Combining Software-Defined and Delay-Tolerant Approaches in Last-Mile Tactical Edge Networking

• Network-centric warfare is a no-way-back trend in modern military operations. The application of this concept ranges from upper-level decision making echelons to troop guidance on the battlefield, and many studies have been carried out in this area. However, most of these are concerned with either the higher-level strategic networks, that is, the networks linking the higher echelons with abundant resources, satellite communications, or even a whole network infrastructure, or high-end TEN, representing resource-rich troops in the field, with military aircraft, battleships, or ground vehicles equipped with powerful wireless communication devices and (almost) unrestricted energy resources for communication. However, these studies fail to take into account the "last-mile TEN," which comprises resource constrained communication devices carried by troopers, equipping sensor nodes deployed in the field or small unmanned aerial vehicles. In an attempt to fill this gap in the studies on battlefield networking, this article seeks to combine software-defined and delay-tolerant approaches to support the diverse range of strict requirements for applications in the last-mile TEN. © 2017 IEEE.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Datavetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Computer Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

autonomous aerial vehicles

decision making

delay tolerant networks

military aircraft

military communication

military computing

remotely operated vehicles

software defined networking

wireless sensor networks

unmanned aerial vehicles

battlefield networking

delay-tolerant approaches

last-mile TEN

last-mile tactical edge

network-centric warfare

modern military operations

upper-level decision making echelons

troop guidance

higher-level strategic networks

higher echelons

abundant resources

satellite communications

network infrastructure

high-end TEN

resource-rich troops

military aircraft

ground vehicles

powerful wireless communication devices

unrestricted energy resources

resource constrained communication devices

battleships

sensor nodes

Wireless sensor networks

Wireless communication

Satellite broadcasting

Military aircraft

Military communication

Decision making

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)