An embeddable testbed for insurgent and terrorist agent theories: InsurgiSim

Many simulators today contain traditional opponents and lack an asymmetric insurgent style adversary. InsurgiSim prototypes an embeddable testbed containing a threat network of agents that one can easily configure and deploy for training and analysis purposes. The insurgent network was constructed inside a socio-cognitive agent framework (FactionSim-PMFserv) that includes: (a) a synthesis of best-of-breed models of personality, culture, values, emotions, stress, social relations, mobilization, as well as (b) an IDE for authoring and managing reusable archetypes and their task-sets (Section 2). Agents and markups in this library are not scripted, and act to follow their values and fulfill their needs. So it's desirable to profile the agents (eg, faction leaders, cell logisticians, followers, bomb maker, financier, recruiter, etc.) as faithfully to the real world as possible. Doing this will improve the utility of InsurgiSim for studying what may be driving the insurgent agents in a given area of operation as Section 3 explains. InsurgiSim's bridge is an HLA federate and can be embedded to drive all or some of the insurgent agents in a 3rd party simulator. Three such examples are summarized in Section 4. The paper closes with next steps to improve InsurgiSim's capabilities and utility.

[1]  P. Chiarelli,et al.  Winning the Peace: The Requirement for Full-Spectrum Operations , 2005 .

[2]  Andrew Ortony,et al.  The Cognitive Structure of Emotions , 1988 .

[3]  Gnana Bharathy,et al.  Human Behavior Models for Agents in Simulators and Games: Part II: Gamebot Engineering with PMFserv , 2006, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[4]  Samuel B. Griffith,et al.  Mao Tse-Tung On Guerrilla Warfare. , 1962 .

[5]  David W. Pendall Effects-Based Operations and the Exercise of National Power , 2004 .

[6]  John A. Nagl,et al.  Counterinsurgency lessons from Malaya and Vietnam : learning to eat soup with a knife , 2004 .

[7]  V. Durairaj The bottom billion: why are the poorest countries failing and what can be done about it , 2007 .

[8]  Sarah Sewall,et al.  The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual , 2007 .

[9]  R. Darnell Translation , 1873, The Indian medical gazette.

[10]  Nancy A Koziarz,et al.  Tools for Effects Based Course of Action Development and Assessment , 2004 .

[11]  Ramon J. Aldag,et al.  Decision Making: A Psychological Analysis of Conflict , 1980 .

[12]  F. Osinga Science, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd , 2006 .

[13]  Gnana Bharathy,et al.  Modeling factions for “effects based operations”: part I—leaders and followers , 2007, Comput. Math. Organ. Theory.

[14]  G. G. Stokes "J." , 1890, The New Yale Book of Quotations.

[15]  David J. Kilcullen "Twenty-Eight Articles": Fundamentals of Company-Level Counterinsurgency , 2006 .

[16]  P. Chiarelli,et al.  The Requirement for Full-Spectrum Operations , 2005 .

[17]  I. Janis,et al.  Decision Making: A Psychological Analysis of Conflict, Choice, and Commitment , 1977 .

[18]  F. Alonso Fernández,et al.  [Psychology of terrorism]. , 1980, Anales de la Real Academia Nacional de Medicina.

[19]  Benjamin D. Nye,et al.  Modeling Factions for 'Effects Based Operations': Part I Leader and Follower Behaviors , 2007 .

[20]  Andy Ceranowicz,et al.  Adapting to Urban Warfare , 2005 .

[21]  David H. Petraeus,et al.  Learning Counterinsurgency: Observations from Soldiering in Iraq , 2006 .

[22]  Gnana Bharathy,et al.  Modeling factions for ‘effects based operations’, part II: behavioral game theory , 2008, Comput. Math. Organ. Theory.

[23]  Kevin O'Brien,et al.  Human Behavior Models for Agents in Simulators and Games: Part I: Enabling Science with PMFserv , 2006, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.