Decision support for CBRN avoid and protect missions

Modern Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) operations require a significant reduction in the time between decision making and decision execution. This calls for effective decision support to improve situational awareness (SA) at the lowest practical echelon. Applied Research Associates, Inc. conducted a 22-month project to research Avoidance and Protection, the CBRN phase with greatest uncertainty and cognitive work demands, to determine how the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) could best support operator procedures and decision making. We confirmed U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) CBRN doctrine, created battalion commander, medical officer, CBRN Specialist, and Soldier or Marine use cases, developed a concept video around existing CBRN passive defense workflows and tasking, then reviewed the concept with CBRN Specialists returning from deployment as well as Integrated Early Warning and CBRN Support to Command-and-Control developers. Resulting improvement to decision support can more effectively sustain the operator’s observe, orient, decide, and act (OODA) loop while minimizing cognitive load.