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Accession Number:

AD1132997

Title:

Defense Primer: What Is Command and Control?

Author(s):

• Hoehn, John R.
• Campbell, Caitlin
• Bowen, Andrew S.

Author Organization(s):

• LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC

Report Date:

2021-04-08

Abstract:

The Department of Defense (DOD) defines command and control (C2) as [t]he exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned forces in the accomplishment of the mission. At its most fundamental level, C2 represents how DOD makes operational decisions. One can view C2 through the context of five variables: who, what, when, where, and how (see Figure 1). Traditionally, Congress has focused on the authorities (the who) and technology (the how) variables, and less so on the force mix (what), temporal(when), and geographic (where). China and Russia have developed strategies to disrupt or potentially deny DOD its ability to make decisions; as a result, DOD is modernizing systems and processes to command and control military forces.

Document Type:

Conference:

Journal:

Pages:

3

File Size:

0.55MB

Contracts:

Grants:

Descriptors:

Identifiers:

• c2 (COMMAND AND CONTROL)
• dod (DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE)
• chain of command
• nds (National Defense Strategy)

SubjectCategory:

• Military Sciences

Communities of Interest:

• C4I

Distribution Statement:

Approved For Public Release

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