Modeling and simulation support to the defense planning process

Defense planning is a crucial part of the defense process. It identifies the capabilities required for the future defense environment, analyzes the capability shortfalls, prioritizes them, and provides the fundamental inputs for their development. Modeling and simulation may significantly contribute to the success of defense planning. However, neither the theory nor the tools are mature enough to fulfill the defense planning requirements. Various types of simulation tools, such as static, dynamic, deterministic, stochastic, closed, discrete, continuous, and symbiotic, in multiple levels of resolution and fidelity are needed to support the different stages and phases. The verification and validation of the models and the analysis of the input and output data are critical. Yet another challenge is that the uncertainties related to the contemporary defense scenarios are mostly not in aleatory but in the epistemic domain. In this paper, we briefly present a new computer-assisted defense planning process. Then, we introduce the service-oriented cloud approach for the modeling and simulation support to the process.