The Synthetic Forces Program is an integral part of the the Synthetic Theater of War 97 Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (STOW-97 ACTD). It has produced, over the last three years, the forces needed to train in a platform-based, seamless, joint synthetic battlespace. Building off Modular Semi-Automated Forces (ModSAF), Synthetic Forces now exists for Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force platforms, as well as, Opposing Forces and United Kingdom Forces. The construct of these forces include finite state semi-automated forces, rule based multi-echelon command forces, and artificial intelligence pilots. Building decision-makers who plan, replan, and execute higher orders has been a primary goal of the program. Providing tools to efficiently laydown, control, and communicate with the Computer Generated Forces (CGFs) has also been a priority.

This paper provides a description of the Synthetic Forces (SF) used for STOW-97 ACTD. The STOW-97 ACTD will be an integral part of United Endeavor 98-1 (UE 98-1), a United States Atlantic Command (USACOM) sponsored exercise held in late October and early November 1997. Included is a broad overview of how forces are simulated and describes how they move, shoot, communicate, think, and interact. Since this paper is being submitted prior to the UE 98-1 exercise, we will report exercise results in the presentation.