An initial study examining the feasibility of expert system technology for command and control of supporting arms in the United States Marine Corps

Abstract

The authors of this thesis propose the use of knowledge-based expert system technology to automate Marine Corps fire support command and control. It investigates the need for such support for the control of supporting arms and the ways to achieve it. The authors provide general information about artificial intelligence (specifically, expert system technology) and its potential use for automating command and control functions for Marine Corps combat functions. In particular, they examine the complexities of system design (especially critical man-machine interfaces) within the context of basic command, control, communication, and intelligence (C3I) architecture. Finally, the authors investigate the potential use of expert system technology for improving the effectiveness of command and control of various combat and combat support activities, but focus on fire support coordination: they illustrate the feasibility of using a so-called 'expert system' to aid a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commander in the employment of supporting arms