"The problem is to grasp, in innumerable special cases, the actual situation which is covered by the mists of uncertainty, to appraise the facts correctly and to guess the unknown elements, to reach a decision quickly, and then to carry it out forcefully and relentlessly."

Helmuth von Moltke, Moltke on the Art of War: Selected Writings

XXI Century Missions across the full spectrum of military operations demand strategically mobile forces, rapidly deployed to decisive points anywhere on the globe, in sufficient force to control and sustain a given environment indefinitely.

As a result, XXI Century Commanders are faced with the following challenges:

Multi-Dimensional Battlespace. Geographic Width, Depth and Height; Electromagnetic Spectrum; Human factors; Timing issues.

Precision in Operations & Sustainment. Synchronized forces require informed decision making at each echelon. Strategic, operational and tactical sensors linked to analytics fuse combat information for precision in execution.

Non-Linear. Operations across the battlespace require fluid, non-rigid mission preparation and execution. Soldiers and leaders alike require greater situational awareness, allowing risk to be accepted with space between units.

Distributed. Operations across the dimensions of the battlespace, executed where and when required to achieve decisive effects requires decentralized command structure.

Integration. Operations integrated with Joint, Multi-National and Non-Governmental partners to leverage the full suite of Defense capabilities.

Logistics. Split-based operations seize initiative, dictate tempo and maintain tempo over time. Anticipatory logistics is enabled by Information Management technology, then manifest as Total Asset Visibility (TAV).

Command and Control (C2) is essentially about information: getting it, judging its value, processing it into useful form, acting on it and sharing it with others. However, information is only valuable if it contributes to effective decisions and actions. It isn't the amount of information, but the delivery of key elements of information where and when needed in a usable form -- pulled on demand for analysis, simulation, and status queries -- pushed to commanders when critical for alerts, advisements, and to effect rapid operational change. It's about rendering information into knowledge.

The C2 decision making process--OODA LOOP--has four phases: Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. Human and mechanical sensors observe reality. Processors and displays supply decision makers with the means to orient themselves to the scenario and decide on a course of action. Then the act follows. Successful C2 information systems support command's loop faster than their adversary's.

XXI Century command and control structures will minimize the layers between decision-making and execution. The distinction between the three levels of war will fade as information connectivity between the levels increases. As a result, the strategic, tactical and operational levels of war will blend into a different structure where events may be directly controlled at the strategic level, with each directly contributing to the desired strategic ends. However, with more operational information available, strategic thinkers may get mired in tactical details. Many experts believe there are limitations to the human capability to comprehend information, and that exceeding these limitations will lead to information overload and poor decision making. Without careful planning and information-handling skills, decision makers will be susceptible to analysis paralysis.

The knowledge paradigm of XXI Century warfare requires commanders to accept the turbulence and uncertainty of war and rely on systems which function effectively in an increasingly decentralized, empty battlespace. Mission Command and Control is the emerging form of command and control responding to this new knowledge warfare paradigm. Mission Command and Control favors decentralized decision-making authority, which increases tempo and improves the ability to deal with fluid and disorderly situations. It seeks to maximize low-level initiative while achieving a high level of cooperation between joint forces in order to ensure better battlefield results.

In a decentralized and integrated system, commanders at all levels must keep the larger situation in mind and act in consonance with their seniors' intent--with a grasp of the big picture. Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) systems are being developed to connect and integrate the far-flung elements of an increasingly "over the horizon" battlespace and to support a rapidly tailorable and strategically deployable fighting organization. Commanders en route to the theater, moving across the fluid battlefield, or back in Washington must be able to plan, communicate intent, issue orders and coordinate operations. XXI Century C4I systems must provide continuous, unimpeded, efficient and secure voice, data, graphics, and video capability; vertical and horizontal integration of battlespace information and information fusion. This command and control support structure must have the means to assess the value of information, integrate it into an easily usable form and to a level of detail appropriate to the level of command, then rank the information according to its importance and expedite its flow accordingly. A successful C4I infrastructure facilitates the commander's influence of events, adapts to emerging situations, supports information requirements, and exploits operational capabilities. Skillfully used, C4I systems are a significant force multiplier -- information is analyzed and decisions made and executed before the enemy has time to react. This allows a commander to operate inside the enemy's decision loop.

Effective C4I systems allow tactical leaders to position themselves where ever they can best command without depriving them of the ability to respond to opportunities and changing circumstances. Distributed, adaptive warfighter information networks provide the capability to interoperate with superior, adjacent, and subordinate commanders. User-friendly, easily transportable, modularly designed C4I Workstations replace map cases. The commander has the freedom to operate, delegate authority and lead while located at any point in the battle space because he or she can share the Relevant Common Picture (RCP) up, down and across chains of command.

The RCP is comprised of timely, accurate and relevant friendly and enemy situation information laid over a common map background. Position, situation, and status information resides on, or is available from, common databases. Real-time situation awareness across the battlefield provides the commander with an intuitive picture of the situation and reduces battlefield uncertainty by displaying friendly and enemy force location and status, weather and terrain in textual and graphic formats. These are integrated in a dual monitor display for a balance of abstract and geo-representational information.

Areas of command as diverse yet inter-dependent as: mission planning; battle damage assessment; operations coordination; control and engagement directions; logistics; coordination of battlefield aviation interdiction; alert states; intelligence; and psychological operations, can all be graphically depicted on three-dimensional information terrains superimposed on the battlespace. Interactive software agents analyze input from the commander's staff to enhance real time mission planning. Systems are tailorable to the dictates of individual commanders, who can override automated functions, change the application of the operation's concept, planning and rules of engagement through simulations.

Superior timing, coordination, and the control of shared information allow commanders to mass forces only where and when necessary -- then deliver explosive strike capability. This imparts the ability to orchestrate apparent chaos on the battlefield, thereby overwhelming and confusing a slower, and less reactive enemy. Integrated, fast-moving operations will benefit from a battlespace visualization which structures the underlying, abstract information needed during a deployment and presents its complexity in understandable, visual symbols.