Network Centric Warfare and Command and Control: Rethinking Organizational Architecture
Abstract
We know from history that the ability of a military commander to effectively control his forces was forever changed by the French Revolution and the levee en masse. Thereafter, the sheer size and dispersion of forces made it necessary to subdivide them, and eventually to institute a rigid organizational system that has become increasingly more complex. Communications became extremely difficult with the available signal technology, making it almost impossible to synchronize these widely dispersed forces. The subsequent arrival of the telegraph vastly improved military communications, and today forces of almost unlimited size and separation routinely share information and intelligence in near-real time. From the late 20th century explosion in information and computing technology emerges the concept of Network Centric Warfare. Network Centric Warfare applies the vast potential of the Information Age to warfare, envisioning a netted battle force executing high-speed, synchronized operations with precise effect. Rich, scalable visualizations that reflect all relevant factors in the battlespace, or Common Operating Pictures (COPs) as they have been coined, become the essential element of United States military power in the 21st century.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA393553
Entities
People
- Julius C. Washington
Organizations
- Naval War College