Strategies for defining the Army's objective vision of command and control for the 21st Century

This report examines the command and control (C2) lessons from Operation Desert Storm (ODS) and, based on those lessons, postulates a set of operational objectives for command, control, communications, and computers (C4) architectures and derives a set of physical and informational needs that such architectures must meet. The report conceptualizes three schematic architectures to fit those needs, examining one in greater detail. In addition, the author outlines several concepts for optimizing C4 architectures, such as providing commanders with a common picture of operations throughout a region and creating a "switchboard in the sky" by pushing information from the sustaining base to an intermediate point that is nominally above the active region where operations are being conducted. The main conclusion of this concept formulation study is that it is feasible for joint task enabling force elements to be more interoperable while moving by adopting new architectures, systems (particularly space systems), technologies and procedures.