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                             Joint Vision

                                                                           documentation
                         2020
      America’s Military—
      Preparing for
      Tomorrow

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                ■    JOINT   VISION    2020

                                                                                               disappear. The strategic concepts of decisive force,
                                                                                               power projection, overseas presence, and strategic
                                                                                               agility will continue to govern our efforts to fulfill
                                                                                               those responsibilities and meet the challenges of
documentation

                                                                                               the future. This document describes the opera-
                                                                                               tional concepts necessary to do so.
                                                                                                     If the Armed Forces are to be faster, more
                                                                                               lethal, and more precise in 2020 than they are
                                                                                                                        today, we must continue
                                                                                                                        to invest in and develop

                CJCS Vision . . .                                                                                       new military capabilities.
                                                                                                                        This vision describes the
                                                                                                                        ongoing transformation
                                                                                                                        to those new capabilities.
                Dedicated individuals and innovative organizations                                                      As first explained in Joint
                                                                                                                        Vision 2010, and depend-
                                                                                                                        ent upon realizing the po-
                transforming the joint force for the 21st century                                                       tential of the information
                                                                                                                        revolution, today’s capa-
                to achieve full spectrum dominance:                                                                     bilities for maneuver,
                                                                                                                        strike, logistics, and pro-
                                      Persuasive in peace                                                               tection will become domi-
                                                                                                                        nant maneuver, precision
                                      Decisive in war                                                                   engagement, focused lo-
                                                                                                                        gistics, and full dimen-
                                                                                                                        sional protection.
                                      Preeminent in any form of conflict                                                     The joint force, be-
                                                                                                                        cause of its flexibility and
                                                                                                                        responsiveness, will re-

                                      T
                                                   he U.S. military today is a force of su-    main the key to operational success in the future.
                                                   perbly trained men and women who            The integration of core competencies provided by
                                                   are ready to deliver victory for our Na-    the individual services is essential to the joint
                                                   tion. In support of the objectives of       team, and the employment of the capabilities of
                                      our national security strategy, it is routinely em-      the total force (active, Reserve, National Guard,
                                      ployed to shape the international security envi-         and civilian members) increases the options for
                                      ronment and stands ready to respond across the           the commander and complicates the choices of
                                      full range of potential military operations. But         our opponents. To build the most effective force
                                      the focus of this document is the third element of       for 2020, we must be fully joint: intellectually,
                                      our strategic approach—the need to prepare now           operationally, organizationally, doctrinally, and
                                      for an uncertain future.                                 technically.
                                            Joint Vision 2020 builds upon and extends the            This vision is centered on the joint force in
                                      conceptual template established by Joint Vision          2020. The date defines a general analytical focus
                                      2010 to guide the continuing transformation of           rather than serving as a definitive estimate or
                                      the Armed Forces. The primary purpose of those           deadline. The document does not describe coun-
                                      forces has been and will be to fight and win the         ters to specific threats, nor does it enumerate
                                      Nation’s wars. The overall goal of the transforma-       weapon, communication, or other systems we
                                      tion described in this document is the creation of       will develop or purchase. Rather, its purpose is to
                                      a force that is dominant across the full spectrum        describe in broad terms the human talent—the
                                      of military operations—persuasive in peace, deci-        professional, well-trained, and ready force—and
                                      sive in war, preeminent in any form of conflict.         operational capabilities that will be required for
                                            In 2020, the Nation will face a wide range of      the joint force to succeed across the full range of
                                      interests, opportunities, and challenges and will        military operations and accomplish its mission in
                                      require a military that can both win wars and            2020 and beyond. In describing those capabili-
                                      contribute to peace. The global interests and re-        ties, the vision provides a vector for the wide-
                                      sponsibilities of the United States will endure,         ranging program of exercises and experimenta-
                                      and there is no indication that threats to those         tion being conducted by the services and
                                      interests and responsibilities, or to our allies, will   combatant commands and the continuing evolu-
                                                                                               tion of the joint force. Based on the joint vision
                                                                                               implementation program, many capabilities will

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                                                                                                                      The evolution of these elements over the
                                                                                                                 next two decades will be strongly influenced by
                                                                                                                 two factors. First, the continued development
                                                                                                                 and proliferation of information technologies will

                                                                                                                                                                         documentation
                                                                                                                 substantially change the conduct of military op-
                                                                                                                 erations. These changes in the information envi-
                                                                                                                 ronment make information superiority a key en-
                                                                                                                 abler of the transformation of the operational
                                                                                                                 capabilities of the joint force and the evolution of
                                                                                                                 joint command and control. Second, the Armed
                                                                                                                 Forces will continue to rely on a capacity for in-
                                                                                                                 tellectual and technical innovation. The pace of
                                                                                                                 technological change, especially as it fuels
                                                                                                                 changes in the strategic environment, will place a
                                                                                                                 premium on our ability to foster innovation in
                                                                                                                 our people and organizations across the entire
                                                                                                                 range of joint operations. The overall vision of
                                                                                                                 the capabilities we will require in 2020, as intro-

                                                                                   U.S. Air Force (Val Gempis)
                                                                                                                 duced above, rests on our assessment of the
                                                                                                                 strategic context in which our forces will operate.

