Enabling Technology: Analysis of Categories with Potential to Support the Use of Modeling and Simulation in the United States Air Force

This report presents results of a research effort conducted at the request of AFIXOM to AFMC/ST to conduct a comprehensive review of long-lead, modeling and simulation-related technologies (both within and outside the USAF) to identify those areas that would be of high interest or significance to the USAF for constructive, virtual, live, or hybrid simulations, both local and distributed. The Ad Hoc Working Group on Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Enabling Technology (ET) adapted/developed a taxonomy consisting of five main categories: Interconnection Technology, Information Technology; Representation Technology; Interface Technology, and Pervasive Technology. The working group conducted a survey with representatives of the U.S. Air Force, academia, industry, and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers to collect a sample of existing and planned ETs. The result of the survey was a set of subjective ratings of 93 ETs and 38 current M&S projects which make use of enabling technologies. Based mostly upon the Working Group's experience with M&S and upon the team's ratings of the ETs and M&S projects gathered during the survey, recommendations are made concerning the M&S ET projects and contain detailed rationale statements. The Ad Hoc team views the current effort as only the first phase to identify enabling technologies that have potential to improve the Air Force's M&S capability and strongly recommends that collection of ETs continues. For Phase II, they recommend that a group of M&S experts external to the Air Force continue this analysis with users of M&S ETs and the operational community. The ET users and operational community can identify operational "requirements pull" for M&S ETs that when combined with the "technology push" efforts identified in this report, can be used to build an Air Force ET investment strategy.