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Chapter 34
Military Expert Systems Applications

Thomas P. Galvin


CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. The AI Program in the U.S. Military
3. Current and Recent Applications
3.1. Strategic Decision-Making and Planning
3.1.1. Strategic Decision-Making Based on Organizational Behavior -- Blacksmith
    3.1.2. Resource Allocation -- SABRE (Single Army Battlefield Requirements Evaluator)
3.2. Logistics
3.2.1. Unit-Level Maintenance -- Turbine Engine Diagnosis (TED) System and Others
    3.2.2. Large Unit Supply -- Knowledge-Based Logistics Planning Shell (KBLPS)
3.3. Training and Education
3.3.1. Education
    3.3.2. Wargaming and Simulation -- Soar/IFOR (Intelligent Forces)
3.4. Robotics
3.5. Intelligence Applications
3.6. Quality of Life Applications -- Budget Based Analysis, Europe (BBAE)
4. Research Issues
4.1. Knowledge Acquisition -- Advanced Knowledge Acquisition and Design Acquisition Methods (ADKAM)
4.2. Verification and Validation
5. Future Trends
6. Summary
Acknowledgments
References

1. INTRODUCTION

The U.S. military is an extraordinarily complex organization. It is self-sustaining with respect to its personnel, intelligence, and logistical needs. Its elements range from the strategic planners at the Pentagon to combat units scattered throughout the world. Its mission and requirements change constantly, spurred by external events such as conflict, terrorism, humanitarian needs, and the election process.

Few events have affected the military like the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequent end of the Cold War. Immediately, voters' cries to reduce the American defense establishment translated into manpower and equipment downsizing. Yet, military requirements have not reduced in kind. Without the Soviet presence, smaller nations and groups have resumed old rivalries. Peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions have increased, as have military-supported humanitarian and economic assistance programs. "Do more with less" has become a mantra.

Expert system technologies have helped the military meet this mantra. At the highest levels, expert systems are providing strategic planners with "what-if" capabilities, saving time and manpower in implementing political mandates. In the field, expert systems are helping to reduce the amount of equipment a soldier must carry on the battlefield. Through all echelons, expert systems are working to integrate and synthesize the vast amounts of information produced on the battlefield.

This chapter is organized as follows. First, it will describe the U.S. military's artificial intelligence (AI) program, including a comparison of the different ways the services implement their programs. Second, it will present a series of expert systems applications present and recent past. These applications will range from lab experiments to fully employed systems. Finally, it will present the military's vision of expert systems as the military enters the 21st century.


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