                                                                                                                  STRATEGIC CONTEXT
                                                                                                                      Three aspects of the world of 2020 have sig-
                                                                                                                 nificant implications for the Armed Forces. First,
                                                                                                                 the United States will continue to have global in-
                             be operational well before 2020, while others will                                  terests and be engaged with a variety of regional
                             continue to be explored and developed through                                       actors. Transportation, communications, and in-
                             exercises and experimentation.                                                      formation technology will continue to evolve and
                                  The overarching focus of this vision is full                                   foster expanded economic ties and awareness of
                             spectrum dominance—achieved through the in-                                         international events. Our security and economic
                             terdependent application of dominant maneuver,                                      interests, as well as our political values, will pro-
                             precision engagement, focused logistics, and full                                   vide the impetus for engagement with interna-
                             dimensional protection. Attaining that goal re-                                     tional partners. The joint force of 2020 must be
                             quires the steady infusion of new technology and                                    prepared to win across the full range of military
                             modernization and replacement of equipment.                                         operations in any part of the world, to operate
                             However, material superiority alone is not suffi-                                   with multinational forces, and to coordinate mili-
                             cient. Of greater importance is the development                                     tary operations, as necessary, with government
                             of doctrine, organizations, training and educa-                                     agencies and international organizations.
                             tion, leaders, and people that effectively take ad-
                             vantage of the technology.

       Figure 1. Full Spectrum Dominance

                                    Dominant Maneuver
                                                                                                                          Peacetime Engagement

           Information              Precision Engagement
           Superiority and
           Technological
                                                                                                                          Deterrence and Conflict Prevention
                                    Full-Dimensional Protection
           Innovations

                                    Focused Logistics
                                                                                                                          Fight and Win

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                                                                                                                                                 982d Signal Company (James V. Dowden, Jr.)
                                          Second, potential adversaries will have access          The potential of such asymmetric ap-
                                     to the global commercial industrial base and           proaches is perhaps the most serious danger the
                                     much of the same technology as the U.S. military.      United States faces in the immediate future—
                                     We will not necessarily sustain a wide technologi-     and this danger includes long-range ballistic
                                     cal advantage over our adversaries in all areas. In-   missiles and other direct threats to U.S. citizens
                                     creased availability of commercial satellites, digi-   and territory. The asymmetric methods and ob-
                                     tal communications, and the public Internet all        jectives of an adversary are often far more im-
                                     give adversaries new capabilities at a relatively      portant than the relative technological imbal-
                                     low cost. We should not expect opponents in            ance, and the psychological impact of an attack
                                     2020 to fight with strictly industrial age tools.      might far outweigh the actual physical damage
                                     Our advantage must therefore come from leaders,        inflicted. An adversary may pursue an asymmet-
                                     people, doctrine, organizations, and training that     ric advantage on the tactical, operational, or
                                     enable us to take advantage of technology to           strategic level by identifying key vulnerabilities
                                     achieve superior warfighting effectiveness.            and devising asymmetric concepts and capabili-
                                          Third, we should expect potential adversaries     ties to strike or exploit them. To complicate mat-
                                     to adapt as our capabilities evolve. We have supe-     ters, our adversaries may pursue a combination
                                     rior conventional warfighting capabilities and ef-     of asymmetries, or the United States may face a
                                     fective nuclear deterrence today, but this favor-      number of adversaries who, in combination, cre-
                                     able military balance is not static. In the face of    ate an asymmetric threat. These asymmetric
                                     such strong capabilities, the appeal of asymmetric     threats are dynamic and subject to change, and
                                     approaches and the focus on the development of         the Armed Forces must maintain the capabilities
                                     niche capabilities will increase. By developing        necessary to deter, defend against, and defeat
                                     and using approaches that avoid U.S. strengths         any adversary who chooses such an approach.
                                     and exploit potential vulnerabilities using signifi-   To meet the challenges of the strategic environ-
                                     cantly different methods of operation, adversaries     ment in 2020, the joint force must be able to
                                     will attempt to create conditions that effectively     achieve full spectrum dominance.
                                     delay, deter, or counter the application of U.S.
                                     military capabilities.

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                                                                                 FULL SPECTRUM DOMINANCE                                              overseas presence forces and the ability to rapidly
                                                                                                                                                      project power worldwide in order to achieve full
                                                                               The ultimate goal of our military force is to                          spectrum dominance.
                                                                         accomplish the objectives directed by the National                                 Achieving full spectrum dominance means

