Developing the Next Generation NATO Reference Mobility Model

The NATO Reference Mobility Model (NRMM) is a simulation tool aimed at predicting the capability of a vehicle to move over specified terrain conditions. NRMM was developed and validated by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in the 1960s and ‘70s, and has been revised and updated through the years, resulting in the most recent version, NRMM v2.8.2b. It was originally used to facilitate comparison between vehicle design candidates by assessing the mobility of existing vehicles under specific terrain scenarios, but has subsequently and most recently found expanded use in support of complex decision analyses associated with vehicle acquisition and operational planning support. This paper summarizes recent efforts initiated under a NATO Exploratory Team (ET) and its follow-on Research Technical Group (RTG) to upgrade this key modeling and simulation tool and the planned path forward toward implementing the recommendations of that team.