Command and Control: A Contemporary Perspective
Abstract
This study focuses on the current paradoxical state of command and control with special emphasis on the Navy. While the technological advances associated with command and control and its subsystem communications have been significant, the goal towards which these efforts are directed has not been specific. Pointed to by its proponents as an excellent method to improve overall Fleet effectiveness, command and control's development has been retarded by organizational biases within the Navy and fragmentation in management authority. The paper begins by giving the background surrounding current thinking on Command, Control, and Communications (CCC). It then enumerates certain principles borrowed from control theory and organizational management which have application in a systematic approach to CCC. An explanation of current trends to improve naval command and control is given. The study concludes that a principal problem facing future development in this area is the difficulty which the Navy has in changing its traditional view of CCC. Recommendations are advanced which may aid in the solution of this problem: the definition of command and control as a response mechanism in crisis management; the consolidation of CCC management within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; the creation of an adequate corporate memory in the Navy; and finally the creation of a command and control subspecialty for naval officers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 20, 1974
- Accession Number
- ADB001632
Entities
People
- Christopher W. Maillefert
Organizations
- Naval War College