A Combined Structure for Security in Distributed Simulation

Forming government alliances and agreements for joint military training among different nations increase the need for security controls in simulators interoperability. In this simulation context, it is mandatory to protect the restricted data avoiding the dissemination of sensitive information. This article presents a solution for High Level Architecture (HLA) based simulations that allows control over the inter-federation traffic. The solution explores the combination of a bridge structure and a filter structure, which can be introduced between two federations to restrict the publication of classified information. To demonstrate the solution functionality on protecting sensitive data from simulators, a prototype was developed. It allows simulation participants to define what they want to share and protect according to their nation rules. An experiment was carried out and demonstrates that the combination of structures is an effective solution for protecting sensitive information when nations joint training is required.