FIGURE ES.1 Looking at M&S strategically.

in DOD's M&S, but these advances are associated mainly with computer and software technologies. By contrast, too little attention has been focused on the content of the models themselves, or on the research base needed to create that content. Failure to address this shortfall will inevitably lead to less effective but more expensive combat forces and—quite possibly—serious operational failures. The escalating complexity of planned systems and operations creates profound integration challenges requiring superb M&S for success—and for the avoidance of downright failures.

All of this suggests that the Department of the Navy needs to make an attitude shift regarding M&S, which has never previously merited a high priority for leadership attention. Today, what is needed is a strategic commitment to exploiting M&S ( Figure ES.1 ). This, of course, would lead to a strategy, policy, and investment actions. In this report the Panel on Modeling and Simulation identifies priorities for such matters. One priority involves the two principal joint simulation programs for training and analysis, the Joint Simulation System (JSIMS) and the Joint Warfare System (JWARS), respectively. Since first-generation versions will be quite imperfect and the systems may last 10 to 20 years, the panel recommends that the Department of the Navy take an active role to ensure that JSIMS and JWARS are produced as evolving systems that incorporate future research results. This is not simply a management issue, but rather something very challenging technically, since the architecture of the simulations