Levels of C2 systems interoperability: A feasibility study

For all kinds of military operation the interoperability of C2 systems is a central issue. The question of interoperability should be answered with more shades than simply with "yes" or "no". Therefore it is highly desirable to find suitable levels for grading the interoperability. This report addresses the following questions that are important in this context: o What are the levels of C2 systems interoperability (LC2I), and what do they look like? o What criteria or parameters are needed to define such levels that are both observable and controllable? o How can we make use of the levels to assess C2 systems interoperability? o What are the consequences of co-operation with too low interoperability level? o What can we do to reach a desired interoperability level? The LISI ("Levels of Information Systems Interoperability") model has not only been the starter of our study but also the frame of reference for it. Especially LISI has been applied to NAF, a NATO mandatory common architecture framework for C3 systems, with the aim of improving NAF with respect to interoperability, and obtaining indications of how the levels of LISI could be improved with respect to the questions above.