Network Centric Warfare at the Tactical Level

摘要

When the concept of Network Centric Warfare (NCW) was at the height of its popularity at the turn of the last century, it seemed that technology was going to transform the business of war. The NCW vision was of comprehensive information about a particular situation collected by a range of sensors and moved seamlessly across an all-pervasive network, providing an instant and accurate picture of the tactical situation and enabling commanders to respond quickly and proportionately, thus retaining the initiative. Often the response would be in the shape of guided munitions. It all looked possible on powerpoint presentations and video constructions, and had the added attraction of suggesting that this could minimise casualties - at least for the networked side.