Research on Tactical Military Decision Making. I. Design of a Simulated Tactical Operations System (SIMTOS)

The report details plans for the design of an experimental research facility, including hardware and computer software, within the U. S. Army Behavior and Systems Research Laboratory. The program is in the area of tactical operations systems and is concerned specifically with the conduct of research on display and information flow in military command and control systems. With the emphasis on tactical operations systems, the automated system (TOS) developed for the Seventh U. S. Army was used as the information system model to be simulated (SIMTOS). The Tactical Operations Center (TOC) is used as the environmental model, and the portion of the BESRL research facility devoted to experimentation in this area is therefore termed SIMTOC. The research is conducted by the COMMAND SYSTEMS program of BESRL. The dual mission of the program is (1) to maximize effectiveness of command information processing systems through the most efficient use of human abilities and (2) to assist commanders and their staffs in the critical functions of information assimilation and decision making within the context of tactical military operations systems.