Defense Primer: What Is Command and Control?

Abstract

The Department of Defense (DOD) defines command and control (C2) as [t]he exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned forces in the accomplishment of the mission. At its most fundamental level, C2 represents how DOD makes operational decisions. One can view C2 through the context of five variables: who, what, when, where, and how (see Figure 1). Traditionally, Congress has focused on the authorities (the who) and technology (the how) variables, and less so on the force mix (what), temporal(when), and geographic (where). China and Russia have developed strategies to disrupt or potentially deny DOD its ability to make decisions; as a result, DOD is modernizing systems and processes to command and control military forces.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 08, 2021
Accession Number
AD1132997

Entities

People

  • Andrew S. Bowen
  • Caitlin Campbell
  • John R. Hoehn

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Command Control Communications
  • Congress
  • Control Systems
  • Cyberspace
  • Cyberspace Operations
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electromagnetic Spectra
  • Military Doctrine
  • Military Strategy
  • National Security
  • Networks
  • Tactical Networks
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control