The dollars and sense of command and control

Abstract : This volume includes a timely and instructive treatment of the fundamental elements of command and control and its historical usage; a solid description of command and control in operational warfare applications; and a practical approach to analyzing its contribution to creating the right balance in combining fighting elements and command and control elements into a combat force structure. Trading off investments in "shooters" versus 'radios' rarely works in favor of radios, especially with a declining budget. On the other hand, as a result of Desert Storm, in the future contingencies will be the most likely scenarios, rather than global nuclear war. Joint and combined operations are now the standard for US warfighting. Clearly, the lessons of how much combat leverage was provided by command and control systems are self-evident. The Airborne Warning and Control System, Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System, Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center, and Rivet Joint strategic reconnaissance aircraft are prime examples of leveraging combat capability. Fortunately, the build- up time to Desert Storm provided the breathing room to introduce and integrate a powerful set of command and control systems to conduct a sustained, complex air campaign with a single Air Tasking Order for all the US air components as well as the coalition air forces. The ground war didn't last long enough to test the Combined Air Land Command and Control System. Nevertheless, the lessons are there to be learned and this lucid analysis of the command and control function ought to be required reading for all service operators as well as the Joint Force Commanders and their staffs who will have to plan for future contingency operations with a much reduced warfighting force structure.