                                                                                                                                                                                                                documentation
                                                                         Command Authorities. For the joint force of the                              the joint force will fulfill its primary purpose—
                                                                         future, this goal will be achieved through full spec-                        victory in war—as well as achieving success across
                                                                         trum dominance—the ability of U.S. forces, operat-                           the full range of operations, but it does not mean
                                                                                       ing unilaterally or in combination                             that we will win without cost or difficulty. Con-
                                                                                       with multinational and interagency                             flict results in casualties despite our best efforts to
                                                                                       partners, to defeat any adversary and                          minimize them and will continue to do so when
                                                    Sources of Friction                control any situation across the full                          the force has achieved full spectrum dominance.
                                                    ■ effects of danger and            range of military operations.                                  Additionally, friction is inherent in military oper-
                                                      exertion                              The full range of operations in-                          ations. The joint force of 2020 will seek to create
                                                    ■ uncertainty and chance           cludes maintaining a posture of                                a “frictional imbalance” in its favor by using the
                                                                                       strategic deterrence. It includes the-                         capabilities envisioned in this document, but the
                                                    ■ unpredictable actions
                                                                                       ater engagement and presence activi-                           fundamental sources of friction cannot be elimi-
                                                      of other actors                                                                                 nated. We will win—but we should not expect
                                                                                       ties. It includes conflict involving
                                                    ■ frailties of machines and        employment of strategic forces and                             war in the future to be either easy or bloodless.
982d Signal Company (James V. Dowden, Jr.)

                                                      information                      weapons of mass destruction, major                                   The requirement for global operations, the
                                                    ■ human frailties.                 theater wars, regional conflicts, and                          ability to counter adversaries who possess
                                                                                       smaller-scale contingencies. It also in-                       weapons of mass destruction, and the need to
                                                                                       cludes those ambiguous situations re-                          shape ambiguous situations at the low end of the
                                                                                       siding between peace and war, such                             range of operations will present special challenges
                                                                         as peacekeeping and peace enforcement opera-                                 en route to achieving full spectrum dominance.
                                                                         tions, as well as noncombat humanitarian relief                              Therefore, the process of creating the joint force of
                                                                         operations and support to domestic authorities.                              the future must be flexible—to react to changes in
                                                                               The label full spectrum dominance implies that                         the strategic environment and the adaptations of
                                                                         U.S. forces are able to conduct prompt, sustained,                           potential enemies, to take advantage of new tech-
                                                                         and synchronized operations with combinations                                nologies, and to account for variations in the pace
                                                                         of forces tailored to specific situations and with                           of change. The source of that flexibility is the syn-
                                                                         access to and freedom to operate in all domains—                             ergy of the core competencies of the individual
                                                                         land, sea, air, space, and information. Addition-                            services, integrated into the joint team. These
                                                                         ally, given the global nature of our interests and                           challenges will require a total force composed of
                                                                         obligations, the United States must maintain its                             well-educated, motivated, and competent people
                                                                                                                                                      who can adapt to the many demands of future
                                                                                                                                                      joint missions. The transformation of the joint
                                                                                                                                                              force to reach full spectrum dominance
                                                                                                                                                              rests upon information superiority as a key
                                                    Figure 2. Range of Military Operations                                                                    enabler and our capacity for innovation.

                                                                  combat                                                                                     Information Superiority
                                                                                                                                                                   Information, information processing,
                                                                                                                                     noncombat               and communications networks are at the
                                                                                                                                                             core of every military activity. Throughout
                                                    Military     War                                        Military Operations Other Than War               history, military leaders have regarded in-
                                                    Operation                                                                                                formation superiority as a key enabler of
                                                    General
                                                                                                                                                             victory. However, the ongoing information
                                                                 Fight and Win                       Deter War                           Promote Peace
                                                    U.S. Goals                                           and                                        and      revolution is creating not only a quantita-
                                                                                                   Resolve Conflict                        Support U.S.      tive, but a qualitative change in the infor-
                                                                                                                                             Authorities     mation environment that by 2020 will re-
                                                                                                                                                             sult in profound changes in the conduct of
                                                                                                                                                             military operations. In fact, advances in in-
                                                    Examples     Large Scale Combat              Peace Enforcement                Freedom of Navigation      formation capabilities are proceeding so
                                                                 Operations                       Counterterrorism                          Counterdrug      rapidly that there is a risk of outstripping
                                                                 Attack / Defend / Blockade   Show of Force / Raid / Strike     Humanitarian Assistance      our ability to capture ideas, formulate oper-
                                                                                                 Peacekeeping/NEO                 Protection of Shipping     ational concepts, and develop the capacity
                                                                                                 Nuclear Assistance                    U.S. Civil Support    to assess results. While the goal of achiev-
                                                                                                 Counterinsurgency
                                                                                                                                                             ing information superiority will not

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                                         change, the nature, scope, and rules of the quest       but the continued evolution of organizations and
                                         are changing radically.                                 doctrine and the development of relevant train-
                                               The qualitative change in the information         ing to sustain a comparative advantage in the in-
                                         environment extends the conceptual underpin-            formation environment.
documentation

