Developing an Information Superiority-Command and Control Joint Experimentation Strategy

Abstract : This paper describes the rationale, development, and intended outcome of a joint experimentation strategy that will be used to investigate three concepts under study at the Joint Experimentation Directorate (J9) of the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM). The concepts are Common Relevant Operational Picture (CROP), Joint Interactive Planning (JIP), and Adaptive Joint Command and Control (AJC2). USJFCOM J9 defines an experimentation strategy as a systematic and detailed plan of action encompassing methods to be adopted from beginning to end for evaluating a concept. In contrast to an experimental design, which is a plan for the conduct of an experimental study, an experimentation strategy is a plan for investigating a concept. This distinction is critical, as concept-based experimentation, the USJFCOM J9 approach to experimentation, is still so new that there is little agreement on definitions and terms among the many organizations involved. This paper presents the roadmap of how J9 plans to address the investigation of these three concepts. Initial efforts by the CROP, JIP, and AJC2 Integrated Concept Teams (ICTs) focused on developing a separate experimentation strategy for each concept. But after much study, the ICT members found that there were so many similarities and interrelationships among the concepts, it made more sense to combine the ICTs and develop a single strategy for concept investigation. For clarity and consistency, the experimentation strategy for the three information-related concepts is being called the Information Superiority - Command and Control (IS-C2) Experimentation Strategy. The IS-C2 concepts are the enablers that will allow the U.S. military to transform traditional operational warfighting by making changes in weapon systems, doctrine, culture, and organization.