In 1995, the DoD Command and Control Research Program (CCRP), within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, held the first International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium (ICCRTS) in Washington, D.C. This meeting built upon a series of meetings during the 1970s by the Office of Naval Research and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that brought together interested researchers to exchange ideas on command and control (C2), its measurement and assessment, and the impact of new technologies on C2 processes. Participation has grown substantially, to include hundreds of participants from dozens of nations. The Symposium provides an unparalleled opportunity for professional researchers, academics, active duty and reserve officers, and policy makers to interact with one another, understand the state of the art of C2, and influence the state of the practice with the United States and among its coalition partners. The ICCRTS has consistently focused on: (a) new concepts in C2 with an emphasis on coalition and collective C2 issues (b) new technologies and their potential impact on C2, and (c) feedback and evidence from experiments, exercises, and real-world operations. The Symposium is also an important forum for discussion of and for examining the complex endeavors (stabilization, operations, disaster relief) involving a variety of entities including military, civilian, government, international organizations, PVOs and NGOs.

20th ICCRTS CALL FOR PAPERS (PDF)

The theme for the 20th International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium is C2, Cyber, and Trust. This year’s theme provides an opportunity to address the challenges of an evolving cyber environment and the critical role that trust plays in each of the three network genres, social, information, communications, that impact command and control. More networked enabled and more agile C2 requires the development of appropriate levels of shared awareness. This, in turn, depends upon the ability to ensure timely information flows that span organizational components and the range of participating entities. Among the questions to be addressed are - What evidence has been found to date that describes the impact of trust on C2 network behaviors and agility? How can trust be measured? Do trust-related impacts cascade across the network genres? Can improving trust in the social network compensate for a lack of trust in the communications and information networks? This theme will be explored in plenary presentations and panels as well as in track discussion periods.

20th ICCRTS CALL FOR PAPERS (PDF)

The 20th ICCRTS will be comprised of tracks on various topics that explore C2 from a number of different perspectives. Authors are asked to think about the theme as they prepare their papers and discuss the theme in the context of their research and analyses. Each presentation will be given 30 minutes: 20 minutes to present, 5 minutes for questions and discussion, and 5 minutes to allow individuals to move to the next presentation of their choice. The Track Chairs will provide feedback to assist authors in finalizing their papers and presentations.

Topic 1: Concepts, Theory, and Policy

The changing nature of the missions being carried out has created a new reality. This reality demands that existing concepts, theories, and policies be revisited and discarded or adjusted, as necessary and new concepts, theory, and policy be developed.

Topic 2: Organizational Concepts and Approaches

This topic examines designing, analyzing, and implementing various approaches that are designed to develop shared intent, awareness and understanding and facilitate collective action (e.g., C2, management, governance, self-synchronization, emergent behaviors).

Topic 3:Data, Information, and Knowledge

This topic will address 1) how to obtain new data, information, and knowledge including detection, collection, and instrumentation, 2) how to move from data to information to knowledge, and 3) ways of enhancing the value of data, information, and knowledge by making it more discoverable, accessible, widely shared, and understandable.

Topic 4: Experimentation, Metrics, and Analysis

This topic includes experiments, metrics and analyses related any aspect of command and control—networking, management or governance, information sharing, trust, shared awareness, shared understanding, decision-making, planning, execution, and assessment of ongoing operations.

Topic 5: Modelling and Simulation

This topic encompasses models and simulations that represent emergent behaviors in C2.

Topic 6: Cyberspace, Communications, and Information Networks

This topic addresses the management of cyberspace and the design, development, fielding, operations (including protection and assurance) of communications and information networks.

Topic 7: Autonomy

This topic addresses the issues related to the integration of autonomous entities, human and agent-based, into organizations, processes, and systems.  Of particular interest, are ways to think about levels of autonomy, the allocation of decision rights between humans and computer systems, the tradeoffs involved, and analytical approaches, tools and metrics to help us understand and develop appropriate solutions. 

Topic 8: Social Media

This topic will address 1) methods and techniques to monitor (find trends and anomalies), filter, capture and store social media data (text, video, images, etc.), 2) methods and techniques for the analysis of the associated metadata (from where, when, and how are people communicating?), 3) methods and techniques to extract meaning from the content of the unstructured, messy social media content, and 4) experimental results using social media to explore social/cultural/political processes and behaviors. Experimental results should articulate how new knowledge can impact C2 Agility in a relevant operational mission.

