Occasionally lost in the roar of network-centric warfare is its most important aspect: battlefield information systems. Moving information among strategic and tactical commanders is vital to an operation’s success, of course, but the commanders’ expertise must reach and empower the individual warfighter, or else it is for naught. The concept of battlefield information systems has come a long way over the centuries. Indigenous groups on the North American continent used to communicate with one another with smoke signals. Uniformed forces adopted flags for line-of-sight communications, but for the most part written messages would be couriered personally through dangerous environments.
The advent of telephony and radio altered the concept of tactical communications by allowing commanders to exchange information with field forces in real time. This connectivity, albeit limited, changed the nature of warfighting. No longer did commanders need to survey the field of battle from a high vantage point. Instead, they could consolidate reports from the field into a common operating picture—usually on a map in front of them.
As time and technology marched on, battlefield connectivity improved in both reliability and capability. Communications systems became smaller and lighter, yet more powerful. Ground forces used them to report enemy activities and to request fire support. Sea-based forces could communicate with each other and exchange vital information in the heat of battle over vast distances. And, a newly empowered air force could receive vital information en route to a target or in the midst of a dogfight.
Ultimately, these three different arenas were linked by battlefield information systems. Jointness began to become more than just an anecdotal occurrence. Land, sea and air forces discovered how to interoperate using real-time communications as their bridges. The concept of command, control, communications and intelligence (C
3I) emerged, and its capabilities grew to the point where experts started calling it a force multiplier.
Today, network centricity is the byword for military supremacy. C
3I has added another C—computers—along with S and R for surveillance and reconnaissance. No longer merely a force multiplier, C
4ISR now is the glue that holds modern military forces together. All of the modern metaphors about bytes being the ammunition of the information age military hold true.
Now experts are focusing on “the last mile” of that connectivity. As force transformation accelerates, the technology-empowered capabilities of network-centric warfare are extending down to lower levels of command. Bringing that revolution to the individual soldier, sailor, airman and Marine is the primary focus of information technologists.
No task could be more important. At the heart of force transformation are rapid maneuver, precision targeting and situational awareness. All of these disciplines must work together for the force to function effectively—and safely. Personnel in theater not only must be aware of friend and foe, they also must know of actions being taken on their behalf. Similarly, force elements seeking to support others in joint operations must have the same up-to-the-minute knowledge of the battlespace. As the operational tempo accelerates, the margin for error shrinks and the price of failure increases dramatically.
More than ever, battlefield information systems are of primary importance in military operations. As force transformation takes hold, operations are placing greater reliance on the individual warfighter. That last mile will prove to be the hardest—and the most rewarding.
For more information on battlefield information systems, see the June issue of
SIGNAL Magazine, in the mail and on the Web June 1, 2004.
—The Editor
