Toward assessment of dominant battlespace awareness: a remote sensor system model

Abstract

Two broad concepts have begun to permeate U.S. military strategic planning since the end of the Gulf War: the revolution in military affairs (RMA) and dominant battlespace awareness (DBA). An RMA represents a basic change in the conduct of warfare which incorporates new technologies, operational innovation and organizational changes. DBA refers to the military's ability to efficiently obtain and effectively use information to dominate an opposing force. This thesis is a study of a stylized warfare scenario involving elements of DBA and RMA. Specifically, U.S. attack aircraft attempt to prevent enemy transporter- erector-launchers (TELs) from harassing neighboring countries with theater ballistic missiles. The U.S. aircraft may be aided by use of unattended ground sensors (UGSs); the enemy TEL activities are correspondingly enhanced by decoy TELs. The model described allows the combat advantage of each side to be quantitatively compared. Trend analysis demonstrates the benefits of deception and the potential of UGSs