Automation for the Joint Interoperability of Tactical Command and Control Systems (JINTACCS)

The Joint Interoperability of Tactical Command and Control Systems (JINTACCS) is a program to increase compatibility and interoperability among the command and control (C2) systems of the services and national agencies. The result of this program has been the development of 132 highly structured C2 message text formats (MTF's). The Joint Chiefs of Staff has directed that, beginning in September 1986, these MTF's be implemented by the Service/Agencies for the command and control of joint operations. Because of the complexity and rigidity of the JINTACCS MTF's, automatic data processing (ADP) is being used to assist with the processing of these messages. Up to the present time, ADP has been used primarily for the drafting or writing of the MTF's; however, applications also exist for processing incoming messages. This paper discusses the present and potential application of ADP to handle JINTACCS MTF's and outlines portions of an algorithm to process incoming messages.