Incorporating Information Networks into Military Simulations

Information superiority is considered a critical capability for future joint forces. As advances in technology continue to boost our ability to communicate in new and different ways military forces are restructuring to incorporate these technologies. Yet we are still limited in our ability to measure the contributions made by information networks. We describe three recent studies at the Naval Postgraduate School that involve information networks. First, we examine a simulation model expanded from a two-person, zero-sum game to explore how information superiority contributes to battlefield results and how sensitive it is to information quality. Second, we examine how network-enabled communications affect the logistics operations in a centralized receiving and shipping point. The results are intended to provide operational insights for terminal node operations within a sustainment base. Third, we explore how social networks might be incorporated into agent-based models representing civilian populations in stability operations. Presented at the Winter Simulation Conference held in Miami, FL on 7-10 Dec 2008. Published in Proceedings of the 2008 Winter Simulation Conference, p133-144, 2008. Prepared in collaboration with the U.S. Army TRADOC Analysis Center, Monterey, CA, the Joint Concept Development & Experimentation Division, U.S. Joint Forces Command J9, Suffolk, VA, and the Operations Research Department, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA.