Peering Into the Future PeerToPeer Technology as a Model for Distributed Joint Battlespace Intelligence Dissemination and Operational Taskin

"This thesis focuses on the capabilities of an emerging technology known as Peer-To- Peer (P2P) technology and its potential to improve intelligence support to operational and tactical warfighters. First popularized by a popular music-sharing program called Napster in May 1999, P2P technology enabled the sharing of millions of music files over the Internet between anyone who wanted to share. Some advocates believe that P2P technology will fuel the next Internet revolution. A radical departure from previous hierarchical networking technologies, P2P promises to empower users at the edges of a network by giving them the ability to connect to each other directly without going through a central server. This thesis evaluates this new technology and its potential to link operational and tactical users at the edges of military networks directly to sensors and analysts that provide intelligence information. This study seeks to answer the question, "How would peer-to-peer technology improve the current intelligence tasking, processing, exploitation and dissemination (TPED) process to benefit operational and tactical users?" To answer this question, the study surveys the various deployments of P2P technology that are currently in use in the commercial marketplace, explores some conceptual foundations of P2P technology and discusses the promises and perils that the technology brings. Following this conceptual overview of the technology, the study defines the TPED process and explores its current strengths and weaknesses. Finally, this study explores the intersections between each step of the intelligence process and proposes options for P2P technology to improve each step by evaluating applicability, effectiveness, and ease of implementation. The study concludes that P2P technology offers operational and tactical users at the edges of a network unprecedented power. It offers them direct access to sensors, other users, information, and ultimately knowledge of the b

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.