Battle-Wisdom. Improving Cognitive Performance in Network Centric Warfare
Abstract
Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have demonstrated that cognitive pressures on military personnel are extremely high. Decisions that were once made by colonels are being made by captains and the consequences of those decisions are having global impacts. It is imperative that the U.S. military improve the ability of soldiers to make quick, accurate, and reliable decisions in complex, dynamic and ambiguous situations. To do so, soldiers must be able to move between formal reasoning and intuitive decision making quickly and seamlessly. We call this ability battle-wisdom and believe that it may be a decisive factor in determining the outcome of future conflicts. If the U.S. military is to remain operationally superior in network centric warfare, it needs to increase the overall level of battle-wisdom in its forces. We have identified several promising options for attracting, developing, and keeping battle-wise soldiers: lateral entry; rigorous and intense training in unfamiliar, ambiguous, and urgent circumstances; educational emphasis on analytic thinking and cross-boundary leadership; rigorous sorting before the 10-12 year mark; a more flexible retirement system; a steeper pay scale; and increased use of variable monetary incentives. Further research is needed to determine whether and how these ideas should be pursued.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA464173
Entities
People
- David Gompert
- Irv Lachow
- Justin Perkins
Organizations
- National Defense University