                                         nings of information superiority beyond the mere              We must also remember that information su-
                                         accumulation of more, or even better, informa-          periority neither equates to perfect information,
                                         tion. The word superiority implies a state or condi-    nor does it mean the elimination of the fog of
                                         tion of imbalance in one’s favor. Information su-       war. Information systems, processes, and opera-
                                         periority is transitory in nature and must be           tions add their own sources of friction and fog to
                                         created and sustained by the joint force through        the operational environment. Information superi-
                                         the conduct of information operations. However,         ority is fundamental to the transformation of the
                                         the creation of information superiority is not an       operational capabilities of the joint force. The
                                         end in itself.                                          joint force of 2020 will use superior information
                                               Information superiority provides the joint        and knowledge to achieve decision superiority, to
                                         force a competitive advantage only when it is ef-       support advanced command and control capabili-
                                         fectively translated into superior knowledge and        ties, and to reach the full potential of dominant
                                         decisions. The joint force must be able to take ad-     maneuver, precision engagement, full dimen-
                                         vantage of superior information converted to supe-      sional protection, and focused logistics. The
                                         rior knowledge to achieve “decision superiority”—       breadth and pace of this evolution demands flexi-
                                         better decisions arrived at and implemented faster      bility and a readiness to innovate.
                                         than an opponent can react or, in a noncombat
                                                                situation, at a tempo that al-   Innovation
                                                                lows the force to shape the            Joint Vision 2010 identified technological in-
                    Information superiority—the ca-             situation or react to changes    novation as a vital component of the transforma-
                    pability to collect, process, and dis-      and accomplish its mission.      tion of the joint force. Throughout the industrial
                    seminate an uninterrupted flow of           Decision superiority does not    age, the United States has relied upon its capacity
                    information while exploiting or             automatically result from in-    for technological innovation to succeed in mili-
                    denying an adversary’s ability to           formation superiority. Orga-     tary operations, and the need to do so will con-
                    do the same (Joint Pub 1-02);               nizational and doctrinal         tinue. It is important, however, to broaden our
                    achieved in a noncombat situation           adaptation, relevant training    focus beyond technology and capture the impor-
                    or one in which there are no                and experience, and the          tance of organizational and conceptual innova-
                    clearly defined adversaries when            proper command and con-          tion as well.
                    friendly forces have the informa-           trol mechanisms and tools              Innovation, in its simplest form, is the com-
                    tion necessary to achieve opera-            are equally necessary.           bination of new things with new ways to carry
                    tional objectives.                               The evolution of infor-     out tasks. In reality, it may result from fielding
                                                                mation technology will in-       completely new things, or the imaginative recom-
                    Information environment—the                 creasingly permit us to inte-    bination of old things in new ways, or something
                    aggregate of individuals, organiza-         grate the traditional forms      in between. The ideas in Joint Vision 2010 as car-
                    tions, and systems that collect,            of information operations        ried forward in Joint Vision 2020 are indeed inno-
                    process, or disseminate informa-            with sophisticated all-source    vative and form a vision for integrating doctrine,
                    tion, including the information it-         intelligence, surveillance,      tactics, training, supporting activities, and tech-
                    self (Joint Pub 1-02).                      and reconnaissance in a          nology into new operational capabilities. The in-
                                                                fully synchronized informa-      novations that determine joint and service capa-
                                                                tion campaign. The develop-      bilities will result from a general understanding of
                                                                ment of a concept labeled        what future conflict and military operations will
                                         the global information grid will provide the net-       be like, and a view of what the combatant com-
                                         work-centric environment required to achieve            mands and services must do in order to accom-
                                         this goal. The grid will be the globally intercon-      plish assigned missions.
                                         nected, end-to-end set of information capabili-               An effective innovation process requires con-
                                         ties, associated processes, and people to manage        tinuous learning—a means of interaction and ex-
                                         and provide information on demand to warfight-          change that evaluates goals, operational lessons,
                                         ers, policymakers, and support personnel. It will       exercises, experiments, and simulations—and
                                         enhance combat power and contribute to the suc-         that must include feedback mechanisms. The
                                         cess of noncombat military operations as well.          combatant commands and services must allow
                                         Realization of the full potential of these changes      our highly trained and skilled professionals the
                                         requires not only technological improvements,           opportunity to create new concepts and ideas
                                                                                                 that may lead to future breakthroughs. We must
                                                                                                 foster the innovations necessary to create the
                                                                                                 joint force of the future—not only with decisions

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                                                                                                                         the most relevant and productive aspects of new
                                                                                                                         concepts, capabilities, and technology. All indi-
                                                                                                                         viduals and organizations charged with experi-
                                                                                                                         mentation in support of the evolution of our

                                                                                                                                                                                documentation
                                                                                                                         combat forces must ensure that our natural con-
                                                                                                                         cern for husbanding resources and ultimately de-
                                                                                                                         livering successful results does not prevent us
                                                                                                                         from pursuing innovations with dramatic if un-
                                                                                                                         certain potential.
                                                                                                                              There is, of course, a high degree of uncer-
                                                                                                                         tainty inherent in the pursuit of innovation. The
                                                                                                                         key to coping with that uncertainty is bold lead-
                                                                                                                         ership supported by as much information as pos-
                                                                                                                         sible. Leaders must assess the efficacy of new

