Towards a tactical software defined network

Abstract

Tactical military networks present a challenging environment for the delivery of information services. A tactical network must support a dynamically changing force in the face of physical and electronic threats and where bandwidth is scarce. The network manager faces an almost impossible task to deliver vital information with the required quality of service in the face of changing operational priorities. This paper describes a structured methodology to assess emerging technologies such as Software Defined Networks (SDN) which can deliver increased agility and reduce the operator burden in tactical networks. It presents initial results from the application of this methodology.