Topic 9: C2-siimulation Interoperability

This topic addresses the issues related to the ability of C2 (national and coalition) to interoperate with and incorporate simulation functionality. Of interest are simulation technology topics and the representation of transfer of command intent.

Topic 10: Operational Issues

This topic will address the operational needs, gaps, overlaps, lessons learned, and best practices working with "Mission Partners" (Ministries', Departments', Bureaus', Agencies', Governments', Militaries’, Special Operations and Conventional Forces). The papers should articulate how "Mission Partner" engagements and relationships impact operational missions.

Topic 11: Agile C2 Security

This topic addresses the design, development and operation of composable, reconfigurable,and resilient security systems in C2 cyberspace.

20th ICCRTS CALL FOR PAPERS (PDF)

The study of Command and Control, and this Symposium have grown significantly over the years. This has resulted in an increasing number of paper submissions competing for the available time slots. Revised deadlines have been implemented to increase the amount of time for Track Chairs to review draft papers and provide detailed feedback to authors, as well as increase the amount of time for authors to revise their papers. This is our ongoing effort to ensure an event of the highest possible quality. We believe that these steps will allow authors to improve their papers and presentations, and thereby improve the overall value of the Symposium. While we have found abstracts useful in identifying papers that are, for any number of reasons, not appropriate for this Symposium, abstracts do not provide enough information for decisions regarding paper acceptance. Therefore, while we will still continue to accept abstracts as first submissions, authors are urged to submit papers for review as soon as possible. We will make every effort to provide timely feedback to authors. This rolling review process enables us to give the required attention to all papers that are submitted and maximize the time available for authors to make modifications to improve their papers. We understand that many authors will be in the middle of projects when the time comes to submit first drafts of their papers. If this is the case, this should be noted and we will expect the author to update the paper and presentation prior to final submission. Thank you for your participation in the ICCRTS. Please email submissions to: ICCRTS@IDA.org If accepted, your professional paper will be included in a CD of the Symposium proceedings and both your paper and your presentation will be posted on the ICCRTS section of www.dodccrp.org. Please review the author guidelines and timelines to ensure that you are aware of and adhere to the ICCRTS submission process.

20th ICCRTS CALL FOR PAPERS (PDF)

Submit your abstracts to ICCRTS@IDA.org no later than  November 28, 2014

You will receive an invitation to submit a formal draft paper by  December 19, 2014

Your formal draft paper must be submitted by  February 6, 2015

You will receive reviewer comments by  March 20, 2015

Your final revised paper must be submitted by April 24, 2015

Your final presentation must be submitted by May 22, 2015

20th ICCRTS CALL FOR PAPERS (PDF)

Please email all submissions to: iccrts@dodccrp.org

All submissions must contain a cover page that includes the following information:

• 20th ICCRTS
• Title of Pape (15 word max)
• Topic(s) (Please choose one primary and two alternate topics)
• Name of Author(s)
• Point of Contact who will be responsible for all correspondence with the ICCRTS team.
• POC Name
• POC Organization
• POC Complete Mailing Address
• POC E-mail Address
• POC Telephone
• Abstract (300 word maximum)

Abstracts and Papers must be unclassified and for Public Distribtution:

Body of Paper: 20 pages max. (not including appendices and references)

For papers with multiple authors, identify one point of contact. Our Coordinator will communicate with this person regarding the Symposium. This point of contact will be responsible for passing on any information to the other authors of the paper. If the point of contact changes it is important for authors to notify the Coordinator.

Download the CALL FOR PAPERS (PDF)

The following criteria will be used by track chairs and symposium staff in their review process:

1.  The paper is appropriate for the theme and topics of Symposium.
2.  The paper is intellectually stimulating.
3.  The literature review is adequate/appropriate.
4.  The research design is adequate/appropriate.
5.  The data analysis is adequate/appropriate.
6.  The conclusions are reasonable.
7.  The paper advances the state of knowledge.
8.  The paper is logical and consistent.
9.  The paper’s argument is persuasive.

10. The writing is clear and readable.

Papers will not be accepted if:

1.  Topics stray from the conceptual focus of the Symposium.
2.  Attempts are made to promote or sell specific goods and/or services.
3.  Claims are unsubstantiated or facts are inaccurate.
4.  Scientific merit is lacking.
5.  Writing/explanations are poor.