                                                                             55th Signal Company (Milton H. Robinson)
                                                                                                                         ideas, the potential drawbacks to new concepts,
                                                                                                                         the capabilities of potential adversaries, the costs
                                                                                                                         versus benefits of new technologies, and the orga-
                                                                                                                         nizational implications of new capabilities. They
                                                                                                                         must make these assessments in the context of an
                                                                                                                         evolving analysis of the economic, political, and
                                                                                                                         technological factors of the anticipated security
                                                                                                                         environment. Each of these assessments will have
                                                                                                                         uncertainty associated with them. But the best in-
                                                                                                                         novations have often come from people who
                                                                                                                         made decisions and achieved success despite un-
                                                                                                                         certainties and limited information.
                                                                                                                              By creating innovation, the combatant com-
                                                                                                                         mands and services also create their best opportu-
                                                                                                                         nities for coping with the increasing pace of
                                                                                                                         change in the overall environment in which they
                                                                                                                         function. Although changing technology is a pri-
                                                                                                                         mary driver of environmental change, it is not
                                                                                                                         the only one. The search for innovation must en-
                                                                                                                         compass the entire context of joint operations—
                                                                                                                         which means the Armed Forces must explore
                                                                                                                         changes in doctrine, organization, training,
                                                                                                                         matériel, leadership and education, personnel,
                                                                             1st Combat Camera Squadron (Jim Varhegyi)

                                                                                                                         and facilities as well as technology. Ultimately,
                                                                                                                         the goal is to develop reasonable approaches with
                                                                                                                         enough flexibility to recover from errors and un-
                                                                                                                         foreseen circumstances.

                                                                                                                          CONDUCT OF JOINT OPERATIONS
                                                                                                                              The complexities of the future security envi-
                                                                                                                         ronment demand that the United States be pre-
                                                                                                                         pared to face a wide range of threats of varying
                                                                                                                         levels of intensity. Success in countering these
                                                                                                                         threats will require the skillful integration of the
                         regarding future versus present force structure
                                                                                                                         core competencies of the services into a joint
                         and budgets, but also with a reasonable tolerance
                                                                                                                         force tailored to the specific situation and objec-
                         for errors and failures in the experimentation
                                                                                                                         tives. Commanders must be afforded the oppor-
                         process. We must be concerned with efficient use
                                                                                                                         tunity to achieve the level of effectiveness and
                         of time and resources and create a process that
                                                                                                                         synergy necessary to conduct decisive operations
                         gives us confidence that our results will produce
                                                                                                                         across the entire range of military operations.
                         battlefield success. However, an experimentation
                                                                                                                         When combat operations are required, they must
                         process with a low tolerance for error makes it
                                                                                                                         have an overwhelming array of capabilities avail-
                         unlikely that the force will identify and nurture
                                                                                                                         able to conduct offensive and defensive opera-
                                                                                                                         tions and against which an enemy must defend.

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                                                                                                                                                    U.S. Navy (Chris Desmond)
                                     Other complex contingencies such as humanitar-         and technological demands that call for adapt-
                                     ian relief or peace operations will require a rapid,   ability, innovation, precise judgment, forward
                                     flexible response to achieve national objectives in    thinking, and multicultural understanding. The
                                     the required timeframe. Some situations may re-        Nation will continue to depend on talented indi-
                                     quire the capabilities of only one service, but in     viduals of outstanding character, committed to
                                     most cases, a joint force comprised of both active     an ethic of selfless service.
                                     and Reserve components will be employed.                     Our people will require a multitude of skills.
                                          The complexity of future operations also re-      The services will play a critical role in perfecting
                                     quires that, in addition to operating jointly, our     their individual specialties and the core compe-
                                     forces have the capability to participate effec-       tencies of each organization. In addition, every
                                     tively as one element of a unified national effort.    member of the total force must be prepared to
                                     This integrated approach brings to bear all the        apply that expertise to a wide range of missions
                                     tools of statecraft to achieve our national objec-     as a member of the joint team. Our servicemem-
                                     tives unilaterally when necessary, while making        bers must have the mental agility to transition
                                     optimum use of the skills and resources provided       from preparing for war to enforcing peace to ac-
                                     by multinational military forces, regional and in-     tual combat, when necessary. The joint force
                                     ternational organizations, nongovernmental or-         commander is thereby provided a powerful, syn-
                                     ganizations, and private voluntary organizations       ergistic force capable of dominating across the en-
                                     when possible. Participation by the joint force in     tire range of operations.
                                     operations supporting civil authorities will also            The missions of 2020 will demand service-
                                     likely increase in importance due to emerging          members who can create and then take advantage
                                     threats to the U.S. homeland such as terrorism         of intellectual and technological innovations. In-
                                     and weapons of mass destruction.                       dividuals will be challenged by significant respon-
                                                                                            sibilities at tactical levels in the organization and
                                     People                                                 must be capable of making decisions with both
                                          The core of the joint force of 2020 will con-     operational and strategic implications. Our vision
                                     tinue to be an all volunteer force composed of in-     of full spectrum dominance and the transforma-
                                     dividuals of exceptional dedication and ability.       tion of operational capabilities has significant im-
                                     Their quality will matter as never before as our       plications for the training and education of our
                                     servicemembers confront a diversity of missions

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                                                                                                                                               Military operations will continue to demand
                                                                                                                                          extraordinary dedication and sacrifice under the
                                                                                                                                          most adverse conditions. Our total force, com-
                                                                                                                                          posed of professionals armed with courage, stam-

                                                                                                                                                                                                      documentation
                                                                                                                                          ina, and intellect, will succeed despite the com-
                                                                                                                                          plexity and pace of future operations.

