Unified behavior framework in discrete event simulation systems

Intelligent agents provide simulations a means to add lifelike behavior in place of manned entities. When implemented, typically a single intelligent agent model (or approach to defining decision making), such as rule-based, behavior trees, neural networks, etc., is selected. This choice introduces restrictions into what behaviors agents can manifest, and can require significant testing in edge cases. This paper presents the incorporation and application of the Unified Behavior Framework (UBF) into the Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration, and Modeling environment. The UBF provides the flexibility to implement any and all behavior-based systems, allowing the developer to rapidly assemble a decision making agent that leverages multiple paradigms or approaches. The UBF achieves this by leveraging several key software engineering principles: modular design, scalability through reduced code complexity, simplified development and testing through abstraction, and the promotion of code reuse. The use of UBF to define intelligent agents within a 2v2 Integrated Air Defense System is demonstrated. © 2017, © The Author(s) 2017.