Net-Centric Case Studies Peer Through the Blue Screen of War
Case studies sponsored by the U.S. Defense Department’s Office of Force Transformation (OFT) are working to present hard evidence that networked forces are far more effective in high-intensity conflict missions, and also point out how even less-than-perfect networks can be valuable. In all, more than 15 case studies examine the behavior of networked military organizations during exercises, combat operations and/or peacekeeping operations.
While some of them specifically explore U.S.-only military troops, others include coalition forces. The goal is to explore how network centricity affects warfighting while providing insights into what technologies warfighters need and, in some cases, do not need.
The case studies can be found online at the OFT, while a summary of the effort can be found in AFCEA’s Nov 2005 issue of Signal Magazine. DID has covered the Office of Force Transformation and its evolving influence in defense policy circles, and detailed some of the tactical/decision-related benefits ourselves in our coverage of the M1126 Stryker ICV in Iraq. Issues like net-centric warfare and transformation efforts in a number of countries have also been a focus, though readers should be cautioned that as powerful as these efforts and systems are, they have limitations.
