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Abstract

The 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS) from the United States, and other similar documents from Allied and NATO member nations, describe a global condition of near peer threats: a ‘decisive decade’ where integrated deterrence is a core element. Modelling and Simulation (M&S) is a key technology for integrated deterrence, which requires collaboration with Allied and NATO partners in large scale and multinational exercises. To address the challenge of creating a heterogeneous simulation environment for integrated deterrence, we implemented the Modelling and Simulation as a Service (MSaaS) Technical Reference Architecture established by NATO MSG-136.

MSG-136 provides technical guidelines, recommended standards, and architectural building blocks for constructing M&S capabilities. The MSaaS concepts mirror those used in cloud computing and service-oriented architectures. Our approach utilizes a web-based Consumer Layer that is agnostic to the underlying simulations within the Service Layer. This Service Layer integrates multiple third-party Common Generic Frameworks (CGFs). A common data layer stores terrain, order of battle, and scenario information. The Operational System Layer features CGF-agnostic behavior of entities and units, an analytics-ready data strategy, and cloud deployment. This architecture enables rapid application creation for various Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) use cases by implementing services for discovery and composability.

While MSaaS has been applied in various exercises, there is a lack of in-depth studies on its application to large-scale LVC exercises and training events. This article provides a novel path forward as the training and M&S community works to expand the application of MSaaS and facilitate future joint and coalition interoperability.

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