Coalition Command and Control: Key Considerations,
Abstract
The future security environment will be more complex as more regional powers emerge, each with its own expectation of independent decisionmaking. U.S. strategy, as presented in the National Military Strategy (1992) and other statements, addresses a continuing requirement to be ready for unilateral action. It also outlines the expectation that the United States will continue to lead in efforts supporting global peace and security using forward presence, crisis response, and multinational operations. After the Gulf War, some political-military analysts and national leaders saw ad hoc coalitions as the wave of the future. Others, seeing the difficulties of planning for an ad hoc operation, disagreed and instead supported a decrease in U.S. security involvement with other nations. World events subsequently showed the necessity of being prepared to work with allies not part of established regional security arrangements. Although not a first choice, the possibility of ad hoc coalition operations is now recognized as an option. Specific and focused coalition planning can more clearly define the role of the military and the options the military provides to the President for foreign policy in a multi polar world. Such planning also would make the military more effective and responsive in a coalition operation. While some see a more unipolar world, and the U.S. may be the biggest, toughest guy on the block, plenty of other nations are in positions two, three, and four. This paper examines the many factors that influence command and control of coalition operations. Here "command and control" refers to the overall process and is not just the short form for 'command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence' (C4I).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA310580
Entities
People
- Martha Maurer
Organizations
- National Defense University