An Analytic Characterization of Navy Command and Control Decisions

This report describes research conducted to develop an analytical characterization of Navy command and control decisions. The objective is to establish a framework for assessing the nature of tactical decisions and the characteristics of proposed decision aids on comparable scales in order to see whether the aids are suited to the needs of Navy decision-makers. The framework is based on three closely-related taxonomies. The first groups Navy command and control decisions into various categories, defined by the decision-making function in organizations found in the Navy. The second taxonomy contains a set of analytic measures that can be used to characterize command and control decisions. The characteristics contained in this taxonomy are based on analytic concepts from managmenet science, decision analysis, and related fields, and are relevant to any set of decisions. The third taxonomy contains a preliminary set of characteristics that can be used to describe decision-aiding systems. Linkages established between the three taxonomies make it possible to determine the aid characteristics that are most appropriate for a particular command and control decision, and to evaluate suitability of existing or proposed decision aids.