Command and Control at the Edge

Abstract : Command and control in a net centric sense involves the dynamic allocation of resources to opportunity in the pursuit of mission accomplishment. It is an intramural competition for means and privilege. Edge organizations are best positioned to engage in this competition in a manner that is most beneficial to the networked whole. However, personhood at the nodes complicates this process because the egocentric nature of human interaction works against the emergence of edge organizations and edge like behavior. Ironically, a more efficient and democratic means of performing this allocation process is possible in the world of machines. This paper is a sweeping thought piece that will explore the dynamics of edge interaction when humans are the primary actors at the nodes and how current notions of command and control may change dramatically as the edge becomes increasingly populated by machines. Because man and machine are fundamentally different, alternate modes of command and control will likely be necessary to lord over the interaction within and across the boundaries of these two distinct entities in the future. The notion of an edge organization itself may very well become subsumed by the larger changes that these new modes will engender.