Digitization and the Commander

Since the development of Industrial Age armies, the battlefield has increased in complexity and uncertainty. This is the result of tactical units dispersing on the battlefield for protection from increased weapon lethality and the need to sustain and maintain increasingly sophisticated and capable tactical units. Beginning in the early 1990s, the U.S. Army began a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) to integrate information technology into tactical units. The RMA integrates information technology (computer and communications) developed by the civilian sector to assist the tactical commander in his ability to command and control subordinate units in combat. The purpose of digitization is to use a technological method to maintain the Army's asymmetric advantage in command and control over other armies. This monograph asks the question: Can communication, automation and information technology (digitization) reduce the complexity and uncertainty for the commander and will it support his future decision-making? The monograph looks at technology as a reoccurring method used by military organizations to assist the commander in making timely decisions on the battlefield. The use of computers and communication networks to establish an information system (C4ISR) links the sensor to the decision-maker to the executor to make tactical units more efficient and effective on the battlefield. This monograph shows merit in the digitization of tactical units to reduce complexity and uncertainty in planning and executing tactical missions. The digital systems provide the commander, his subordinate commanders and staff the data and information to plan and execute in a more certain environment. The system providing the information allows the commander and his subordinates to concentrate on the analysis of the information instead of searching for data and displaying it in a useful manner. This monograph also concludes that the methods of how a commander focuses his staff and commanders