Integrating Multilevel Command And Control Into A Service Oriented Architecture To Provide Cross Domain Capability

Integrating Multilevel Command and Control Into a Service Oriented Architecture to Provide Cross Domain Capability

Information superiority, the capability to collect, process, and disseminate an uninterrupted flow of information, is the cornerstone of Command and Control (C2). With the increasing coalition and multinational aspects of warfare in the 21st century, we must extend key information to our allies and coalition partners to ensure shared information dominance. Traditional information sharing methods such as automated guards or a man-in-the-loop has well documented problems including data loss through the guards and operational picture integrity. A multilevel C2 system has been developed and deployed that allows a multinational integrated operational picture to be maintained and disseminated by US Intelligence Analysts. This system leverages the capability of a trusted operating system by storing all data in labeled files and using the operating system to enforce access control. This approach is difficult to extend to a service oriented architecture (SOA) because SOA infrastructures are large, complex entities that are not multilevel. In this paper, we address the issues associated with integrating an existing multilevel C2 system into a larger service oriented architecture. We present an architecture that can be generalized to integrate other MLS systems. We then propose a future architecture which addresses the limitations in the current system.

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