Notional Battlespace for Simulating and Testing Dynamic Wireless Networks

Communications are critical to many operations and functions. The US military relies on a complex mesh of communication circuits, comprised of wired and wireless links. While mobile communication is necessarily wireless, currently mobile communication occurs in a rigid structure of centrally managed, dedicated links. Future military communication will require dynamic wireless networks where more data is routed and transported in an opportunistic method in the battlespace. Researchers are exploring various topics related to Dynamic Wireless Networks, including Topology Control, Dynamic Mobile Routing, and Hybrid Communication Links. Testing the military application of these research areas requires an understanding of the battlespace and the assets and data flow requirements within the battlespace. This paper provides a scenario and data pertaining to a notional battlespace for use in testing, simulating and further research efforts into the implementation and use of dynamic wireless network application for the US military. First defining a battlespace, then describing assets that might be found in a generic battlespace. The paper concludes with tables, representing realistic data flow requirements and assets for a specific notional scenario for use in building a simulation to further test aspects of dynamic wireless networking in the battlespace.