2007 Issue 3 - Raytheon

as separate services (or be replaced by
equivalent services) to provide a Networked
Fires C2 capability.
Using Technology Insertion to Bring New
Capabilities Into an SOA Environment
In addition to transforming current force
systems, additional SOA capabilities can be
created by combining current technologies
with new product development. In one
case, we developed an SOA-based product
that presents critical warfighter information
by combining data from multiple current
force systems. The Joint Target Manager
(JTM) was created to provide net-centric
Web service and role-based GUI access to
tactical targeting information collected from
current force systems such as AFATDS,
Theater Battle Management Core System
(TBMCS), and Cursor on Target (CoT). As
part of its SOA adaptation, JTM also provides
a Web service interface for access by
other warfighter applications, a browser
interface for remote warfighters, and a GUI
for local warfighters.
In another case, we added new capabilities
taken from current applications into a
developing SOA environment. The
Distributed Common Ground System
(DCGS) program recognized the need for a
new architecture to address warfighter
intelligence collection gaps and to support
system-of-systems integration within a distributed
enterprise environment. The resulting
network-centric architecture is based on
SOA and J2EE technologies. The centerpiece
of this architecture is the DCGS
Integration Backbone (DIB) and the DIB’s
Meta-Data Framework (MDF). Multiple DIBs
can be federated, thus providing an enterprise-wide
environment where producers
and consumers can publish data and subscribe
to and receive data appropriately.
The DCGS-Navy program office also recognized
the need to integrate ISR and Fires C2
capabilities. This resulted in both customerfunded
and enterprise campaign efforts
that brought Fires C2 and related capabilities
into the DIB enterprise to reduce
sensor-to-effects timelines and increase
situational understanding.
After analyzing DIB integration levels and
the AFATDS interface, we selected Level 2
Resource Adapters as the most appropriate
integration level. Level 2 Resource Adapters
provide a facade between the DIB and an
existing system. The Resource Adapter uses
existing system interfaces, performs data
translations, and uses the MDF interfaces
for data insertion and extraction to/from
the DIB. This path was selected because
AFATDS already provided Web services, supplying
exposed operations via Web Services
Description Language (WSDL) and XML
schemas. JTM was also integrated into the
DIB using a similar approach, thus bringing
Fires C2 and Targeting capabilities into the
DIB (see Figure 2).
In other cases, we brought new capabilities
to the DIB by including an Enterprise
Service Bus (ESB) to provide messaging and
mediation services between the DIB and the
Advanced Communications Service (ACS).
The tactical message/XML transformations
provided by ACS facilitated the integration
of existing systems with key Meta-Data
Catalogue (MDC) Web-based objects.
Summary
Because SOA capabilities greatly increase
the warfighter’s effectiveness, they are a
key factor in Department of Defense procurements
today. C2 systems require SOA
compatibility to stay relevant to today’s
defense strategies. AFATDS is an important
multi-service current force program actively
migrating toward the net-centric environment,
and JTM is an example of a new
warfighter capability made possible by
leveraging SOA access.
Strategies to migrate current force systems
to SOA through technology insertion not
only preserve the government’s investment
in current systems, but also offer a clear
path for new tools that benefit the
net-centric warfighter using the
unprecedented data and capability
access allowed by SOA.
John Schlundt
john_a_schlundt@raytheon.com
Dale Anglin
dale_e_anglin @raytheon.com
John Lindquist
john_t_lindquist @raytheon.com
ENGINEERING PROFILE
Leonard Brown
Manager of
Prototype Capabilities
Development for C2
Solutions Team; NCS
Effects/Battle Management
Systems Group
Years with Raytheon: 26
Q: Which programs are
you working on?
A: I’ve been doing
command and controlrelated
business development
for the last two
years. Previously, I worked with the AFATDS
program, doing advanced technology development
for 10 years.
Q: What inspired you to work with this program?
A desire to apply state-of-the-art technologies
to existing capabilities to enhance warfighter
C2 effectiveness. This spans improving
communications, user interfaces and overall
ease-of-use, to making broader application
of C2 capabilities and transitioning them
more rapidly to the users.
Q: What makes the AFATDS program successful?
A: The AFATDS program is a rare example
of a successful collaboration among the user,
customer and contractor that has enabled the
product to evolve to meet the user’s needs.
The AFATDS development team continues to
apply disciplined system, software and test
engineering to all functionality enhancements.
As a consequence, they’ve created a firm
technology base that can be applied to solve
problems in many other capability areas.
Q: Why have you excelled in your present role?
A: I have always enjoyed seeing ideas turn into
reality. I experienced this as a young engineer
developing robotics, and continued to enjoy it
through the varied communications, IFF and
C2 tools to which I have contributed.
Q: What’s your primary goal as a manager?
A: We have many bright people here with great
ideas. My personal goal in my role as a manager
has always been to enable those people to apply
their ideas to our development opportunities.
Q: How can Raytheon maximize the potential
of individual employees?
A: Ensure that everyone understands our
business road map and how their efforts fit into
that road map. Also ensure that individuals
with good ideas that don’t obviously fit the
road map still have the opportunity to bring
those ideas to the forefront — because they
may very well help evolve the road map.
RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGY TODAY 2007 ISSUE 3 13