Information Sharing in Contemporary Operations: The Strength of SOF Ties

Abstract

The complexity of contemporary operations makes efficient information sharing one of the key challenges for multinational cooperation. Today’s operations are conducted by military personnel from diverse backgrounds, often operating in a foreign culture alongside host nation military and police forces. In this chapter, we examine the special operations forces command centers involved in counter-network operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We found that by flattening their command structures, leveraging state-of-the art technology, and replacing the “need to know” with the “need to share” mindset, these organizations have achieved shorter sensor-to-decision time. We suggest that military organizations can learn important lessons about information sharing from special operations forces headquarters—especially from their management of the human dimension of information sharing.