Ontology Structures for Modeling Irregular Warfare

摘要

Irregular Warfare (IW) is more complex than conventional warfare because it adds human, social, cultural, and behavioral effects to the conventional kinetic effects. Accordingly, modeling IW is also more difficult than modeling conventional warfare. The fields of knowledge that must be considered are multiplied, with a corresponding increase in the complexity of the concepts to be included and modeled. Describing this complex domain of knowledge requires an ontological approach to support the identification of what is modeled and the description of how it is modeled. This approach provides the basis for a "connectivity check" within the model's subelements. A formal ontology also supports computer inferencing through semantic connections. The required structures, connections, and definitions for a core ontology are described and illustrated. This core ontology consists of more than a thousand classes, each of which can be expanded into more detailed elements, depending on the nature of the model. The ontology has already been used for three different modeling purposes. It also should be useful for coordinating the use and creation of multiple IW models, supporting military and civilian field activities in IW operations, and in defining social theory needs.