Trends and Issues in the Development of C4ISR Systems for Integrated Warfare in the ROK Armed Forces

Modern C4ISR Systems provide unprecedented advances in military capability. C4ISR systems are now necessary needed to win in a war. Success in modern warfare is also a matter of location, so the development of a COP for integrated air and ground operations is a basic objective. The C4ISR systems are necessary to create a comprehensive picture of the environment for the purpose of conducting both military and civilian command and control functions. For better illustration of the functions of the C4ISR, the author relies on the Boyds OODA model of command and control processes. Next, the author briefly explains the status of C4ISR systems development in the ROK armed forces. The author first attempts to define the terms related to interoperability. Because it is important to distinguish between several fundamentally different concepts, failure to do so sometimes confuses the debate over interoperability. Then, he presents several examples designed to clarify the interoperability concept. Further, he discusses the problems of joint and combined interoperability. Lastly, he emphasizes that in order to achieve combined interoperability, the ROK armed forces will have to resolve not only technical problems, but also military and political problems. Without advances in ISR capabilities, the ROK armed forces will not be able to take full advantage of advanced C4I systems. The ISR systems are not only difficult to acquire technologically but they are also expensive. So it is imperative for the U.S. and ROK armed forces to cooperate in this field. The burdensome and lengthy acquisition process makes C4ISR systems more costly than needed. The systems quickly become obsolete, especially when compared to those in the commercial world. The author discusses several ideas aimed at improving the systems acquisition process in the C4ISR area.