Operational Planning Functions in an Information Age
Abstract
Network Centric Warfare (NCW) as an emerging concept promises increased battle space awareness through information management. To the Operational Commander the potential for increased data collection and opportunities to capitalize on enemy information vulnerabilities provides greater opportunities for victory. The concept of Network Centric Warfare when coupled with technological advances and innovations will provide advantages through the Operational Planning Functions that will need to be considered during Joint Warfare planning. Compression of time, space and force factors will dictate a change in current command and control relationships and information management during the planning process and during the phases of conflict. The volume and speed of information networking will allow multi-plane command awareness and support the ability to mass effects on the battlefield. This will require the establishment of an Information planning function along with an Information Warfare Commander in the Joint Task Force structure. As a corollary to the approach taken by Joseph W. Caneva in his 1999 Naval War College paper, "Network-Centric Warfare: Implications for Applying the Principles of War", this paper will focus on the impacts that NCW capabilities will have on the Operational Planning Functions of command and control, fires, intelligence, logistics and protection as applied to Joint Task Force Planning. An additional function focused on Information will be presented. The assumptions that speed and time compression will occur are accepted to be true for this analysis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 05, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA389664
Entities
People
- Joseph A. De Leon
Organizations
- Naval War College