The Cultural Challenges of Joint Self-Synchronization

Abstract

Network Centric Warfare (NCW) promises to bring tremendous new capabilities to the military and transform the way the U.S. fights. Core technical requirements for NCW include a Common Operating Picture (COP) and a Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC). These technologies enable more potent actions including increased speed of command and the self-synchronization of forces. The implicit assumption NCW proponents make regarding self-synchronization is that it will always produce beneficial results. In order for this to happen, all the forces must have the same fundamental understanding of warfare and operate with a common rule set. Tactical units in the same service will not be the issue; they use the same doctrine, training, and equipment. At the joint level, because the services have different cultures, the ability to successfully self-synchronize is considerably hampered, and in some cases self-synchronized forces will do more harm than good.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 03, 2003
Accession Number
ADA415402

Entities

People

  • Brian C. Taddiken

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Bombing
  • Combat Areas
  • Command And Control
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Cooperative Engagement Capability
  • Marine Corps
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Network Centric Warfare
  • Persian Gulf
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Systems Analysis and Design