Towards a Reinterpretation of Information Communication Technologies' Impact on Command and Control

Abstract

Taylor and Francis LtdFDEF_A_233795.sgm10.1080/14702430701339013Defence Studies1470-2436 (print)/1743-9698 (online)Original Article2007Taylor & Francis72000000June 2007Lieutenant-colonel Dr DavidVersaillesdversailles@cr-ea.netThe implementation of information and communication technologies(ICTs) impacts the distribution of responsibility in the command andcontrol (C2) chain. In some cases the introduction of new technologies mayfavour centralization; in others, they represent the source of new forms ofdelegation and decentralization. The various levels of the hierarchy may ormany not take better decisions because they gain access to detailed dataabout the tactical situation. The introduction of a new ICT-related systemresults in diverse impacts and it turns out that the technologies cannot inthemselves explain the new delegation processes.Command and control systems have become always more complex forthe last 20 years. The distinction between strategic, operational and tacticallevels has been widely considered as an accurate way to analyze delegatedactions because it grounds the relations in the separation political responsi-bilities and military ones. The distinction between each level of thehierarchy has become more complex since the end of the Cold War. Itvaries considerably with the context and the composition of the coalition. Italso depends on the rules of engagement (ROE) which define the degree ofcoercion allowed by governments. The borderlines between the preroga-tives associated with the tactical, operational and strategic levels have nowblurred. The speed of information flow and the mass media coverage ofconflict both increase the strategic effects of each decision made at the