Command and Control Systems Requirements Analysis. Volume 3. C2 System Functions in the Hierarchy of Objectives

Military and Naval Operations are a complex set of activities involving organizations of people and equipment in conflict with another such organization. Analysis of the overall effectiveness of the opposing forces is a difficult task. Part of the problem is the enormous complexity of the interaction. Another difficult is the lack of means to evaluate the contribution of Command and Control (C2) to the eventual outcome. Descriptions of large scale complex systems are very difficult to derive because of the many levels and frames of reference required for understanding. These many levels are necessary because of the nature of the problem and because we are limited in our ability to comprehend more than a few aspects of a problem at the same time. The concepts being presented here will not make the problem simple, but some simple tools will be provided, which, when applied consistently, can be used to gain insight into the problem and, when applied repetitively, iteratively, or recursively, can be used to describe a complex system in more manageable terms. These insights are based on common sense and well-known ideas, but this presentation provides a framework of conventions to clarify relationships and identify similarities and differences among a few fundamental concepts about the nature of systems. The role of decision making in systems is also stated in a way that can be applied to all aspects of the problem. See also Volume 1, AD-A229 145.