SUO Planning & Decision Aids PDA Thread 2 - Sniper Suppression Prototyping Peter Jarvis, John Levine, Austin Tate, Jeff Dalton AIAI, University of Edinburgh Outline –Purpose: experimentation to ensure that the situations and actions in SUO can be represented –Recap the situation within the thread –Early Demonstration (live)

Thread Overview Initially –Platoons in “toe-hold” positions –Undetected by OPFOR –1st Platoon Squad A covers at 30m from building 34 Squad B covers inside building 34 Squad C ready to storm San Roberto 3 1st Plt 2nd Plt OP “M” 3rd Plt 4th Plt

Advance from Toe-Holds On Order –1st Platoon Charlie Squad blows wall and advances on the Church Result –First two soldiers through breach are killed by sniper fire –Member of Bravo Squad hit on other side of Building 34 (indicates two snipers) –Battle drill response of placing suppressing fire upon the snipers’ positions

Sniper Positions

Platoon Leaders Query to PDA Platoon Leader asks PDA to give COAs for following task. –1. Suppress Sniper 1 –2. Suppress Sniper 2 –3. Storm Church under suppressed sniper fire

World Situation PDA retrieves the following information from SAS –{historic_interest Building33} = valuable –{friendly_occupancy Building31} = actual –{friendly_occupancy Building32} = planned –{location_of Sniper1} = Building32 –{location_of Sniper2} = Building46 –{location_of Team_A_1st_Platoon} = Cover_Positions_Building34 –{location_of 2nd_Platoon} = Building31 –{status_AFSS 1st_Platoon} = available –{status_TACAir 1st_Platoon} = available

Demonstration Planning Process –Each objective is listed together with methods appropriate in this situation –Inappropriate methods for this situation are automatically filtered. COA Generation –Generate all COAs appropriate in this situation –* Rank the set according to the Platoon Leader’s evaluation criteria

PDA Operation Option 1: Guide the Planning Process

PDA Operation Option 2: Produce All Open COAs

PDA Thread 2 COAs COA 1 –Suppress Sniper 1 - Suppressing fire from 2 nd Platoon –Suppress Sniper 2 - AFSS COA 2 –Suppress Sniper 1 - Accurate smoke from 1 st Platoon –Suppress Sniper 2 - AFSS COA 3 –Suppress Sniper 1 - Accurate smoke from 1 st Platoon –Suppress Sniper 2 - Tactical Air Strike COA 4 –Suppress Sniper 1 - Accurate smoke from 1 st Platoon –Suppress Sniper 2 - Accurate smoke from 1 st Platoon COA 5 –Suppress Sniper 1 - Suppressing fire from 2 nd Platoon –Suppress Sniper 2 - Tactical Air Strike COA 6 –Suppress Sniper 1 - Suppressing fire from 2 nd Platoon –Suppress Sniper 2 - Accurate smoke from 1 st Platoon

Summary Military Benefits –Selecting workable course of action e.g. avoiding air strike on building occupied by own forces e.g. change in 2nd Platoon’s plans means that an air strike is now an option.