Earticle

The tactical mobile communication system currently provides mobile communication through the MASP and SRE radio waves, but the operational areas are shaded by canyons, roads, and mountainous terrain. The ICS wireless repeater will remove most of the shaded areas by selecting the best operating frequency and providing a self-repeating solution. Finally, it will help achieve the best operation effectiveness of the tactical information communication network, and the optimal command control capability.

This paper proposes an operational topology update message option to enhance the QoS (quality of service) of the combat data link based on KVMF (Korean Variable Message Format). The KVMF combat data link technology, which is currently being studied, should be applied to various weapons systems and should support a protocol for each weapons system. MIL-STD-188-220, however, the general protocol used by the Republic of Korea (ROK) Armed Forces, cannot guarantee the QoS under crowded network conditions due to the poor communication environment. To guarantee a high QoS for the combat network, this paper proposes a topology update message operation algorithm employing the piggybacking technique. To verify the proposed algorithm, a simulation was done employing OPNET. As a result of the simulation, it turned out that the QoS of the proposed algorithm was more enhanced than that of the existing option.

The ubiquitous information technology has made systems intelligent and connectable, and has consequently caused the paradigm of military operation to change from platform-centric operation to network-centric operation. Recently, the United States, United Kingdom, NATO, and Australia developed the concept of network-centric operation to ensure victory by achieving information superiority under a complex and changeable security environment. Such concept must contain a network-based force to maximize the operation effectiveness and the efficiency of the national defense budget. To realize such concept, the aforementioned countries/ organizations are focusing on force construction and operation using their access to capabilities- based planning and enterprise architecture. For this research, the access status of each country to strategy changes, the NCW approach, the concept of capability, and the capabilities-based planning process was investigated as a case of capability application. Based on the results of this research, a development direction for the ROK NCW was proposed.

The factors considered in deciding on the depot maintenance policy are the depot maintenance subject, object, and cycle. Among these, to effectively designate the depot maintenance subject, a correct analysis of the depot maintenance expenses during the operation and maintenance period should be done. In this paper, a model for more effective depot maintenance expense presumption is presented by comparing and analyzing the estimation data of the developed RADAR’s depot maintenance expenses and the actual data of a similar RADAR presently being used by the military.

The term endurance is usually defined as “the probability of a specific system or equipment to successfully perform its expected functions without any failure until its target life cycle is terminated or replacement is required.” The standard used for endurance drive testing for combat vehicle development in the Republic of Korea is currently dominated by the U.S. military’s MIL-STD due to the absence of an independent standard specifically designed for the distinctive battlefield environment and mission characteristics of the Korean Peninsula. For tracked vehicles, the absence of such standard signifies the uniform application of the U.S. military’s MIL-STD for 9,600km endurance drive testing utilizing only one vehicle while not considering the distinctive mission characteristics and operational environment of the target systems. This study proposes a reasonable standard for endurance drive testing that takes the distinctive mission characteristics and operation environment of the target weapons system into account. The first step is the categorization of vehicle systems into three types in accordance with the categorization standard for combat vehicles established by ROK: combat vehicle, combat command vehicle, and combat support vehicle. Then the proper distance for endurance drive testing will be determined by deciding the appropriate fidelity standard level and the number of vehicles required for endurance drive testing. If the endurance drive testing standard will be improved as proposed in this study, adequate verification of the target performance at the R&D phase and substantial reduction of the time required for testing and evaluation will become possible. For the weapons systems development programs, subjecting combat vehicles to adequate and scientific testing and evaluation at the development phase after serial production is the preliminary condition for meeting the pre-planned performance level and for ensuring the economical operation of combat vehicle systems in field operation.

The South Korean Army is proceeding with the development and deployment of the second improved ATCIS for the upper-army C4I, and B2CS for the below-battalion C2, to prepare the future network-centric operational environment (NCOE). In this paper, the operation concept of the battalion command post is presented, with a development direction suitable to the future digitized C4I system under NCOE, unlike the conventional operational concept involving manual command and control using voice communication. The efficient establishment of the operation concept of the battalion command post after the deployment of B2CS can ensure rapid and precise determination of the battlefield situation and excellent warfighting with automatic propagation and sharing of the battlefield situation in conjunction with the combat-level C4I system. This can help maximize integrated operation and combat effectiveness for the combatants.

The Republic of Korea Armed Forces is implementing the Ammunition Stockpile Reliability Program (ASRP) to guarantee the performances and lifespans of its ammunitions, and the function test is operated as part of ASRP at the Army Ammunition Support Command for non-launching ammo, based on the test cycles. The test cycles, however, are determined by referencing the U.S. Army Supply Bulletin (SB 742-1) periodic inspection cycle, and are based on weak scientific grounds. Therefore, this paper analyzes and reviews the experiment results concerning the function test cycle from Function Test Center for the last 10 years, based on the consideration of the combustible characteristics of the charge materials per ammo type, the development of new ammunition, and the feasibility of ammo performance improvement. This paper concludes that the extension of the test cycle for almost all ammo types, with the exception of pyrotechnics, would be appropriate, and the expected result would be the expense retrenchment of KRW61.2 million by preventing the wastage of sample ammunition, and also the reduction of the work manhours of the testing personnel.

This work describes the flight trajectory characteristics of various ballistic missiles. The characteristics mainly depend on the range of the missile. There are four ways of adjusting the missile range: payload, specific impulse, loft angle changes, and fuel control. The operators of ballistic missiles can select one of these options. From this viewpoint, this work presents the flight trajectory characteristics of ballistic missiles depending on the operational parameters. The characteristics analysis algorithm that was used in this paper was the same as that used by the authors in their earlier paper.

The 9.11 terror attack is a representative case of a new form of war that has begun. Such type of terror atck actually already existed earlier, but such attack was perceived as an act of terrorism rather than a new form of war. As the 9.11 terror attack was recognized as a new form of war, however, the public also realized that geographical boundaries cannot act as a preventive mechanism against violence. As such, the adage “The outcome of a war depends on the strength of the countries’ combat power” is accordingly questioned. The world is constantly changing. No perfect paradigm exists as all paradigms are subject to change. This also applies to the paradigms of war. The occurrence of an anomalous phenomenon that cannot be explained by the existing paradigm brings changes, which bring changes as well in terms of strategies. In the end, what was once conceived as a natural paradigm becomes an anomalous phenomenon. The current research on war paradigms, however, tends to adhere to the fourth- generation warfare, which can make people erroneously believe that the future wars will correspond to the fourth-generation warfare. This research was embarked on based on this problem. The paper critically analyzes the interpretation of the changes in the war paradigm and weapons systems to identify a causal link between military strategies. There exist many factors that can change the war paradigm, but this paper regards military science technology and weapons systems as the core components of the military power construct, thus exploring military strategies from the perspective of military power utilization.