Comparison of "Functional Concept of Battlespace Awareness" versus the Concept of "Power to the Edge," with a Focus on Integrating Shotspotter Sensors and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

Current military doctrine is primarily hierarchical in nature with respect to power and authority. The "Functional Concept of Battlespace Awareness" (FCBA) is a military sensor methodology that employs a hierarchical command structure to test emerging technologies. Asymmetric warfare, however, demands a faster and more adaptive warfighting mentality that distributes power and responsibility across more of the fighting forces, particularly those that are at the frontlines of the battlefield. "Power to the Edge" is a warfighting concept that emphasizes a departure from traditional military hierarchies and a transition into a configuration that empowers "Edge" actors with information and authority. The exploitation of tactical opportunities by edge actors is essential to victory for an edge organization, and fundamentally what makes it more effective than traditional hierarchies. This thesis will explore the concept that the "Power to the Edge" doctrine is a more effective way to fight the enemies the United States will likely face in the Information Age. By analyzing and interpreting data collected at the Extended Awareness (EA) II and Extended Awareness IIB experiments, this thesis intends to explore an example of transition in current U.S. command and control methodology to keep up with a changing enemy. EA investigates how new advances in tactical sensor technologies, fusion systems, and display systems will change the military's battlefield situational awareness. In this thesis, EA data from an acoustic gunshot location sensor called "Shotspotter" is used to explore the potential effectiveness of FCBA and Power to the Edge.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA439286

Entities

People

  • Derek J. Elliott
  • Matthew G. Thompson

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Climate Change
  • Command And Control
  • Data Transmission
  • Detection
  • Doctrine
  • Information Exchange
  • Information Science
  • Military Applications
  • Military Organizations
  • Situational Awareness
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States
  • United States Naval Academy
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Sensor Fusion and Tracking Systems.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

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