Joint C2 Through Unity of Command

Abstract

Downsizing the defense establishment is putting a tremendous strain on the ability to wage two nearly simultaneous regional conflicts. The force structure proposed in the Bottom-Up Review along with continuing fiscal pressure point to further reductions in combat capability. In the midst of this unprecedented scale-down the roles and missions of the Armed Forces are being scrutinized. Each service, along with the Joint Staff, has rewritten key warfighting doctrine over the last several years. Since total obligation authority is on the line, service doctrine inevitably focuses on how to organize and fight independently. The Armed Forces have yet to come up with a coherent doctrine that can fuse individual service attributes into a coordinated joint warfighting machine. Unity of command in a joint doctrinal framework is the key to an integrated yet simple command and control structure, which is needed to achieve initiative, agility, depth, synchronization, and versatility on the battlefield. The following discussion uses principles established in component service doctrine to develop a joint command and control structure at the strategic and operational level that emphasizes unity of command.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA528564

Entities

People

  • K. S. Lawrence

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Army Aviation
  • Artillery
  • Battlefields
  • Battles
  • Boundaries
  • Combat Forces
  • Combat Support
  • Command And Control
  • Doctrine
  • Force Structure
  • Maneuvers
  • Rear Areas
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

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