Tactical Service-Oriented Architecture

We address architectural and design considerations to a service-oriented architecture designed for the tactical environment. This architecture, dubbed tactical service-oriented architecture, must be responsive to changing network conditions and the quick addition or removal of network-enabled nodes. It must be supportive of a variety of heterogeneous data networks and support translation of data between incompatible networks and systems. Additionally, it will need to support the various operating environments of tactical edge assets. The architecture and design considerations asserted in this paper are backed by lab test bed development, cooperative research with industry and government labs, participation with relevant working groups, and participation in real-world exercises utilizing airborne networks.