"The Evolution of Command and Control: Finding the Missing Link"

Abstract

The United States has a historic cultural reluctance to embrace war planning in a greater political context. Nineteen years ago global pressures forced the United States to seek radical military improvement. The military did not initially embrace this effort. The catalyst for change was legislated through the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. Recent experience in war has revealed inadequate war planning at the national strategic level, and lack of coordinated supporting planning at the interagency level. To what extent are these recent problems reflective of more serious, systemic flaws, indicative of a dangerous civil-military seam in the United States? This paper will seek to discover through discussion of theory and doctrine, culture, recent historic evolution, and current counter argument how serious this apparent seam really is. The paper will conclude by considering whether permanent change through legislated action is warranted to close the strategic war planning seam.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 17, 2005
Accession Number
ADA463704

Entities

People

  • Paul K. Rupp

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan Conflict
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Command And Control
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Governments
  • Interagency Coordination
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Second World War
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

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

Technology Areas

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