A Survey of Tactically Suitable Exterior Gateway Protocols

As more IP-capable tactical MANETs are fielded, the creation of backbone-like structures through dynamic interconnection of tactical networks becomes increasingly feasible. Such interconnections hold the promise of improved connectivity and communications resilience, but also introduce policy complexity and scalability challenges. Diversity in these tactical networks in waveform, mission, security and ownership as well as scaling issues preclude flat network topologies. Exterior gateway protocols (EGPs) are traditionally used to interconnect non-aligned network domains, enabling the implementation of policy controls at network edges and enhancing scalability. This work briefly reviews some of the challenges faced by exterior gateway protocols in tactical MANETs. Existing work on EGPs that may be applicable at the tactical edge is surveyed, and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the few proposed and existing EGPs that may be suitable for use at the tactical edge are discussed.