October 2000 Newsletter - Naval Postgraduate School

MISSILE DEFENSE RESEARCH, continued from page 1
applied network centric operational principles to the Commander,
Sixth Fleet (COMSIXTHFLT) critical operational
issues. This included building on
lessons learned from Operation
Allied Force and previous battle
experiments. FBE-G featured a
decentralized command and
control architecture and focused
on the protection of time critical
targets (TCT) and theater air and
missile defense (TAMD), including
TBMD.
Cueing Architecture for Naval
Theater Ballistic Missile Defense
Program
RADIANT GOLD is the name
for an umbrella research and
development program under the
auspices of the Navy’s Tactical
Exploitation of National Capabilities
(TENCAP) Office
(OPNAV N632). One of the
many projects under this program is a concept to deliver a
space-based cue to the warfighter. The proposed concept is to
have the ability to deliver a processed cue from sensor to
shooter through a communications network – thereby
increasing the effectiveness of the overall TBMD engagement.
The dynamic nature of the TBM threat requires rapid
dissemination of TBM launch detection and the earliest
possible engagement by a TBMD system. RADIANT
GOLD disseminates the cue through the most effective
means by taking into account the communication capabilities
and limitations of current surface combatants and the limited
bandwidth available in military satellite communications.
There are several R&D concepts in RADIANT GOLD.
First, RADIANT GOLD is seeking out methods and equipment
that can improve TBM situation awareness for theater
commanders. This can improve operational decisions
regarding appropriate passive and active defensive measures
and allow the possibility for rapid transition to attack operations
for counterstrike. Secondly, RADIANT GOLD is
developing methods to cue AEGIS ships of possible TBM
events. The use of a cue offers the possibility of a boost/
ascent phase detection of a TBM and may lead to an earlier
missile engagement. The RADIANT GOLD project is
RESEARCH OVERVIEW
The Assistant Chief of Naval Operations
(ACNO) for Missile Defense is
a newly formed staff function to
provide oversight of all policy,
planning, budgeting, funding, requirements
definition, test and
evaluation, deployment, training,
operational doctrine, tactics and
employment of Naval missile defense
systems, including area and
theater-wide theater ballistic missile
defense (TBMD) as well as overland
cruise missile defense. The ACNO
for Missile Defense coordinates all
missile defense-related programs
and initiatives throughout the Navy.
currently exploring a method, which can satisfy both R&D
concepts, by utilizing data derived from a Joint Tactical
Ground Station (JTAGS)
ashore. This data can be
forwarded to a remote JTAGS
(RJTAGS) afloat, instead of
waiting for TDDS or TIBS
missile alert broadcasts.
As a result of previous experimentation
of RADIANT
GOLD in theater in August of
1999 aboard the Sixth Fleet’s
flagship, COMSIXTHFLT
requested that the Navy’s
TENCAP office demonstrate
the RJTAGS on an operational
surface combatant at sea in
conjunction with FBE-G. To
this end, TENCAP developed a
demonstration plan of RADI-
ANT GOLD’s capabilities
aboard both the flagship, USS
LaSalle (AGF-3), and the USS
Mahan (DDG 72). Each unit was outfitted with an RJTAGS
and utilized JBS or EHF communications respectively to
receive JTAGS data.
Navy TENCAP established two RADIANT GOLD
demonstration objectives within the overall FBE-G objectives.
The first objective focused on support to the JTF
commander’s situational awareness for attack operations and
local warning requirements for passive defense. This was to
be accomplished by providing national sensor data ashore by a
JTAGS to an afloat RJTAGS. The second objective was to
provide the same sensor data processed ashore by JTAGS to
an AEGIS ship with an active defense mission.
RADIANT GOLD had a successful demonstration while
participating in FBE-G. All operational and analytical
objectives were met and some insight was gained by
TENCAP on the utility of their program. The concept
successfully proved that it could send data for not only passive
defense, but also active defense and attack operations to users
at sea. LT Christopher Atkinson, USN, working with Chair
Professors Alan Ross and Charlie Racoosin of the Space
Systems Academic Group, explored the RADIANT GOLD
concept at the system level and examined it against other
--continued on page 3
NPS Research page 2
October 2000