Measure of invulnerability for command and control network based on mission link

In Command and Control (C2) network, the measure of invulnerability mainly focuses on structural characteristics of the network, where the operational mission has not been adequately considered. As a result, it becomes difficult to assess the invulnerability of C2 network in a dynamical manner. In this paper, the operational entities and heterogeneous relationships among combat entities are analyzed, where the operational C2 network model is constructed based on the combat theory of OODA and the super network. Subsequently, the mission link is defined, which can be used to characterize the combat network. Finally, a new measure of invulnerability for C2 networks is proposed based on the efficiency and entropy of the mission link. In particular, this measure can desirably represent the efficiency of information transmission and robustness of network structures, respectively. The simulation results have demonstrated that the proposed invulnerability measure is highly sensitive and accurate. More specifically, the proposed measure could more accurately reveal the invulnerability of C2 network, where theoretical basis for designing and optimizing the structure of C2 networks can be also provided. (c) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.