Complex Adaptive Systems-based,Toolkit for Dynamic Plan Assessment

[Jonathan]

Complex Adaptive Systems-based
Toolkit for Dynamic Plan
Assessment

Stephen Ho, Marc Richards, and Paul Gonsalves
Charles River Analytics
Cambridge, Massachusetts


The military battlespace can be seen as an amalgamation of a
large number of simpler entities or military units organized
in a specific hierarchy, each with its own understanding
of the overall mission, knowledge of operational doctrine,
and local perception of the threat environment. Though orders
and guidance emanate down through the chain of command, it
is the actions at the lower levels (i.e. the individual agents)
where we see the combat occurring. It is through the chaotic
and adaptive behavior of the individual agents or players
that the emergence of global behavior is induced.

Emphasis on emergent simulation behavior over predetermined
behavior enables the simulation to focus on what is possible
to occur rather than what is probable. The potential to explore
a multitude of possible outcomes from similar initial conditions
makes a complex adaptive systems approach to simulation well
suited for effects based operations evaluation and course
of action assessment.

The Complex Adaptive Systems-based Toolkit (CAST) for Dynamic
Plan Assessment will support Air Force air campaign operations
through the integration of combat agent behavior models,
effects-based operations environment models, and a
complex adaptive systems simulation engine.
http://necsi.edu/events/iccs6/viewpaper.php?id=113