Nestled in an 80,000 square foot state of the art facility on Fort Benning, Ga., the U.S. Army Futures Command’s Maneuver Battle Lab (MBL) is the tip of the spear for experimentation at the Brigade Combat Team (BCT) level and below. MBL conducts live and constructive experimentation to support the individual Soldier, BCT and below maneuver formations, and Cross Functional Team initiatives through modeling, simulations, and live field experimentation. These experiments are backed by analytical rigor through detailed data analysis and Soldier qualitative assessments. Each experiment occurs within the Army’s Cross-Domain Maneuver (CDM) concept, which is the tactical application of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) at the BCT level.

In an effort to build upon experimentation capability, the Maneuver Battle Lab has expanded capabilities to simulate non-kinetic effects across domains. This includes simulation of both cyber and electronic warfare effects using ‘government off the shelf’ tools already available at no cost. These tools were developed by partners across the Joint Force, including the Naval Research Laboratory, the INDO-PACOM Cyber Warfare Innovation Center, and the Air Force Research Laboratory[1]. Modeling these effects in a simulated environment allows MBL to more accurately replicate the future operational environment and enhances decision making on future capabilities, concepts, and force designs.

In July, the MBL used several of these new tools in an experiment for the Concept Development Division (CDD) of the Maneuver Capabilities and Development Integration Directorate (MCDID). CDD develops future warfighting concepts for maneuver brigades, including the Cross-Domain Maneuver concept. This experiment for CDD, named the Quick Look VI Table Top Experiment, focused on understanding the application of several cyber and electronic warfare capabilities when aligned inside a new maneuver formation using the Cross-Domain Maneuver concept. During Quick Look VI, the MBL used electronic warfare modeling tools and live military role players from Forces Command (FORSCOM) to enhance concept writers’ understanding of conflict against a peer threat across multiple domains at the BCT level.

The MBL conducted a constructive simulation in August, the CDD Simulation Experiment 21-7, which focused on an individual battalion inside of a new formation type through its employment of cyber and electronic warfare capabilities. This experiment built upon lessons learned in Quick Look VI Table Top Experiment but employed additional solutions to model non-kinetic effects. These cyber and electronic warfare models allowed analysts and military role players to better understand the impacts of non-kinetic effects on military operations. DEVCOM’s C5ISR[2] also participated in the CDD Simulation Experiment 21-7 by conducting a network vulnerability assessment that allowed the Army to see itself and the enemy more clearly in the cyber and electronic warfare environments. These combined efforts facilitate collaboration and understanding of the multi-domain environment while conducting Cross-Domain Maneuver. Through detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis, the MBL’s experiments enhance modernization efforts to foster greater lethality, survivability, and competences that increase the capabilities of U.S. Army’s maneuver formations operating in multi-domain environments.

[1] Specific tools include Network Effects Emulation System (NE2S) (CYBER), Naval Research Lab BUILDER (EW), Army Research Lab Sage (EW), and Advance Framework for Simulation, Integration, and Modeling (AFSIM)

[2] U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR (Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Center