Command and Control (C2) systems currently are developed for specific functions and limited application. Many systems deal with logistics and the management of resources during operations (e.g., Incident Response). Because different C2 systems often interoperate in very limited ways, they are difficult to get to work together without much manual intervention. This also limits the agility of operations due to the constraints of the automation used. However, Internet technologies have been developed to interoperate in a different way. Google and Amazon use web services that employ a Negotiation model to allow the development of very flexible responses to market conditions. There are many advantages to using negotiation protocols with automated systems. The traditional resource allocation process requires numerous meetings between representatives from the organizations involved to develop agreements. There are few tools available to assist in this process. We propose an innovative dynamic and agile methodology for supporting C2 using automated negotiation of electronic contracts (e-contracts). These e-contracts can be implemented by commercial Web Services and provide an alternative to having to specify in advance all possible interactions between C2 systems. There is a main negotiation cycle where agreements are put into e-contracts prior to operations. During operations, e-contracts are invoked to perform rule-based transactions triggered by situational data.
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