Network Centric Warfare

John Garstka, Assistant. Director, Concepts and Operations, Office of Force Transformation, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

An integrated presentation by the authors of Network Centric Warfare

• Defence transformation and Network Centric Warfare
• Basics of NCW - domains of warfare - tenets of Network Centric Warfare - conceptual framework for NCW - evolution of NCW capability
• Evidence of competitive advantage - warfighting advantage - military operations - coalition effectiveness
• Implications for C2 - command in the Information Age - control in the Information Age - organisation in the Information Age
• Implementing NCW - key elements of strategy - mission capability packages - co-evolution of MCPs
• Key implementation challenges

Dr David Alberts, Director, Research and Strategic Planning, OASD (N11), US Department of Defense.

John Garstka, Assistant. Director, Concepts and Operations, Office of Force Transformation, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Colonel (Ret'd) Fred Stein , Department Manager, C3 Battlefield Systems, Mitre Corporation.

A chance to quiz a panel of the morning’s experts

• Understand clearly the concept and requirements of NCW
• Focus on the detailed aspects of networked thinking
• Recognise the considerations of NCW implementation
• Weigh up the advantages of a networked approach
• Identify the risks and challenges

John Garstka, Assistant. Director, Concepts and Operations, Office of Force Transformation, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Network-enabled capability and potential

• The challenges of project integration
• Foreseeing the nature of the architectural battlespace - the feasibility of existing structures - the requirements of future organisation - project innovation - risks to be considered
• Constructing the network model
• Enabling a fully network-interoperable expeditionary force

Professor Peter Brook, Head of the Integration Authority, Defence Procurement Agency, Ministry of Defence UK.

Developing NCW for allied and coalition operations

• Guidance from heads of state for adopting the tenets of NCW
• The NATO vision of Network Enabled Collective Security (NECS)
• Co-evolving a NATO Joint Vision and C3 System Vision for 2018
• NECS Capability enablers, capability goals and their impact on NATO C3 procurement activities
• The impact of new national and multinational procurement activities in realising the vision of NECS
• NATO Consultation and Effects Based Operations
• The critical role of information management in coalition operations
  Current NATO initiatives related to NECS

Dr Tom Buckman, Chief, Policy, Concepts, Architecture Development and Strategy Planning, NATO C3 Agency.

The justifications behind implementing a network based defence force

• The Swedish model
• Improvements to the Swedish defence capacity
• Implementation strategies of the NCW concept
• Problems foreseen and those actually encountered
• Lessons learned and considerations for the future

Major Torsten Bernstrom, Department Head, Command and Control Systems, Swedish Defence Material Administration.

Lieutenant Colonel Per-Magnus Wicen, Head of Technical Centre of Expertise, Command & Control Support Systems, Swedish Defence Material Administration.

Information superiority to enable a dominant joint strike task force

• Dependence on an ability to employ information and its associated technology
• Emphasis on information superiority and full spectrum dominance
• Improving the interoperability, adaptability, and flexibility of information systems
• Migrating to the latest innovative technologies
• Budget management

Colonel Geerlof Kanis, Head, C2 Support Center (C2SC), Royal Netherlands Defence Staff.

Some important considerations for system planners

• Difficulty in achieving mission critical system status with current planned evolution towards NCW
• How CAS technology can achieve and maintain mission critical status
• Harmonising emerging NCW designs with CAS concepts
• Building new adaptive NCW systems for future military operations

Dr David Stupples, Senior Partner/Professor of Systems Science, PA Consulting Group/City University, London.

Insights into recently developed network centric technology systems

• The development of future systems – structural requirements
• Roles and requirements of modern war fighting forces
• Solutions offered - FALCON - PTARMIGAN - CORMORANT
• Evolution and implementation – risks and considerations
• Facing modern challenges identified in the latest warfare scenarios.
• Innovation

John Turton, IPT Leader, Theatre and Formations Communications Systems , Defence Procurement Agency, Ministry of Defence UK.

Considerations and implications

• The cultural, doctrinal, operational and digital divide
• Optimising natural capacity in unnatural worlds
• Utilising the social network to exploit the technology network
• What is the weakest link?

Bill Vass, Vice President of Corporate Software Services, Information Technology, Sun Microsystems.