Abstract
The modern battlefield is more interconnected than ever before, as evident with the conflict in Ukraine. Furthermore, the diversity in systems and the complexity of achieving coherent Command & Control (C2) is on the rise. To succeed, the need to truly master Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) for integrated deterrence has been widely recognized among Allied and NATO member nations. The key to MDO is to ensure a seamless collaboration and integration between units across all domains and echelons to achieve operational dominance against near-peer adversaries. Modelling & Simulation (M&S) is critical to enabling large-scale distributed training. Freeman, J., et al. (2024) presented our initial implementation of Modelling & Simulation as a Service (MSaaS). We extend and apply it to set up a distributed training use case utilizing a heterogeneous simulation environment across multiple nations and continents.
In line with the goals of Allied and NATO member nations, we create an ecosystem of components, composed using MSaaS concepts, to create distributed Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) training systems for various use cases. In our approach, all key services like composition, repository, messaging middleware, security and simulation services as well as front-end services are provided as containers and virtual machines. These are deployed both in commodity cloud infrastructures and on-premise. Virtual and live assets, located in Europe and North America, connect to this common synthetic environment by custom mediation services. Then various compositions and use cases are tested for feasibility and performance. Preliminary results are presented and are promising that distributed training using MSaaS concepts can be matured enough to really optimize training for MDO challenges. In this paper, we provide results and insights to promote further work in this area and to begin defining more detailed MSaaS concepts and standards.