Editor’s note: CPT Joe McGiffin, MWI’s Logistics Officer, recently published an article in Joint Forces Quarterly that examines how technological advances affect JADC2, as well as what organizational and doctrinal changes well best support its implementation. He argues that updates to the army’s mission command concept are necessary to ensure unity of effort in future conflict.
As one of the fundamental warfighting functions, command and control (C2) has changed little in nature over the course of American military history:
Command and control encompasses the exercise of authority, responsibility, and direction by a commander over assigned and attached forces to accomplish the mission. Command at all levels is the art of motivating and directing people and organizations into action to accomplish missions. Control is inherent in command. To control is to manage and direct forces and functions consistent with a commander’s command authority. Control of forces and functions helps commanders and staffs compute requirements, allocate means, and integrate efforts.1
This definition was formulated the same way as every other element of doctrine: using the best practices gleaned from history as precedent. However, in the complex threat environment posed by the future characteristics of warfare, unprecedented assets will be used at every level with little regard to domain: artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), hypersonic precision-guided weapons, and autonomous weapons platforms, to name a few of the higher profile innovations. As with war, while C2 as a fundamental principle will persist, the characteristics of how it is exercised will be new, dynamic, and uncertain—and the joint force must prepare for this.
Captain Joseph M. McGiffin is the Logistics Officer for the Modern War Institute at the United States Military Academy at West Point and an Instructor for the Defense and Strategic Studies Program.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.