Simulation modeling requirements for determining soldier tactical mission system effectiveness

In order to maintain an edge during this time of unprecedented technological growth, the Army must field infantry soldier systems quickly; however, the cost of doing so without some assessment of utility is quite high. Therefore, the acquisition community must estimate the operational impact of proposed systems with an increasing degree of accuracy. For this, the Army has turned to combat simulations. However, the focus in the past has been on larger battlefield systems and unit-level analyses. Additionally, infantry soldier models require unprecedented fidelity in terms of the soldier entity and his environment. As a result, the simulation representation of the individual soldier on the battlefield has not kept pace with other representations. In this paper, we discuss our identification of the unique simulation requirements for modeling the infantry soldier as a system of systems in support of acquisition decision making.