TACTICS TSI architecture: A European reference architecture for tactical SOA

Abstract

The service-oriented architecture (SOA) paradigm is increasingly applied to the armed forces' IT infrastructures. However, existing SOA implementations tend to create increased demand on network resources and are thus not ideally suited for the disadvantaged networks of the tactical battlefield. Facing these disadvantages, we propose a tactical service infrastructure (TSI) which is currently being shaped in the TACTICS project with different European partners. In this paper we present our architecture which combines promising techniques such as cross-layering, delay-tolerant networking, and store-and-forward transport to overcome the issues faced when propagating SOA to the tactical military world.