A New View of Command and Control Systems
Abstract
No command and control system will ever remove the uncertainty associated with the battlefield; at times these systems introduce more friction than they were designed to reduce. More systems require more operators, more communications bandwidth, and more organizational overhead. Command and control systems are moving the Marine Corps away from maneuver warfare because they lead to explicit control, centralization, and the mitigation of creativity. Modern command and control systems can be a double-edged sword to the commander. The true benefits that these systems bring are shared information, resources, and intelligence. Instead of enabling senior commanders to control subordinates, command and control systems should be used to facilitate maneuver warfare by empowering all decision makers. In keeping with the tenets of maneuver warfare, the goal of command and control systems employed in the Marine Corps should be to give leaders at the lowest levels access to all the resources that the Marine air-ground task force can bring to the fight.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 20, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA509730
Entities
People
- E. H. Larsen
Organizations
- Marine Corps University