US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MODELING AND SIMULATION: NEW APPROACHES AND INITIATIVES

In order to more effectively analyze strategic, force structure, and systemschoices associated with the national security environment of the 21st Century, the US Department of Defense is attempting to improve its approach to the development, management and application of Modeling and Simulation (M&S). It hasestablished a new structure to oversee and integrate M&S activity and directed DoDcommunities to develop internal business plans to focus that effort. The AnalysisCommunity has responded by identifying desired analytic M&S goals, measuringcurrent capabilities, prioritizing capability gaps, and then outlining potential solutions. These activities are being captured as part of an analysis M&S business planproduct and process. This paper notes that a key desired outcome is improved M&Sto address three areas of particular concern: Irregular Warfare and the Global Waron Terror; Stability, Security, Transition and Reconstruction operations; and Joint, Interagency, and Multinational operations. In these areas, the Department is seekinga broad, collaborative approach to engage interagency and allied partners in developingand using new analytic approaches and tools