1. Army Battle Command System Overview
13 March 2002
Marie Collins
Pete Dugan

2. Background: Digitization
“Digitization will enable the Army of the 21st Century to win the information war and provide deciders, shooters, and supporters the information each needs to make the vital decisions necessary to overwhelm and overcome their adversary and win the overall campaign.”
Major General Joe Rigby
Commander’s Intent and Assessment
Situation Awareness
Directives
Intelligence. and Engagement Data
Combat Service Support II XX
III X

3. Tactical Internet Communications
BDE TOC
Upper Echelon Communications
Much greater bandwidth required for ABCS, VTC, collaborative planning, ...
Primarily point-point communications between TOCs
DIV TOC
MSE ATM
BDE TOC
Router-based architecture
BN TOC
BDE TOC
BN TOC
NTDR
BN TOC
Lower Echelon Communications
Much lower bandwidth limits traffic to JVMF (bit oriented) messages
Primarily broadcast/multicast communications between vehicles
Much greater mobility required
EPLRS
SIP
Based on the standards and architecture used in the Internet

4. The Army Battle Command System

5. ABCS: Past, Present, and Future
Centralized Model:
TOC server provides
common services
Inter-TOC
Network
BAS
BAS
Inter-TOC
Network
Light Client
Common
Svcs
Common
Svcs
BAS
BAS
TOC Server
BAS
Peer-2-Peer Model:
Everyone
is a server
BAS
Common
Svcs
BAS
BAS
Common
Svcs
Common
Svcs
BAS
Light Client
ABCS 8.0
Component Model:
TOC server hosts
the BAS
Components
ABCS 9.0 (FCS)
Integrated
Model:
Server hosts
integrated
BAS Systems
Inter-TOC
Network
Inter-TOC
Network
BAS
Server
TOC Server
BAS BA BA
BAS BA
BAS
BAS BA BA
Light Client
Light Client
Light Client
Light Client
Light Client
Light Client

6. MCS Overview
JOINT CHIEFS &
DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT
GCCS
ARMY
THEATER OF OPERATIONS
XXXX
JTF
CJTF
files dB
GCCS-A
ASAS
CSSCS
AMDWS
AFATDS
MCS
FBCB2
ATCCS
OTHER SERVICES/
SYSTEMS
MISSION: MCS is the Army Battle Command System's (ABCS) Functional Subsystem that directly supports the combined arms force commander and staff by providing automated support for planning, coordinating, controlling and using maneuver functional area assets and tasks. The System coordinates and synchronizes the supporting arms in the conduct of operational planning, field operations and training.
Create and manage the Common Tactical Picture
Enhance and shorten the decision-making cycle across the operational continuum
Respond to the Commander’s Critical Information Requirements (CCIRs)
Supervise execution of operations
Integrate information from other ABCS, joint and combined systems
Enhance planning operations and the OPORD process
Operate in the tactical and garrison environments

7. MCS Hardware MCS-Light MCS-Heavy CHS-2 HCU or VCU 333 or 440 MHz CPU
Removable SCSI 18GB (HCU), 14 GB (VCU) or larger hard disk
256 MB RAM
Solaris 7.0
SUN PCI Card
MCS-Light compatible software
333 MHz CPU or better laptop computer
750 MB free hard-drive space
128 MB RAM
Windows NT 4 or Windows 2000
Office 97 or 2000
Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
Acrobat Reader 3.0 or higher

8. MCS Functional Summary
Acts as a gateway between Battle Command systems and Echelon Above Corps Systems
Mapping and routing between different architectures
Common tactical picture (CTP)
Receive information from reporting platforms and manage the common tactical picture
Manage Overlays from other functional overlays
Enhance planning operations and the OPORD process
Provide an ability to see the plan in action
Overlays indicate planned positions
Alerts to Commander’s Critical Information Requirements (CCIRs)
Commander’s track specific items
Alert operator when some condition occurs
Provides the task organization
Organizes units to perform a mission

9. MCS Enhancements Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)
More use of CORBA internal to MCS
Extensible Information Systems (XIS)
Data Source Interface (XML, SQL, etc to common format)
Info-aware Java Bean
Java Common Tactical Picture (J2EE)
Web services
Symbology manager
XML
Informix Enterprise Replicator (IER)
Used to replicate the common database across the network

10. MCS Security Functionality
Security is not designed into MCS
Security is provided through use of IA tools (TCP Wrappers, SPI, SWATCH) for MCS Heavy (UNIX) only
IA Tools as a security overlay
No mechanism for remote configuration or monitoring of IA tools
Alerts remain on the local host
Use of OS security guidance
UNIX configuration guidance is followed
Currently applying Windows 2000 security guidance

11. MCS Security Operations Suite
TCP Wrapper: Prevents external intrusion via FTP, invalid CORBA clients, ‘cracking’ the network, etc.
Change Detection Tool: Verifies integrity of executable files and scripts by monitoring exact file size and date
Swatch: Monitors Log files for suspicious or invalid events
McAfee: Virus Scanner

12. MCS IA Issues/Challenges
Currently no mechanism to enforce a security policy across MCS systems ( UNIX/NT)
Data proponency/access control not addressed
Authentication of messages is critical
Numerous challenges with use of PKI in tactical environment
Alert analysis and response needs to be automated, and addressed to the host level to determine mission impact

13. FBCB2 Overview
The principal Digital Command and Control System for the Army at Brigade and Below.
Consists of ruggedized COTS Appliqué hardware consisting of a 500 MHZ Pentium computer with 128 MB RAM and a 4 Gbyte Hard disk and a USB port. No external media (CD or floppy disk) is included.
FBCB2 software provides Situational Awareness, C2 messaging and Battle Command tools. Integrated into most platforms at Brigade and below, as well as appropriate Division and Corps slices necessary to support Brigade operations.
Interconnects platforms through a communications infrastructure called the Tactical Internet, based on commercial IP and made up of existing EPLRS and SINCGARS radios and the INC router.

14. FBCB2 Enhancements Pure IP Networking XML based message processing
Challenge: Agents specific to radio nets
Benefit: Network/Comms independence
XML based message processing
Challenge: Bit oriented messages (JVMF)
Benefit: Flexibility, format, open standards
Database merge capability
Challenge: Databases take months to build
Benefit: Capability to merge databases
More platform independence
Solaris X86 currently
Migrating to Linux possibly Windows
Lynxs Real Time OS

15. Dismounts MILSATCOM Iridium Sanctuary CONUS PDA PDA Wireless LAN PDA

16. FBCB2 Security Functions
Most network protocols disabled
ftp
http
Software security protection to prevent uncleared users from receiving secret data.
Password protection
Investigating use of Biometrics
Remote disable
Lockout
Zeroize
Security extensions protocol to allow for use of digital signatures for security messages only ( remote disable)
Security logs
Closed System
No external media
No console windows

17. FBCB2 IA issues
Network is secret, uncleared users are required to use the systems on the network
Most systems are left unattended even though they should never be or run the risk of being overrun. Users have to be periodically re-authenticated.
Tradeoff between authentication process/security and user frustration interaction without confining movement
Use of Solaris X86 has limited the availability of add-on IA Tools
Port to LINUX may offer more options
Need authentication of all command and control messages
Dismounted (PDA) Purge tools
Flash memory
Determine that it has been compromised

18. Questions??