called the Army Brigade Combat Team Modernization Program . The early joint DARPA–Army Future Combat Systems program to replace the M1 Abrams main battle tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicles envisioned robotic vehicles weighing under six tons each and controlled remotely by manned command and control vehicles. In February 2001 DARPA awarded $ 5.5 million to eight teams to develop unmanned ground combat vehicles (UGCV). Teams led by General Dynamics Land Systems , Carnegie Mellon University , and Omnitech Robotics were awarded nearly $ 1 million each to develop UGCVs prototypes. Five other teams were to develop UGCVs payloads. In May 2003

1568-523: The NetFires system for semi-automated fire support. Multiple SA Servers could be configured in a multi-cell arrangement to use communications effects as defined by a comms model like ALCES or QualNet . The Tech Control was a collection of tools that monitored a widely distributed simulation to ensure that configuration management and network performance standards were met. The tools, like the Reporter,

1624-947: The SIMNET program to perform experiments in weapon systems, concepts, and tactics. It became the Advanced Simulation Technology Demonstration (ADST) program. It fostered the creation of the Battle Labs across the US Army , including the Mounted Warfare TestBed at Ft Knox, Ky, the Soldier Battle Lab at Ft Benning, GA, the Air Maneuver Battle Lab at Ft Rucker, AL, the Fires Battle Lab at Ft Sill, OK. Additional research programs after

1680-545: The Western Kentucky Training Area via satellite linkage, its primary purpose was to examine how digital connections might enhance an armored formation's fire support, intelligence, logistics, and battle command, to determine whether enhancements in lethality, survivability, and tempo would result. Real vehicles from Company B of Task Force 2-33 were fitted with Vehicular Data Communications and Positional Awareness Demonstration devices, which transmitted

1736-424: The cost of training and the risk of personal injury. Long-haul networking for SIMNET was run originally across multiple 56 kbit/s dial-up lines, using parallel processors to compress packets over the data links. This traffic contained not only the vehicle data but also compressed voice. SIMNET was developed by three companies: Delta Graphics, Inc.; Perceptronics, Inc.; and Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN), Inc. There

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1792-445: The digital terrain database to provide fine-grained soils with appropriate mobility response for computer-generated entities. The Situational Awareness (SA) Server was an interface between the simulation and tactical networks. It provided Level 1 Sensor Fusion using a Kalman filter. The tactical network it supported used experimental DIS PDUs for the blue and red Common Operating Picture (COP). It also supported an early version of

1848-473: The effectiveness of the training. The network was designed to support up to several hundred users at once. The fidelity of the simulation was such that it could be used to train for mission scenarios and tactical rehearsals for operations performed during the U.S. actions in Desert Storm in 1992. SIMNET used the concept of “ dead reckoning ” to correlate the positions of the objects and actors within

1904-508: The end of SIMNET included work in weather and real-time terrain modifications. Future Combat Systems Future Combat Systems ( FCS ) was the United States Army 's principal modernization program from 2003 to early 2009. Formally launched in 2003, FCS was envisioned to create new brigades equipped with new manned and unmanned vehicles linked by an unprecedented fast and flexible battlefield network. The U.S. Army claimed it

1960-404: The feasibility of creating a real-time distributed simulator for combat simulation. SIMNET, the resulting application, was to prove both the feasibility and effectiveness of such a project. Training using actual equipment was extremely expensive and dangerous. Being able to simulate certain combat scenarios, and to have participants remotely located rather than all in one place, hugely reduced

2016-467: The latter suggestion, to which the Army responded by calling the GAO report "rooted in the past, not the present". In 2008, the program had completed about one-third of its development, which was planned to run through 2030. Technical field tests began in 2008. The first combat brigade equipped with FCS had been expected to deploy around 2015, followed by full production to equip up to 15 brigades by 2030, but

2072-434: The network, the second fundamental challenge at the time SIMNET was conceived was the inability of graphics systems to handle large numbers of moving models. For example, most contemporary flight simulators used binary space partitioning which is computationally effective for fixed environments since polygon display order (i.e., their depth coherence) can be pre-computed. While suitable for flight simulators, which largely have

2128-427: The other simulators. Since this was a networked simulation, each simulation station needed its own display of the shared virtual environment . The display stations themselves were mock-ups of certain tank and aircraft control simulators, and they were configured to simulate conditions within the actual combat vehicle. The tank simulators, for example, could accommodate a full four-person crew complement to enhance

2184-422: The program had not met the initial plan of field testing an actual FCS-equipped combat unit by 2008. On April 6, 2009, President Barack Obama 's Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates announced plans to cut FCS spending as part of a shift toward spending more on counter-terrorism and less to prepare for conventional warfare against large states like China and Russia. This included, but was not limited to, canceling

2240-404: The series of Manned Ground Vehicles. In May 2009, the proposed DoD budget for fiscal year 2010 had minimal funding for Manned Ground Vehicles research. The Army planned to restart from the beginning on manned ground vehicles. The service was to restructure FCS so more Army units will be supported. Boeing passed a preliminary design review of all 14 subsystems in May 2009. The DoD released

2296-471: The simulated environment. Duncan (Duke) Miller, the BBN SIMNET program manager, first used this term, which harks back to the earliest days of ship navigation, to explain how simulators were able to communicate state change information to each other while minimizing network traffic. Essentially, the approach involves calculating the current position of an object from its previous position and velocity (which

