Legitimate Information Dominance: A Case for the Operational Planner
Abstract
The increasing complexity of future military operations necessitates a key staff officer focused on reconciling the dilemma between the volume of available information from the general staff with that required to support the commander's decision-making. The complexity of the future battlefield continues to evolve. The opportunities for decisive action require the commander to rapidly grasp disparate pieces of information about the environment, his adversary, and his own force in sufficient detail to issue specific guidance. Enhancing the commander's ability to make decisions is highly dependent on his capacity to rapidly gather and process large amounts of information. The staff's historical role remains unchanged--it exists to satisfy the commander's information demands. However, a dilemma has evolved. The staff can provide far more information than the commander can reasonably process necessitating the issuance of explicit guidance to focus the efforts of the staff. Synthesizing the staff's efforts results in a tangible form of "information dominance." A skilled operational planner emerges as the key asset for assisting the commander in creating this synthesis. He organizes, articulates, and succinctly presents powerfully concentrated information to increase the commander's decision-making tempo. Commanders will continue to receive increasingly detailed information from staff specialists in expanding indigestible volumes. An intellectually dexterous operational planner, trained to consider problems from the commander's viewpoint, will prove essential in synthesizing multi-faceted problems and deconflicting the highly technical capabilities under the commanders control.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA508730
Entities
People
- James F. Mcgrath
Organizations
- Marine Corps University