THE OPERATIONAL CONCEPT AS A COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM ENGINEERING TOOL

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe battle force level information exchange architecture, which includes the tactical communications suite, identifies many of the challenges that drive the new warfare system architecture and engineering initiative. The evolving architecture and functional allocations give new emphasis to the role of tactical communications in support of the various warfare areas. The information transfer system (ITS) as described in this architecture provides a new perspective from which user requirements can be better defined. However, there remains a need for further quantification of communications requirements and of user concurrence.In the exchange involving the provider's question, “What do you need?” and the user's response, “What do you have?”, the dialogue that follows often results in major operational requirement disconnects. These disconnects are driven by diverse provider/user perceptions of the relevant development time frames and often obscure future operational concepts. Part of this disparity is directly attributable to the factors of interoperability, forward and backward compatibility and joint program aspects that characterize the communications system development process.With an agreed ITS architecture and well‐structured system engineering process, the missing ingredient in the user/provider dialogue is the concept of operations. A properly structured and coordinated concept placed in the future threat environment, reflecting future tactics and incorporating available technology can do much to improve the definition and understanding of operational requirements. This is particularly true in the continually changing arena of tactical communications systems.