I__. - International Military Testing Association

Typically a commander's awareness of a combat situation
begins with the assignment of his unit's mission embedded in the
concept or schema of the overall mission that his unit is
supporting. The mission specifies the area of operations on the
battlefield, the place(s) in the world that the commander is to
occuPYl as well as the objectives and time frame driving mission
pace. The mission brief and order of operations describe the
known and suspected enemy forces and activities in that area, key
terrain features and locations related to mission accomplishment,
and friendly combat, support, and service support units
responsible for mission execution.
Once the battle commences, the commander's perception
(Endsleyls SA Level 1) of the situation is enhanced by the direct
or reported detection of enemy units. When initial contact and
spot reports are received by the commander, his perception of the
situation must be quickly updated. As a commander, he must also
attempt to comprehend (SA Level 2) this information, its
significance to his unit and mission. Given the reported type
and number of enemy units detected, he may begin to estimate the
size and type of the overall force committed, their weapon
systems and range, their organization and support.
As his understanding of the situation develops, the commander
begins to project (SA Level 3) or reassess probable courses of
action. Given the location and heading of units reported and his
estimate of force structure, he may begin to calculate when, or
if, the main unit will reach his location, at what point he may
need to displace his unit from their current location, and what
impact the current situation will have on the future situation
such as his unit's next proposed location.
This effort in SA development for ground systems is part of
ARI's program of research in support of future CVCC systems.
These systems will provide ground vehicle commanders a unique
capability for the digital communication of text and graphic
battlefield information, in addition to conventional FM radio.
The CVCC program objective is the development of soldier-tested
specifications for future automated command and control systems
for ground combat vehicles. AR1 conducts simulation-based tests
o.f prototype CVCC systems using the Armor Center's Close Combat
Test Bed (CCTB), formerly Simulation Networking Developmental
(SIMNET-D), at Fort Knox.
Simulation-Based Methodology
An objective measure of commander's SA is based on a
comparison of the actual situation with the commander's
assessment or report of the situation. Maintaining an accurate
knowledge of the battlefield situation, however, is difficult for
both commanders and SA researchers. For the latter, simulationbased
scenarios provide a capability to control and know the
battlefield situation.
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