Mission Command and Antiaccess/Area-Denial: Implications for Joint Command and Control

Abstract

Abstract : In January 2012, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff published the Joint Operational Access Concept (JOAC), which describes the military problem that future joint forces will face when they are denied operational access in an advanced anti-access/area-denial environment. The JOAC further asserts that mission command is the preferred command and control style to achieve the cross-domain synergy necessary to overcome the difficulties posed by an anti-access/area-denial (AA/AD) environment. The first section of this paper briefly describes the AA/AD problem. The second section examines mission command through the lens of service doctrine. The third section looks at other historic approaches to command and control that may provide a Joint Force Commander insight into different ways to arrange a joint force command and control system. The fourth section examines joint force command and control and identifies problems associated with reconciling decentralized military operations with centralized and highly technical military operations. Finally, the paper concludes that while mission command provides some unique advantages in an AA/AD environment, a one-size-fits-all approach to command and control may not be enough to synchronize effects to achieve cross-domain synergy.