The Future of the Command Post Part 1

The study

The point of the study is to give an insight into possible new technologies which may be applied in a future Operational-level Command Post. The methodology of the study consisted of desktop research and attending numerous seminars, working groups and symposiums to collect information related to the influence of technology on Command and Control.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to outline the required operational capabilities of the future Operational-level Command Post and to identify enabling technologies that will make implementation of these requirements possible.

The study aims to inform those responsible for defining the capabilities NATO will require to meet future security challenges. In addition, it aims to bridge the gap between the operators’ world (the Headquarters staff at the Operational level) and the technologists or corporations that research and design equipment and software, in such a way that the requirements of the former are addressed by the latter’s inventions in order to maximize effects within available budgets. This study is focused on a timeline up to the year 2035. Not only is this broadly the same timeframe that NATO is looking at from a long-term planning perspective, but it is also far enough away to allow a little imagination, although not so far away that there is a complete disconnect from the current environment and the decisions being made today. Although the study will have relevance at the Tactical and Strategical level, the main focus is on the HQ at the Operational level.

Relevance

This study wants to influence both decision-makers and operators within the NATO Defence Planning Process and the stakeholders in the development of new military technology. As the study’s intent is to have tangible, practical implications, the findings are believed to be interesting for the Command and Control (C2) planning capability community and can be used and discussed as a “thought-paper”. We hope that our work influences some of those planning decisions so that 2035 is shaped constructively, instead of NATO being overcome by events beyond its control.

Readers Guide

This study begins by framing a probable future, in chapter 2 and describes what the geo-political landscape and key-technology are expected to be like. Subsequently the new conditions are related to the expected type of conflicts that NATO might face and the NATO capabilities which are requested. An insight into the Operational-level HQ is given in chapter 3. This chapter describes the relevance and organization of Command Posts throughout history. It outlines the actual and foreseen problems arising.