The Operations Support Network: An Approach to Integrating Control and Communications for System Control of the Defense Communications System

This paper describes a planned program by the Rome Air Development Center to integrate control and communications for system control in the European Defense Communications System (DCS). This work is a continuation of 2 unrelated previous efforts by Honeywell Corporation and the MITRE Corporation which both recommended use of a packet switched communications subnetwork for use by system control. The Operations Support Network (OSN) is an enhancement to the DCS that will improve current system control communications capability by enhancing its survivability and increasing its flexibility.