                                                                                                                                          Interoperability
                                                                                                                                                Interoperability is the foundation of effective
                                                                                                                                          joint, multinational, and interagency operations.
                                                                                                                                          The joint force has made significant progress
                                                                                                                                          toward achieving an optimum level of interoper-
                                                                                                                                          ability, but there must be a concerted effort to-

                                                                                                            U.S. Navy (Leland B. Comer)
                                                                                                                                          ward continued improvement. Further improve-
                                                                                                                                          ments will include the refinement of joint
                                                                                                                                          doctrine as well as further development of com-
                                                                                                                                          mon technologies and processes. Exercises, per-
                                                                                                                                          sonnel exchanges, agreement on standardized op-
                                                                                                                                          erating procedures, individual training and
                                                                                                                                          education, and planning will further enhance
                                                     people. The tactics of information operations, the                                   and institutionalize these capabilities. Interoper-
                                                                                                                                          ability is a mandate for the joint force of 2020—
U.S. Navy (C ris Desmond)

                                                     coordination of interagency and multinational
                                                     operations, as well as the complexity of the mod-                                    especially in terms of communications, common
                                                     ern tools of war all require people who are both                                     logistics items, and information sharing. Informa-
                                                     talented and trained to exacting standards. Rapid                                    tion systems and equipment that enable a com-
                                                     and dispersed operations will require men and                                        mon relevant operational picture must work from
                                                     women who are part of a cohesive team, yet are                                       shared networks that can be accessed by any ap-
                                                     capable of operating independently to meet the                                       propriately cleared participant.
                                                     commander’s intent. The evolution of new func-
                                                     tional areas, such as space operations and infor-
                                                     mation operations, will require development of                                         Interoperability—the ability of systems,
                                                     appropriate career progression and leadership op-                                      units, or forces to provide services from
                                                     portunities for specialists in those fields. The ac-                                   other systems, units, or forces and to use the
                                                     cumulation of training and experience will create                                      services so exchanged to enable them to op-
                                                     a force ready to deploy rapidly to any point on                                        erate effectively together (Joint Pub 1-02).
                                                     the globe and operate effectively.
                                                          The joint force of 2020 will face a number of
                                                     challenges in recruiting and retaining the out-                                            Although technical interoperability is essen-
                                                     standing people needed to meet these require-                                        tial, it is not sufficient to ensure effective opera-
                                                     ments. First, expanding civilian education and                                       tions. There must be a suitable focus on procedural
                                                     employment opportunities will reduce the num-                                        and organizational elements, and decisionmakers
                                                     ber of candidates available for military service.                                    at all levels must understand each other’s capabili-
                                                     We will continue to focus on our members’ stan-                                      ties and constraints. Training and education, expe-
                                                     dard of living and a competitive compensation                                        rience and exercises, cooperative planning, and
                                                     strategy to ensure we attract the quality individu-                                  skilled liaison at all levels of the joint force will not
                                                     als we need. Second, the increasing percentage of                                    only overcome the barriers of organizational cul-
                                                     members with dependents will require a commit-                                       ture and differing priorities, but will teach mem-
                                                     ment to family-oriented community support pro-                                       bers of the joint team to appreciate the full range
                                                     grams and as much stability as possible, as well as                                  of service capabilities available to them.
                                                     close monitoring of the impact of the operations                                           The future joint force will have the embed-
                                                     tempo. Finally, our increased dependence on the                                      ded technologies and adaptive organizational
                                                     Reserve component will require us to address the                                     structures that will allow trained and experienced
                                                     concerns of our Reserve members and their em-                                        people to develop compatible processes and pro-
                                                     ployers regarding the impact on civilian careers.                                    cedures, engage in collaborative planning, and
                                                     The Department of Defense must meet these                                            adapt as necessary to specific crisis situations.
                                                     challenges head-on.                                                                  These features are not only vital to the joint
                                                                                                                                          force, but to multinational and interagency oper-
                                                                                                                                          ations as well.

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                                                                                                                             information in its multinational context. That
                                                                                                                             context can only be appreciated if sufficient re-
                                                                                                                             gional expertise and liaison capability are avail-
                                                                                                                             able on the commander’s staff. A deep under-
documentation

                                                                                                                             standing of the cultural, political, military, and
                                                                                                                             economic characteristics of a region must be es-
                                                                                                                             tablished and maintained. Developing this under-
                                                                                                                             standing is dependent upon shared training and
                                                                                                                             education, especially with key partners, and may
                                                                                                                             require organizational change as well. The overall
                                                                                                                             effectiveness of multinational operations is there-
                                                                                                                             fore dependent on interoperability between or-
                                                                                                                             ganizations, processes, and technologies.

