[iwar] [fc:DOD.Must.Commit.More.Money.To.Network-Centric.Warfare,.Says.Pentagon.Technology.Official]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-24 10:32:16

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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2001 10:32:16 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: [iwar] [fc:DOD.Must.Commit.More.Money.To.Network-Centric.Warfare,.Says.Pentagon.Technology.Official]
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Aerospace Daily
October 23, 2001
DOD Must Commit More Money To Network-Centric Warfare, Says Pentagon Technology Official
The Defense Department is already seeing "strategic payoffs" from
network-centric warfare systems used in military operations in Afghanistan,
but military commanders are still reluctant to make a large investment in
critical networking technologies, according to John J. Garstka, chief
technology officer in the joint staff's directorate for command, control,
communications and computer systems.
"What we know from what's going on in Afghanistan today, is that the power
of the network is real," Garstka said, speaking Oct. 22 at a conference in
Washington. "You can reduce sensor-to-shooter times to near zero."
One of the problems with implementing a network-centric operation is that it
is often viewed as an abstract concept, Garstka said. Network-centric
warfare is not a single system, but a system of systems that allows the
force to have shared information, battlespace awareness and knowledge of
commander intent, Garstka said.
"Networking is just a means for improving our capability to share
information," he said.
Commanders reluctant to invest
There is a price to be paid for information and senior service officials are
still reluctant to commit needed funds, Garstka said.
Even those commanders who want to have a network-centric force, "when you
tell them there is a bill to be paid for this, they can't pull the trigger,"
he said.
Commanders are still biased toward weapons systems and platforms, according
to Garstka.
"If you went to them and said: 'Here's the bill for your AMRAAMs [advanced
medium range air-to-air missiles],' they say, 'oh of course, I really need
those,'" he said.
"None of our commanders at the three-star or four-star level have ever
fought with a force with [network-centric] attributes," he said.
"Consequently, when they are in a position to make resource allocation
decisions, they don't always understand what a force like this could do."
Network-centric warfare - which enhances the tactical capabilities of
various platforms - is itself a response to declining defense budgets,
according to one analyst.
"It's a response to the economics of defense," said Norman Friedman, editor
of the Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Systems, speaking at the same
conference.
Developing network systems to enhance tactical capabilities is now a
necessity in an era of reduced platforms, he said.
"We're stuck in that function and we have to do something that deals with
the numbers," he added. You always give up something, Friedman said, and
with network-centric warfare "what you give up is masses of firepower."
With the exception of the Navy, which has employed network-centric concepts
to link its carriers and fulfill air defense roles, the military has been
reluctant to move forward with developing actual systems, Garstka said.
Over the past few years, the Navy has aggressively pursued a number of
systems critical to its concept of network-centric warfare, including the
Cooperative Engagement Capability and the Navy-Marine Corp Intranet (NMCI).
"The Air Force and Army don't have a lot of experience fighting with a
network force," Garstka said. "When they try to understand the link between
networking and combat models, they run short. Their mental model doesn't
allow them do that. They don't appreciate the benefits."
Tactical benefits
While DOD has been slow to embrace network-centric warfare, the tactical
benefits are many, according to Garstka.
"The bottom line here is that digitization and networking allow a force to
fight over a much larger area than a non-digitized force," he said.
"Networked forces outfight non-networked forces."
In air operations with tactical data links, F15-Cs more than double their
kill ratio in both day and night operations, according to Garstka.
Similarly, the Fleet Battle Experiment Delta (FBED) - conducted in 1998 -
demonstrated a counter special operations forces mission could be
accomplished in half the time when performed in a network-centric
environment.
FBED created a "network grid" using a land-sea engagement network linking
stations at sea to automated land-based deep operations coordination
systems.
Garstka said Adm. Dennis Blair, the commander-in-chief for U.S. Pacific
Command, remarked earlier this year that FBED demonstrated that more battle
power could be increased in Korea without building new platforms.
"Some people react to that in different ways," Garstka said.
-- Sharon Weinberger 

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