Wanted: A New Test Approach for Military Net-Centric Operations
Abstract
Joint Version 2020, the plan for military superiority by the Department of Defense (DoD), calls for the U.S. Armed Forces to be faster, more lethal and more precise than they are today. Achieving a decisive military advantage is the idea behind net-centric operations, which enable U.S. military forces to share all the relevant information about a situation. Achieving net-centric operations will allow U.S. forces to operate with greater initiative and situational awareness, allowing increased speed of command. The idea is that everybody will receive all the information they need, when they need it. Any level of net-centric operations depends on a supporting environment called the Global Information Grid (GIG). The GIG provides the end-to-end set of capabilities, processes and personnel to manage and provide information on demand to warfighters, policy makers and supporting personnel. But providing information is only part of achieving military superiority. We also need rapid, agile test and evaluation (T&E) of command and control (C2) enterprise capabilities to ensure system interoperability and operational security. We are now fighting an enemy that changes tactics practically daily. We are fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq while keeping our eye on hotspots such as Syria, Korea and Iran. Yet, while hostilities throughout the world have increased during the past several years, U.S. force structure has been reduced. Military personnel are being reduced in number through personnel drawdown; facilities are being lost through Base Realignment and Closure activities; and weapon programs are experiencing budget cuts. We do not have the luxury of taking six months to react to new military crises.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA523376
Entities
People
- David J. Carstairs