A Non-kinetic Effects Federate for Training Simulations

Abstract

As US ground forces are increasingly called to perform irregular warfare (IW) and counterinsurgency (COIN) missions, it is necessary to shape the training tools to prepare for these missions. Traditional training and mission rehersal systems have focused on conventional warfare practices, such as attrition and maneuver, while IW and COIN are focused on the non-combatants and civilians in the operational environment. The Army’s approach to this new requirement includes the addition of a new federate, the Joint Non-kinetic Effects Model (JNEM), to its existing, validated, Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability (JLCCTC) high-level architecture (HLA) federations. This paper provides an overview of the training environment in three JLCCTC federations, and then focuses on the JNEM functionality. It describes how the JNEM monitors events and situations in traditional maneuver land-war models, and then uses this data to model the population dynamics of the civilian population. Based on the moods and cooperation levels of the civilians, the JNEM sends interactions to change the state of the simulated operational environment in the land-war models, and sends intelligence information to the training audience. The paper concludes with the limitations of the model and possible directions for future development.