CWC, Departing: Return of the Task Force Commander

Abstract

The Composite Warfare Commander (CWC) is a Navy command and control construct that was designed for the former "Carrier Battle Group" in, and specifically for, the Cold War. Though the Carrier Battle Group and the Cold War are both gone, the command and control doctrine, organization, and supporting systems designed for a very specific operational environment remain intact. This paper will analyze the objectives, organization, and process of the Composite Warfare Commander, Task Force Commander, and Maritime Operations Center, and how they will interact in today?s joint operational environment. It will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the CWC architecture, specifically in terms of interoperability, flexibility, and scalability. From this analysis, it will draw conclusions on the CWC's ability to effectively apply itself across the entire spectrum of joint operations. From the conclusions, this paper will propose recommendations on developing following concepts: 1) A modular Naval Task Force, 2) A Task Force command and control organization comprised of six Operational Directors, and 3) Hands-on professional military education for joint maritime operations. Ultimately, this paper will reinforce how the tactical command and control system that is employed by the Navy directly impacts how all services plan and execute joint maritime operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 04, 2009
Accession Number
ADA503146

Entities

People

  • Shane Tanner

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Cold War
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Composite Materials
  • Control Systems
  • Doctrine
  • Military Education
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Task Forces
  • United States Pacific Command
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.

Technology Areas

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