Assessing Command and Control System Vulnerabilities in Underdeveloped, Degraded and Denied Operational Environments

Abstract

Command and Control (C2) is a complex sociotechnical system. Humans, being part of the C2 system, make sense of the situation to support decision making. Communication technology distributes information and orders within a social (organizational). In underdeveloped, degraded, or denied operational environments, some technical support systems may fail or may not be available to a commander to successfully conduct operations. The effect of the degraded or denied technical capabilities on work may not always be clearly understood within the setting of a complex sociotechnical system. Humans may have the ability to develop work-around strategies to accomplish a task in the absence of some technical supports. Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA), and specifically Work Domain Analysis (WDA) with Abstraction-Decomposition Space (ADS), provides a framework to analyze the effect of loss of technical (physical) means on the success of the total mission. These constructs can be used in System Dynamics modeling and simulation to compare the effect of different approaches. The knowledge gained from this process may serve as input to the design and development of C2 systems capable of operating in adverse conditions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA587893

Entities

People

  • Leon Pretorius
  • Rudolph Oosthuizen

Organizations

  • University of Pretoria

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cognitive Systems Engineering
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Communication Equipment
  • Communication Systems
  • Complex Systems
  • Control Systems
  • Criminals
  • Decomposition
  • Dynamics
  • Information Warfare
  • Military Operations
  • Organizational Structure
  • Psychology
  • Simulations
  • Situational Awareness
  • Systems Engineering

Readers

  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Tactical Satellite Communications Systems Engineering.
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.

Technology Areas

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