                                                                                                  U.S. Navy (David Tucker)
                                                                                                                             Interagency Operations
                                                                                                                                   The primary challenge of interagency opera-
                                                                                                                             tions is to achieve unity of effort despite the di-
                                                                                                                             verse cultures, competing interests, and differing
                                                                                                                             priorities of the participating organizations, many
                                                                                                                             of whom guard their relative independence, free-
                                                                                                                             dom of action, and impartiality. Additionally,
                                        Multinational Operations                                                             these organizations may lack the structure and re-
                                              Since our potential multinational partners                                     sources to support extensive liaison cells or inte-
                                        will have varying levels of technology, a tailored                                   grative technology. In this environment and in
                                        approach to interoperability that accommodates                                       the absence of formal command relationships,
                                        a wide range of needs and capabilities is neces-                                     the future joint force must be proactive in im-
                                        sary. Our more technically advanced allies will                                      proving communications, planning, interoper-
                                        have systems and equipment that are essentially                                      ability, and liaison with potential interagency
                                                                 compatible, enabling them                                   participants. These factors are important in all as-
                                                                 to interface and share infor-                               pects of interagency operations, but particularly
                    Multinational operations—a                   mation in order to operate                                  in the context of direct threats to citizens and fa-
                    collective term used to describe             effectively with U.S. forces                                cilities in the U.S. homeland. Cohesive intera-
                    military actions conducted by                at all levels. However, we                                  gency action is vital to deterring, defending
                    forces of two or more nations usu-           must also be capable of op-                                 against, and responding to such attacks. The joint
                    ally undertaken within the struc-            erating with allies and coali-                              force must be prepared to support civilian author-
                    ture of a coalition or alliance (Joint       tion partners who may be                                    ities in a fully integrated effort to meet the needs
                    Pub 1-02).                                   technologically incompati-                                  of U.S. citizens and accomplish the objectives
                                                                 ble—especially at the tacti-                                specified by the National Command Authorities.
                                                                 cal level. Additionally, many                                     All organizations have unique information
                                        of our future partners will have significant spe-                                    assets that can contribute to the common relevant
                                        cialized capabilities that may be integrated into a                                  operational picture and support unified action.
                                        common operating scheme. At the same time, the                                       They also have unique information requirements.
                                        existence of these relationships does not imply                                      Sharing information with appropriately cleared
                                        access to information without constraints. We                                        participants and integration of information from
                                        and our multinational partners will continue to                                      all sources are essential. Understanding each
                                        use suitable judgment regarding the protection of                                    other’s requirements and assets is also crucial.
                                        sensitive information and information sources.                                       More importantly, through training with potential
                                              In all cases, effective command and control is                                 interagency partners, experienced liaisons must be
                                        the primary means of successfully extending the
                                        joint vision to multinational operations. Techno-
                                        logical developments that connect the informa-
                                                                                                                               Interagency coordination—the coordina-
                                        tion systems of partners will provide the links that
                                                                                                                               tion that occurs between elements of the
                                        lead to a common relevant operational picture
                                                                                                                               Department of Defense and engaged U.S.
                                        and improve command and control. However, the
                                                                                                                               Government agencies, nongovernmental or-
                                        sharing of information needed to maintain the
                                                                                                                               ganizations, private voluntary organizations,
                                        tempo of integrated multinational operations also
                                                                                                                               and regional and international organizations
                                        relies heavily on a shared understanding of opera-
                                                                                                                               for the purpose of accomplishing an objec-
                                        tional procedures and compatible organizations.
                                                                                                                               tive (Joint Pub 1-02).
                                        The commander must have the ability to evaluate

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                                                                                                        JOINT     VISION      2020       ■

                                                                                                                                                                                           documentation
                                                                                                                                             1st Combat Camera Squadron (Jerry Morrison)
                                                                                    Dominant maneuver—the ability of joint
                                                                                    forces to gain positional advantage with deci-
                                                                                    sive speed and overwhelming operational
                         developed to support long-term relationships, col-         tempo in the achievement of assigned mili-
                         laborative planning in advance of crises, and com-         tary tasks. Widely dispersed joint land, sea, air,
                         patible processes and procedures. As with our              space, and special operations forces, capable
                         multinational partners, interoperability in all            of scaling and massing force or forces and the
                         areas of interaction is essential to effective intera-     effects of fires as required for either combat
                         gency operations.                                          or noncombat operations, will secure advan-
                                                                                    tage across the range of military operations
                         Operational Concepts                                       through the application of information, de-
                              The joint force capable of dominant maneu-            ception, engagement, mobility, and counter-
                         ver will possess unmatched speed and agility in            mobility capabilities.
                         positioning and repositioning tailored forces from
                         widely dispersed locations to achieve operational
                         objectives quickly and decisively. The employ-
                         ment of dominant maneuver may lead to achiev-
                         ing objectives directly, but can also facilitate em-     gathering of timely feedback on the status, loca-
                         ployment of the other operational concepts. For          tion, and activities of subordinate units; and an-
                         example, dominant maneuver may be employed               ticipation of the course of events leading to mis-
                         to dislodge enemy forces so they can be destroyed        sion accomplishment. The joint force will also be
                         through precision engagement. At times, achiev-          capable of planning and conducting dominant
                         ing positional advantage will be a function of op-       maneuver in cooperation with interagency and
                         erational maneuver over strategic distances. Over-       multinational partners with varying levels of
                         seas or U.S.-based units will mass forces or effects     commitment and capability.
                         directly to the operational theater. Information              The capability to rapidly mass force or forces
                         superiority will support the conduct of dominant         and the effects of dispersed forces allows the joint
                         maneuver by enabling adaptive and concurrent
                         planning; coordination of widely dispersed units;

