The Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) network allows the FCS
Family-of-Systems (FoS) to operate as a cohesive system-of-systems
where the whole of its capabilities is greater than the sum of its
parts.
As the key to the Army's transformation, the network, and its
logistics and Embedded Training (ET) systems, enable the Future Force
to employ revolutionary operational and organizational concepts. The
network enables Soldiers to perceive, comprehend, shape, and dominate
the future battlefield at unprecedented levels as defined by the FCS
Operational Requirements Document (ORD).
The FCS network consists of four overarching building blocks:
System-of-Systems Common Operating Environment (SOSCOE); Battle Command
(BC) software; communications and computers (CC); and intelligence,
reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) systems. The four building blocks
synergistically interact enabling the Future Force to see first,
understand first, act first and finish decisively.
System-of-Systems Common Operating Environment (SOSCOE) Central to
FCS network implementation is the System-of-Systems Common Operating
Environment (SOSCOE), which supports multiple mission-critical
applications independently and simultaneously. It is configurable so
that any specific instantiation can incorporate only the components
that are needed for that instantiation. SOSCOE enables straightforward
integration of separate software packages, independent of their
location, connectivity mechanism and the technology used to develop
them.
System-of-Systems Common Operating Environment (SOSCOE) architecture
uses commercial off-the-shelf hardware and a Joint Tactical
Architecture-Army compliant operating environment to produce a
nonproprietary, standards-based component architecture for real-time,
near-real-time, and non-real-time applications. System-of-Systems
Common Operating Environment (SOSCOE) also contains administrative
applications that provide capabilities including login service,
startup, logoff, erase, memory zeroize, alert/emergency restart and
monitoring/control. The System-of-Systems Common Operating Environment
(SOSCOE) framework allows for integration of critical interoperability
services that translate Army, Joint, and coalition formats to native,
internal FCS message formats using a common format translation service.
Because all interoperability services use these common translation
services, new external formats will have minimal impact on the FCS
software baseline. The FCS software is supported by
application-specific interoperability services that act as proxy agents
for each Joint and Army system. Battle Command (BC) can access these
interoperability services through application program interfaces that
provide isolation between the domain applications, thereby facilitating
ease of software modifications and upgrades.
Battle Command (BC) Software
Battle Command (BC) mission applications include: mission planning
and preparation, situation understanding, BC and mission execution and
warfighter-machine interface (WMI). These four software packages'
combined capabilities enable full interaction among the FCS-equipped
Units of Action (UAs). Battle Command (BC) capabilities will be common
to, and tightly integrated into, all FCS, and will share a common
framework to achieve the long-desired goal of an integrated and
interoperable system with no hardware, software or information
stovepipes.
The Mission Planning and Preparation package consists of 16 services
embedded within System-of-Systems Common Operating Environment
(SOSCOE). They support the development of deliberate, anticipatory and
rapid-response plans; the ability to perform plan assessments and
evaluations; terrain analysis; mission rehearsals; and after-action
reviews for the Modular Force. As an example of the capabilities
provided by this package, consider the FCS-networked fires key
performance parameter (KPP). This package's predictive planning
capabilities pre-approve airspace for weapons/munitions to target
pairings so that when the decision to engage a target is made, the
available weapons/munitions are already understood.
The 10 Situation Understanding package's services allow warfighters
to better comprehend the battlespace and gain information superiority.
The package includes map information and situational awareness (SA)
database maintenance, which performs fusion as follows:
- Situation refinement that fuses spatial and temporal relationships
among objects, grouping objects and abstract interpretation of the
patterns in the order of battle. - Threat refinement that combines activity with capability of enemy
forces, infers enemy intentions and performs threat assessment. - Process refinement that monitors the fusion process itself,
assesses the accuracy of the fusion process and regulates the
acquisition of data to achieve optimal results.
The Battle Command (BC) and Mission Execution package contains
planning and decision aids that assist the commander in making quick,
informed and accurate decisions to best prosecute the battle. These
services are fully independent of mode — training, rehearsal or
operational — and are intended to support manual to autonomous
operations.
The warfighter-machine interface (WMI) package provides the
capabilities to present Soldier information and receive Soldier
information. WMI provides a common user interface across multiple
platforms supporting the common crew station and "personal digital
assistant" display system. It considers parameters such as echelon,
type of system being used, and the warfighter's role to tailor
information presentation.
Communications and Computers (CC) Systems
The FCS Family-of-Systems (FoS) are connected to the command,
control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (C4ISR) network by a multilayered Communications and
Computers (CC) network with unprecedented range, capacity and
dependability. The Communications and Computers (CC) network provides
secure, reliable access to information sources over extended distances
and complex terrain. The network will support advanced functionalities
such as integrated network management, information assurance and
information dissemination management to ensure dissemination of
critical information among sensors, processors and warfighters both
within, and external to the FCS-equipped organization.
The Communications and Computers (CC) network does not rely on a
large and separate infrastructure because it is primarily embedded in
the mobile platforms and moves with the combat formations. This enables
the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) network to provide superior
Battle Command (BC) on the move to achieve offensive-oriented,
high-tempo operations.
The FCS communication network is comprised of several homogenous
communication systems such as Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS)
Clusters 1 and 5 with Wideband Network Waveform (WNW) and Soldier Radio
Waveform (SRW), Network Data Link and Warfighter Information
Network-Tactical (WIN-T). FCS leverages all available resources to
provide a robust, survivable, scalable and reliable heterogeneous
communications network that seamlessly integrates ground, nearground,
airborne and space-borne assets for constant connectivity and layered
redundancy.
