Decision Support Tools for Warfighters

Abstract : As the United States Armed Forces prepare now for an uncertain future, the need for shortened and otherwise improved decision-making cycles is growing. The types of contingencies for which military forces may be tasked and the kinds of opposition forces that the Services may face in Joint and Coalition operations are changing. Certainly, pressure to shorten reaction times, tailor a light and lean reaction force, and end the contingency favorably and quickly will grow. Our Armed Forces can no longer prepare for primarily one enemy and a handful of potential conflict scenarios. Numerous data-gathering systems can help our forces maintain information superiority in combat. Yet, there is a downside here too. Information superiority can not necessarily guarantee knowledge of the right information or assure correct decisions will be made. Information must be sorted, prioritized, analyzed, and presented using improved combat efficiency as the primary focus. Operational commanders need the right decision support tools to help them maintain information dominance, situational awareness, and an accelerated decision cycle.