Generally, Battle Management Language (BML) is the unambiguous language used to:

• Command and control forces and equipment conducting military operations.
• Provide for situational awareness and a shared, common operational picture.

It can be seen as a standard representation of a digitized commander's intent to be used for real troops, for simulated troops, and for future robotic forces. BML is particularly relevant in a network centric environment for enabling mutual understanding.

A Coalition BML, as envisioned by this product development group in this proposal, developed and applied by the all Services and by coalition members would not only allow interoperability among their C4ISR systems and simulations, but also among themselves.

As it is almost impossible to imagine a situation in the future when a single nation will unilaterally deploy its armed forces, these efforts must be embedded into international standards. Because future military operations, and a significant amount of training, will be Coalition in nature, it is critical that a Coalition Service approach be taken to the BML development effort. The same issues that have driven the Army to embark on this program also confront the other Services as they develop both their C4ISR and simulation systems.