The Mission Centric Network Defense System (MCNDS) is a deployable network defense system that monitors network activities, generates and maintains situational awareness of operational activities, and uses this joint situational awareness of networked and operational activities to predict the mission impact of alterations and disruptions of networked resources. The MCNDS uses its predictive capability to rank information operation (IO) courses-of-action (COAs) and interpret network alarms and intrusion detections in terms of expected operational mission impact.