Collaborative Network Centric Experiment Involving Joint Services and Northrop Grumman Corporation

To implement Network-Centric warfare, the DOD must redefine the rules and theory of warfare. Perhaps the path to addressing these redefined rules is through simulation, testing, experimentation and combat experience. The completion of the November 2006 Advanced Concept Event, demonstrated the successful collaborative approach of networking Joint Services along with multiple sectors of Northrop Grumman Corporation and their systems capabilities into a Net-Centric distributed experimentation environment. Participation in ACE 06 provided the opportunity for experimentation with the integration of advanced system(s) simulations into a Korean scenario wargaming event. The experiment included both advanced and currently fielded systems. Sensor information, weapon systems and communications were fully integrated into an interconnecting grid. The partnership of these various networks is “in-step” with the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) desires to create a Collaborative Engineering Environment that involves affiliation with government agencies, contractors and the Warfighter. It is a process of getting leading edge technology to the operational user and integrating this technology onto the weapon system as quickly as possible.