Every FCS vehicle in the Modular Force will be equipped with a 4- or
8-channel Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Cluster 1. Soldiers and
other weight and power-constrained platforms will be equipped with a 1-
or 2-channel Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Cluster 5. In addition
to the Wideband Network Waveform (WNW) and Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW)
communications backbone, the software programmable Joint Tactical Radio
System (JTRS) will support other waveforms to ensure current force
Joint, Interagency and Multinational (JIM) interoperability. The WIN-T
will provide additional communications capability within the Modular
Force, as well as reach to echelons above — intra- and inter-Modular
Force, and UA to Unit of Employment (UE) –and range extension.
The FCS Network Management System manages the entire Modular Force
network including radios with different waveforms, platform routers,
and local area networks (LANs), information assurance elements, and
hosts. It provides a full spectrum of management capabilities required
during all mission phases, including pre-mission planning, rapid
network configuration upon deployment in the area of operations,
monitoring the network during mission execution and dynamic adaptation
of network policies in response to network performance and failure
conditions.
FCS will employ an integrated computer system to host the
System-of-Systems Common Operating Environment (SOSCOE), ensure common
processing, support networking and employ consistent data
storage/retrieval across all FCS platforms and applications. The
integrated computer system consists of processors, storage media,
dynamic memory, input/output devices, local area networks (LANs) and
operating systems. A suite of seven computing system types have been
identified to meet the various FCS platform-specific requirements for
security, processing capability, computational capacity, throughput,
memory, size, weight and power.
Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance (ISR)
A distributed and networked array of multispectral intelligence,
reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) sensors provides FCS with the
ability to "see first." Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance
(ISR) assets within the Modular Force — as well as those external to
the Modular Force and at higher echelons — will provide timely and
accurate situational awareness (SA), enhance survivability by avoiding
enemy fires, enable precision networked fires, and maintain contact
throughout engagement. FCS will process real-time ISR data, outputs
from survivability systems, situational awareness (SA) data and target
identification information to update the common operating picture (COP)
containing information on friendly forces, battlespace objects (BSOs),
BSO groupings and their associated intent, threat potential and
vulnerabilities. The real-time distribution and dissemination of
information and data are reliant on robust, reliable, and high-capacity
network data links.
To provide warfighters with actionable information, the data from
the various distributed intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance
(ISR) and other sensor assets are subject to complex data processing,
filtering, correlation, aided target recognition and fusion. The Sensor
Data Management (SDM) software organizes all the sensor data —
including detection reports — and tracks information as received from
the sensor packages. Data are then processed and fused to synthesize
information about the object, situation, threat and ongoing
intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) processes. In
addition to receiving data from FCS organic sensors, Sensor Data
Management (SDM) has the capability to receive sensor data from
nonorganic sources including, current forces and Joint, Interagency,
and Multinational (JIM). Sensor Data Management (SDM) will perform
sensor data format conversions to output the data in FCS standard data
formats.
Networked Logistics Systems
The key to the success of the FCS is the Networked Logistics Systems
integrated through the Family-of-Systems (FOS) to achieve the logistics
goals of reducing the logistics footprint, enhancing deployability,
increasing operational availability, and reducing total ownership
costs. These critical program goals are included in the two logistics
Key Performance Parameters (KPP), KPP 4
(Transportability/Deployability) and KPP 5
(Sustainability/Reliability). Inherent to meeting these KPPs is the
integration of logistics in the command, control, communications,
computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR)
network primarily through the Platform-Soldier Mission Readiness System
(PSMRS) and the Logistics Decision Support System (LDSS). These systems
provide unprecedented logistics information and decision tools to the
commanders and logisticians by enabling the distribution system to
deliver the right stuff to the right place at the right time. The
networked logistics is further enabled by the demand reduction
technologies designed into the System of Systems. Increased Reliability
Availability Maintainability – Test (RAM-T) goals and implementing a
Performance Based Logistics (PBL) support concept through extensive up
front systems engineering efforts will result in increased Operational
Availability and significant decreases in both parts and maintenance
personnel while generating increased combat power for the Soldiers.
Embedded Training
The FCS network facilitates the Soldier's ability to train anywhere,
any time. Technology has matured to a level that supports these
requirements. Embedded Training (ET) will be developed as an integral
part of the FCS manned platform and command, control, communications,
computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR)
architectures.
The Embedded Live-Virtual-Constructive (L-V-C) Training is the
cornerstone of the networked Embedded Training (ET) and will satisfy
the Key Performance Parameter (KPP#6) which states "The FCS Family of
Systems (FoS) must have an embedded individual and collective training
capability that supports live, virtual, and constructive training
environments." Embedded Training (ET) must be designed-in at the start
of the program to ensure it is developed in conjunction with the other
FCS System of Systems (SoS) components. To do otherwise would lead to
needless duplication of software development, potential negative
training as a result of inevitable baseline divergence (as training
tries to keep pace with operational software functionality) and
additional space/weight/power claims for training. To fulfill the
Operational and Organizational (O&O) concepts, the System of
Systems (SoS) must be capable of supporting operations, mission
rehearsal and training of separate audiences (soldiers, units,
leader/staff teams) simultaneously.
