| Basic research is proposed on adaptive protocols for mobile wireless networks that must operate effectively over unreliable communication links in highly dynamic environments. The network architecture adopted for this proposal is an information grid formed from a network of subnetworks in which network control is distributed among the mobile terminals. The dominant feature of the proposed research is the exploitation of interactions among protocols to capitalize on the opportunities and overcome the impediments presented by the communication environment that is encountered during military operations. The proposed interactions among protocols involve not only the exchange of information but also the active cooperation of different classes of protocols to accomplish the common objective of reliable, energy-efficient distribution of multimedia information with the required security and quality of service. The research goals include establishing and taking maximum advantage of a strong coupling of the various protocol layers with the physical-layer functions, such as antenna array processing, receiver processing, modulation and demodulation, and error-control coding and decoding. The development of side information in physical-layer operations and its effective utilization in adaptive protocols continue to be cornerstones of our research on mobile wireless communications. The proposed research project will benefit immensely from our current and previous research on adaptive protocols and the design and simulation tools that we have developed as part of this research. |