Improving the Kill Chain for Prosecution of Time Sensitive Targets

Command and control (C2) is an essential part of all military operations and activities. It is the means by which a commander recognises what to achieve and the means to ensure that appropriate actions are taken. C2 helps the commander achieve organised engagements with the enemy through the coordinated use of soldiers, platforms and information. However, war is a poorly understood phenomenon characterised by one complex system interacting with another in a fiercely competitive way. In order to effectively control such a dynamic and complex environment, the commander needs at their disposal a C2 system that can capture the battlespace dynamics and be capable of reacting and undertaking actions that produce desired effects. Through planning (whether immediate or deliberate), the commander determines the aims and objectives of the operation, develops concepts of operation, then allocates resources and provides for necessary coordination accordingly. The term “fog of war” succinctly describes the level of ambiguity in situational awareness in military operations. Good C2 aims to deal with uncertainty so that the commander can decide on an appropriate course of action to positively shape the campaign. One may break through the fog of war by acquiring more knowledge of the situation, but it takes time to gain and process information. Unfortunately, any C2 system also needs to be fast, at least faster than the adversary’s OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide and Act) loop (Brehmer, 2005). The resulting tension between coping with uncertainty and time constraints presents a fundamental challenge of C2 (Department of the Navy, 1996). An essential element of a C2 system is its organisation of people (Wilcox, 2005) working to achieve the commander’s intent through formal processes, networks, and the application of sensors and weapons systems. C2 staff gather information, make decisions, take action, communicate and cooperate with one another in the accomplishment of a common goal. Not surprisingly, a C2 system sometimes fails to respond to clear opportunities because the people lack the coordinating abilities required to manage resources effectively and efficiently. The cognitive and cooperative skills of such a C2 organisation prosecuting the mission could ultimately determine the success or failure of military operations (Bakken et al., 2004).