INTELLIGENT SIMULATION OF THE BATTLEFIELD (ISB)

This paper discusses the development of a meta-expert system, the Inte lligent Simulation of the Battlefield (ISB) for assisting military com manders with managing battlefield information and decision making. The three main components of the ISB are the Standard Army Training Syste m-Training Exercise Development System (SATS-TREDS), the Janus combat simulation model and the Command Support System (ComSS). Integrating s imulation with artificial intelligence, the three main components of t he ISB merge to enhance the command and control process. ISB creates a n environment to measure the effectiveness of battle commanders to foc us and operate in a simulated, yet realistic dynamic, information-driv en, knowledge-assisted environment. The front-end training preparation component of the ISB structures the exercise based on mission require ments and tasks. Once the training scenario is specified through SATS- TREDS, the ISB utilizes a command interface designed to build informat ion templates for displaying information based on a commander's profil e and the particular mission. The ISB system's network is configured t o accommodate the flow of information generated by the Janus simulatio n program. With assistance by ISRA intelligent agents and associates, the information is then pushed to the ComSS decision support system. D ue to the enormous flow of information, only certain, preselected data are queried and reported during the battle. Through the SATS-TREDS pr ogram the remainder of the information is stored for later reference a nd review for feedback on future training needs. The ISB system promis es to be a beneficial tool for classroom, training and operational env ironments as it conforms to the demanding requirements of realistic, d ynamic and flexible simulation users.