scope:

PURPOSE

The NATO Education and Training Network (NETN) Federation Architecture and FOM Design (FAFD) document is a reference document intended to provide architecture and design guidance for developing distributed simulation and training systems in the context of Computer Assisted Exercises (CAX). The guidance provided by the FAFD has been developed to support the NETN vision and is applicable to NATO CAX, national CAX and to distributed modelling and simulation in general.

"To deliver to NATO and Partners a persistent, distributed combined joint training capability able to support training from the operational to the tactical level across the full spectrum of operations, through leveraging existing national expertise and capabilities." - NATO ACT NETN Vision

The FAFD focuses mainly on technical interoperability issues in distributed simulation. It is not a complete guide on how to design a distributed simulation to support CAX but will provide key architecture and design patterns and proposed solutions. 

As a reference document, the FAFD is not intended to replace design and agreements documents authored to support each particular instance of federation development and use.