Evolvable Multi-Agent Hierarchical Architecture for Contested Logistics Ecosystems
damaging. The architecture explicitly addresses both: continued operation under missing data through degradation handling, and detection of anomalous patterns through adversarial validation. Graceful degradation without adversarial awareness provides only partial resilience in genuinely contested environments.
5 THE EVOLVABLE MULTI-AGENT HIERARCHICAL ARCHITECTURE
Addressing the complexity of contested logistics requires rethinking how intelligence, decisionmaking, and coordination are organised. This section introduces the architecture, structured around two complementary elements: a three-layer agent hierarchy and an AI-Ready Data Intelligence Platform.
Figure 5-1: Conceptual overview of the evolvable multi-agent hierarchical architecture.
5.1 ARCHITECTURAL OVERVIEW AND HIERARCHICAL LAYER DESIGN The architecture organises agents across strategic, operational, and tactical layers( Figure 5-1):
• Strategic layer: Agents interpret policy constraints, long-term objectives, and risk posture. They translate organisational intent into operational goals, adjusting priorities as conditions evolve and serving as the interface to human executives and governance bodies.
• Operational layer: Agents coordinate resources, mediate trade-offs across functional areas, and maintain coherence between tactical actions and strategic intent. This layer manages intermediate timescales and serves as the coordination hub for crossorganisational collaboration.
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