Group communication in tactical networks: A discussion

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the flexibility of multicast distribution and raise the discussion of how to support multicast in tactical military networks. The tactical network can be divided in two main parts; the relatively static backbone and the highly mobile radio networks. This paper mostly focuses on the later type network type. A series of military vignettes is defined, which are used to identify the range of network parameters that best describe group communication in tactical military networks. A high level analysis of what types of multicast support we believe are best suited for these networks is then provided.