Network Centric Warfare and the Principles of War
Abstract
A central pillar of future warfighting concepts for the United States military is the idea of Network Centric Warfare (NCW). This new approach to military operations attempts to leverage Information Age innovations and apply them to the execution of warfare. Some advocates of this concept believe that it will change the character and nature of warfare, therefore, making the conventional concepts of warfare obsolete. The principles of war are another way of referring to the conventional concepts and character of warfare. The United States military has adopted a standardized series of principles which have stood the test of time and can be traced back to many of the classical theorists of warfare such as the Prussian strategic theorist Carl Von Clausewitz, and the ancient Chinese military thinker Sun Tzu. It is these principles that must be analyzed when determining whether or not NCW has radically altered the landscape of warfare. While NCW concepts are force enablers and will assist the military of the future in the execution of its mission, they do not radically alter the classical principles of warfare and for this reason they should not be considered the prime motivator for future resourcing and doctrinal decisions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 05, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA468857
Entities
People
- Christopher M. Senenko
Organizations
- National Defense University