Realizing the Army Net-Centric Data Strategy (ANCDS) in a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)

Abstract : Net-Centric Operational Warfare (NCOW) describes how the United States Department of Defense (DoD) will conduct business operations, warfare, and enterprise management in the future. It is based on the information technology (IT) concept of an assured, dynamic, and shared information environment that provides access to trusted information for all users, based on need, independent of time and place. NCOW is an information-enabled concept of operations that generates increased combat power by networking sensors, decision makers, and shooters. This enables shared awareness, increased speed of command, higher tempo of operations, greater lethality, increased survivability, and a degree of self-synchronization. In essence, network-centric warfare translates information superiority into combat power by effectively linking knowledgeable entities in the battlespace. The DoD has mandated that the Global Information Grid (GIG) will be the primary infrastructure capability to support NCOW. Under this directive, all advanced weapons platforms, sensor systems, and command and control centers are eventually to be linked via the GIG. In the DoD vision, implementation of this massive integration effort relies on a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) model and Net-Centric Data Strategy approach, along with extensive use of the Extensive Markup Language (XML) and other web service standards. This paper attempts to explain in plain language the inter-relationship between the various IT components that will provide the Net-Centric environment and assist the Army in migrating towards the Net-Centric Warfare concept.