Future Command and Control: Closing the Knowledge Gaps

Future operating environments will require a real time, fully networked command and control (C2) capability. This concept, which calls for a comprehensive sensing grid, has been validated by results from the Futures Wargame and numerous exercises. The vision is highly aspirational but deemed vital for the future operating environment. Contrary to what many advocates of this technology claim, human decision-making decreases in quality as access to information increases, unless human decision-makers have relevant training and knowledge about the environment. The Air Force must consider some immediate implications for organizational strategy and funding to eventually achieve the long-term vision for a future C2 capability.