NSD-5036 C2 Approaches: Looking for the “Sweet Spot”

The dimensions of the C2 Approach Space identify the three key characteristics of a C2 Approach as: the allocation of decision rights, the patterns of interaction and the distribution of information. Advances in information-related technologies have changed the economics of information resulting in the richer interactions between and among geographically dispersed entities and increased access to information. This has made more of the C2 Approach Space accessible. The seminal Network Centric Warfare literature asserts that in order to take full advantage of the opportunities afforded by communications and information technologies, C2 Approaches need to co-evolve. That is, there needs to be a balance achieved among the three C2 Approach dimensions. The NATO NEC C2 Maturity Model depicts a set of increasingly network-enabled C2 Approaches along the diagonal of the C2 Approach Space. The placement of these C2 Approach options along this diagonal could be interpreted as representing instances of approach coevolution. This paper uses data from simulation experiments to explore a set of the hypothesis that involve the relationship between specific regions of the C2 Approach Space and effectiveness and agility.