Evolvable simulations applied to Automated Red Teaming: A preliminary study

We report preliminary studies on evolvable simulations applied to Automated Red Teaming (ART). ART is a vulnerability assessment tool in which agent-based models of simplified military scenarios are repeatedly and automatically generated, executed and varied. Nature-inspired heuristic techniques are utilized to drive the exploration of simulation models to exhibit desired system behaviors. To date, ART investigations have essentially addressed the evolution of a limited fixed set of parameters determining the agents´ behavior. We propose to extend ART to widen the range of evolvable simulation model parameters. Using this “evolvable simulation” approach, we conduct experiments in which the agents´ structure is evolved. Specifically, a maritime scenario is examined where the individual trajectories of belligerent vessels are evolved to break Blue. These experiments are conducted using a modular evolutionary framework coined CASE. The results present counter-intuitive outcomes and suggest that evolvable simulation is a promising technique to enhance ART.