Command and Control in a Network Enabled Environment

This document has two main objectives: to make Network Enabled Capabilities (NEC) better understood and to highlight examples of how NEC principles can improve the way our organisations function. The Best Practices section has been developed to provide insights to commanders and their staffs into how Command and Control (C2) can be enhanced by NEC. NEC is often perceived as a technological capability, when in reality NEC is all about enabling social, knowledge and technical networks to work in synergy.

The Best Practices has three chapters and an annex. Chapter One introduces the topic, expands on how the data has been collected and summarizes the content of the document. Chapter Two discusses the fundamentals of C2 in a Network Enabled environment, NEC and NATO NEC definitions and principles. Also the relationship between NEC and C2 is discussed. Chapter Three addresses the Best Practices and conclusions. Annex A discusses Information Management Best Practices in more detail. Those readers focused on Best Practices may go directly to Chapter Three and Annex A.

Subject Matter Experts (SME‟s) from NATO HQ C3 Staff, HQ SACT Staff Element Europe, Joint Forces Command Brunssum, Joint Headquarters Lisbon and the C2CoE participated in the peer review of this document. As proposed by the Joint Forces Commands, the relationship between C2 and NEC is further explored and C2 has been included in the title.
Nations use different terminology for similar, but not identical Network Enabled Capabilities programs: The United Kingdom and the Netherlands use Network Enabled Capability (NEC); the United States uses Network Centric Operations (NCO) and Norway uses Network Based Defence (NBD). However, the principles are the same. When referring to National programs, the term Network Enabled Capability (NEC) will be used in this document.