Understanding Command and Control

Abstract : "Understanding Command and Control" is the first in a new series of CCRP Publications that will explore the future of Command and Control (C2). This book begins at the beginning: focusing on the problem(s) Command and Control was designed (and has evolved) to solve. It is only by changing the focus from "what" Command and Control is to "why" Command and Control is that the U.S. military will place itself in a position to move on. Although transformation, which is inarguably about disruptive innovation, is a major policy objective of not only the DoD, but militaries throughout the world, these commitments to transformation have yet to shift the focus of Command and Control analysis and experimentation to the other side of the discontinuity. This series is meant to stimulate and contribute to the exploration of the other side. The purpose of the book is to provide the conceptual foundation for the C2 research and experimentation necessary to develop and explore the new C2 approaches needed for this transformation. In developing and presenting this foundation, the authors are unwaveringly focused on the future, not the past. While the foundation presented can be used to understand traditional approaches to C2, its value lies in its ability to help the military understand new network-centric approaches. The intended audience is very broad because, without a broad-based understanding of C2, progress is problematical. At the same time, the authors also are addressing issues crucial to the C2 community, from practitioners to theoreticians.