Win, Lose, or Draw; CCIR and the Commander's Role In Building Shared Vision.

Abstract

This monograph analyzes doctrine relating to the creation of Commander's Critical Information Requirements (CCIR) and its role in providing direction to units in combat. It compares doctrine to theory to assess it's doctrine's applicability in the face of rising complexity. It reviews the battles of LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany to assess U.S. Army decision making on a complex battlefield and to compare it to theory and doctrine. The paper addresses a gap in doctrine; the lack of a CCIR derivation methodology. A methodology is required to aid the commander in building and communicating his vision to his unit. This paper offers a methodology and a series of recommendations to aid in its application. History has revealed a tendency towards the evolution of more complex battlefields. This has generated a continuous challenge for command and control. Theory offers a description of the rising complexity. Ludwig Von Bertalanffy's General Systems Theory describes holistic problem solving. Michael Waldrop and John Casti describe the theory of complexity and offer practical applications for it's use. Peter Senge offers a series of mental disciplines designed to develop personal and organizational systems thinking and the field of information management offers techniques for systems analysis and design. The combination of these theories, disciplines, and professional fields offers a potential solution for simplifying control, managing information, and building common purpose within military units. The CCIR methodology is a commander's tool. He uses it to provide guidance to his staff to focus the military decision making process and to discipline the flow of information to him. The methodology is holistic and non linear. It facilitates anticipation, self adaptation, and routing of "useful" information to the commander that directly relates to the decisions he must make.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 16, 1998
Accession Number
ADA366296

Entities

People

  • John R. Sutherland Iii

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Chemical Reactions
  • Command And Control
  • Complex Systems
  • Computers
  • Decision Support Systems
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Information Operations
  • Information Overload
  • Information Systems
  • Management Information Systems
  • Military Science
  • New York
  • Operating Systems
  • Psychology
  • Systems Analysis
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

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