C2 Core and UCore Message Design Capstone

UCore allows users to create multi-layered messages pairing UCore digests with detailed structured payloads. A MITRE Capstone was funded to explore the feasibility of a multi-layered message including a domain specific common core layer. The Capstone Team designed a multi-layered messaging solution where a UCore digest was paired with a notional "common core" payload from the Command and Control (C2) domain, and further extended with a Community of Interest (COI) payload. This approach was tested with an exchange satisfying real air operations planning requirements. Our design goals were to minimize content duplication and to create a message interpretable by both COI and unanticipated users from the domain. This document shares lessons learned from this approach and provides insights about challenges to designing and using multi-layer messages in the real world.