Operational Trust: A New Look at the Human Requirement in Network Centric Warfare

摘要

Everyone agrees that the new information technology systems affect the way we fight wars. Advocates from the President of the United States to NATO leaders even recognize the information revolution in military affairs (RMA) and prescribe the need for major operational changes. However, the opinions of how the command and control operations should change are often diametrically opposed. Leading civilian authorities in network centric warfare profess a decentralized control system called self-synchronization. Meanwhile, the U.S. military leadership sponsors new technology experiments that often centralize control and increase micromanagement. Could these differences stem from a different assessment of operational trust. An enduring principle for increasing efficiency and effectiveness of command and control has always been centralized command, decentralized execution. In network centric warfare, this can be optimized through an approach called self-synchronization. However, certain necessary conditions must first be met for self-synchronization to succeed. The authors of the book, Power To The Edge, state that these conditions include 'Trust in the information, subordinates, superiors, peers, and equipment' Can this condition be met. This paper tackles the requirement to trust in network centric warfare.