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2352-473: The use of Army Operations Research / Systems Analysts (ORSAs). The VirtuSphere was a single-soldier manned simulator that incorporates a large sphere that allows a human to walk around the simulated battlefield (like a hamster in a ball). It was based on the ACRT technology, and was used at the MWTB for experiments that examine future weapon systems and tactics and for evaluating soldier behavior. The simulator

2408-439: The utility of man-in-the-loop distributed simulation to perform credible experiments to support acquisition decisions. By demonstrating a verified, validated and accredited DIS capability, A2ATD established the foundation for subsequent activities at the MWTB and at all of the other Battle Labs. The Focused Dispatch Experiment was one of the first instances of live-virtual-constructive (LVC) simulation. Conducted at Fort Knox and

2464-493: The vehicles' location every 10 seconds into the simulated environment back at Knox. In the simulators at the MWTB, the soldiers from the remaining two companies saw the real vehicles exactly as they would see simulated vehicles. Battle Command Reengineering was a series of experiments that looked at how digital command-and-control systems should be incorporated into brigade-and-below units. It also focused on what attributes these systems should have, their impact on other systems in

2520-505: Was a virtual simulator developed using OneSAF TestBed as a software base. It was very modular to allow rapid changes to vehicle characteristics, and it could model many vehicle types, like the M1 Abrams , M2 Bradley , Stryker , HMMWV , along with various variants from the Future Combat Systems program. It incorporated an innovative mobility model for the OneSAF TestBed (OTB) simulation that used SIMNET and CCTT soil codes in

2576-663: Was actively used by the U.S. Army for training primarily at Fort Benning , Fort Rucker , and Fort Knox . Additional temporary and permanent locations were in Fort Leavenworth and Grafenwoehr , Germany. It was also used to test vehicles still in development. The follow-on protocols to SIMNET were called Distributed Interactive Simulation ; the primary U.S. Army follow-on program was the Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT). The SIMNET-D (Developmental) program used simulation systems developed in

2632-454: Was evaluated in a series of experiments that looked at user-interface and battlefield performance. The system was effective in reducing fratricide in night battles. However, in day battles, more fratricides occurred than did at night. This phenomenon was believed to be the result of troops using BCIS at night when visibility is poor, but trusted their own vision in the day more than they trust BCIS responses. The C4ISR experiment provided input to

2688-685: Was frequently seen at trade shows and science festivals, like the USA Science Festival, the San Diego Science Festival and the Jackson IT Day. It was typically one of the most popular exhibits. The MWTB was always a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility. The contractors were: SIMNET SIMNET was a wide area network with vehicle simulators and displays for real-time distributed combat simulation: tanks, helicopters and airplanes in

2744-621: Was implemented by the US Army through the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2) platform. The FBCB2 system in particular and the BFT system in general have won numerous awards and accolades, including: recognition in 2001 as one of the five best-managed software programs in the entire U.S. Government, the 2003 Institute for Defense and Government Advancement's award for most innovative U.S. Government program,

2800-581: Was no prime contractor on SIMNET; independent contracts were made directly with each of these three companies. BBN developed the vehicle simulation and network software, as well as other software such as artillery, resupply, and semi-automated forces often used for opposing forces. Delta Graphics, based in Bellevue, Washington, developed the graphics system and terrain databases. Delta Graphics was eventually bought by BBN. Perceptronics, based in Los Angeles,

2856-843: Was planned for FCS development and upgrades. As of 2004, FCS was in the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase, which included four two-year spirals. Spiral 1 was to begin fielding in Fiscal Year 2008 and consist of prototypes for use and evaluation. Following successful evaluation, production and fielding of Spiral 2 would have commenced in 2010. The evaluation was conducted by the Army Evaluation Task Force (AETF), previously known as Evaluation Brigade Combat Team (EBCT), stationed in Fort Bliss . As of December 2007, AETF consisted of 1,000 soldiers from

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2912-442: Was responsible for developing the dynamic simulation software for each of the simulators, as well as the distributed networking communication software that kept each simulator informed of the position (and other state information) of other simulators that were within potential line-of-sight within the shared virtual environment. Each simulator maintained its own copy of this virtual environment, and broadcast its own state information to

2968-478: Was responsible for the actual SIMNET simulators; the company's engineers, human factors personnel and manufacturing team designed, developed and built over 300 full-crew simulators, integrating the controls, sound systems and visual systems into the special simulator shells; they also installed the simulators in a number of facilities in the US and Germany, trained the operators and supported the system for several years. BBN

3024-555: Was the first successful program to use low-cost computers to construct virtual simulators whose resources were distributed rather than centralized. These M1 Abrams and M2 Bradley simulators, along with the Semi-Automated Forces simulation and the Management Command and Control (MCC) system, allowed the creation of a realistic battlefield where participants could actively fight an enemy using current systems in real time. The first MWTB site manager, Dick Garvey, established

3080-415: Was their "most ambitious and far-reaching modernization" program since World War II. Between 1995 and 2009, $ 32 billion was expended on programs such as this, "with little to show for it". One of the programs that came out of the $ 32 billion expenditure was the concept of tracking friendly ("blue") forces on the field via a GPS-enabled computer system known as Blue Force Tracking (BFT). The concept of BFT

3136-592: Was viewed as proof that realtime interactive networked cooperative virtual simulation is possible for a large user population. Later, the Terrestrial Wideband Network (a high speed descendant of the ARPANET that ran at T1 speeds) was used to carry traffic. This network remained under DARPA after the rest of ARPANET was merged with NSFNet and the ARPANET was decommissioned. In addition to

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