How did they do that?
That is one question adversaries may ask after being engaged by U.S. Army combat formations. Assuming both have equal combat power, the battlefield commander who can process information faster, select the optimum course of action, strike more precisely — and strike first, has a significant advantage.
This advantage is facilitated by the continuing integration of digital command and control systems into the Army’s Battle Command process. These digital systems enable staffs to process huge amounts of information faster, providing commanders with greater situational awareness — leading to quicker and more informed decision making.
Battle Command is the art and science of understanding, visualizing, describing, directing, leading, and assessing forces to impose the commander’s will on a hostile, thinking, and adaptive enemy. Digital Battle Command also enables commanders to react effectively in disaster relief or humanitarian assistance missions.
The Army Battle Command Training Strategy provides training guidance and direction to enable commanders and staffs to use digital systems to integrate weather, terrain, graphics, intelligence, fires, logistics, and other critical information. Commanders can share this information leading to a common operating picture among units. This gains another significant advantage — unity of effort.
Military planners observe that plans usually change as soon as the battle begins. Digital systems operated by staffs proficient in the art and science of Battle Command will give commanders an unprecedented capability to adapt to change.
So part of the answer to “How did they do that?” is digital battle command systems operated by battle staffs proficient in the art and science of Battle Command — giving the commander the agility to turn inside the adversary’s decision cycle.
Links
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/7-30/Ch3.htm A description of the Battle Command process.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Battle_Command_System A description of the automated systems supporting Battle Command.
http://usacac.leavenworth.army.mil/BLOG/blogs/reflectionsfromfront/archive/2009/04/16/loosening-the-reins-collaboration-and-discourse-in-battle-command.aspx A blog discussing of the role of collaboration and discourse in the Battle Command process.
http://usacac.army.mil/BLOG/blogs/ctac/archive/2009/03/25/reframing-design-and-battle-command-game-day-is-between-the-lines.aspx A blog featuring a lengthy academic discussion of the role of design as a tool for purposeful discussion of Doctrine, operational language and Battle Command.
Next up
How the Army National Guard uses alternative training methodologies such as Virtualization and Distributed Learning to conduct Battle Command training for a geographically dispersed and time-challenged force.
And up after that
Can Battle Command and Military Decision Making Process be applied to commercial business?
The purpose of this blog is to inform, educate and to provide a forum for intellectual discussion. Please provide comments and express your opinion and ideas. Vulgar language, personal attacks promotion of services, products, or political bias will be removed from this blog.
Tags: Battle Command
The purpose of this blog is to inform, educate and to provide a forum for intellectual discussion. Please provide comments and express your opinion and ideas. Vulgar language, personal attacks and promotion of services, products, or political bias will be removed from this blog.