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                ■   JOINT   VISION    2020

                                                                                                                             military operations. In a conflict, for example,
                                                                                                                             the presence or anticipated presence of a decisive
                                                                                                                             force might well cause an enemy to surrender
                                                                                                                             after minimal resistance. During a peacekeeping
documentation

                                                                                                                             mission, it may provide motivation for good-faith
                                                                                                                             negotiations or prevent the instigation of civil
                                                                                                                             disturbances. In order to achieve such an impact,
                                                                                                                             the commander will use information operations
                                                                                                                             as a force multiplier by making the available com-
                                                                                                                             bat power apparent without the need to physi-
                                                                                                                             cally move elements of the force. The joint force
                                                                                                                             commander will be able to take advantage of the
                                                                                                                             potential and actual effects of dominant maneu-
                                                                                                                             ver to gain the greatest benefit.

                                                                                                                             Precision Engagement
                                                                                                                                   Simply put, precision engagement is effects-
                                                                                                                             based engagement that is relevant to all types of
                                                                                                                             operations. Its success depends on in-depth
                                                                                                                             analysis to identify and locate critical nodes and
                                                                                                                             targets. The pivotal characteristic of precision en-
                                                                                                                             gagement is the linking of sensors, delivery sys-
                                                                                                                             tems, and effects. In the joint force of the future,
                                                                                                                             this linkage will take place across services and will
                                                                                                                             incorporate the applicable capabilities of multina-
                                                                                                                             tional and interagency partners when appropri-
                                                                                                                             ate. The resulting system of systems will provide
                                                                                                                             the commander the broadest possible range of ca-
                                                                                                                             pabilities in responding to any situation, includ-
                                                                                                                             ing both kinetic and nonkinetic weapons capable
                                                                                                                             of creating the desired lethal or nonlethal effects.

                                                                                                                               Precision engagement—the ability of joint
                                                                                                                               forces to locate, surveil, discern, and track
                                                                                              U.S. Navy (Franklin P. Call)

                                                                                                                               objectives or targets; select, organize, and
                                                                                                                               use the correct systems; generate desired ef-
                                                                                                                               fects; assess results; and reengage with deci-
                                                                                                                               sive speed and overwhelming operational
                                                                                                                               tempo as required, throughout the full
                                                                                                                               range of military operations.

                                     force commander to establish control of the bat-
                                     tlespace at the proper time and place. In a con-                                              The concept of precision engagement ex-
                                     flict, this ability to attain positional advantage al-                                  tends beyond precisely striking a target with ex-
                                     lows the commander to employ decisive combat                                            plosive ordnance. Information superiority will
                                     power that will compel an adversary to react from                                       enhance the capability of the joint force com-
                                     a position of disadvantage, or quit. In other situa-                                    mander to understand the situation, determine
                                     tions, it allows the force to occupy key positions                                      the effects desired, select a course of action and
                                     to shape the course of events and minimize hos-                                         the forces to execute it, accurately assess the ef-
                                     tilities or react decisively if hostilities erupt. And                                  fects of that action, and reengage as necessary
                                     in peacetime, it constitutes a credible capability                                      while minimizing collateral damage. During con-
                                     that influences potential adversaries while reas-                                       flict, the commander will use precision engage-
                                     suring friends and allies.                                                              ment to obtain lethal and nonlethal effects in
                                           Beyond the actual physical presence of the                                        support of the objectives of the campaign. This
                                     force, dominant maneuver creates an impact in                                           action could include destroying a target using
                                     the minds of opponents and others in the opera-
                                     tional area. That impact is a tool available to the
                                     joint force commander across the full range of

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                                                                                                                                                                                    documentation
                                                                                                                                           55th Signal Company (Clinton J. Evans)
                         conventional forces, inserting a special operations    Focused Logistics
                         team, or even the execution of a comprehensive               Focused logistics will provide military capa-
                         psychological operations mission. In other cases,      bility by ensuring delivery of the right equip-
                         precision engagement may be used to facilitate         ment, supplies, and personnel in the right quanti-
                         dominant maneuver and decisive close combat.           ties, to the right place, at the right time to
                         The commander may also employ nonkinetic               support operational objectives. It will result from
                         weapons, particularly in the arena of information      revolutionary improvements in information sys-
                         operations where the targets might be key enemy        tems, innovation in organizational structures,
                         leaders or troop formations, or the opinion of an      reengineered processes, and advances in trans-
                         adversary population.                                  portation technologies. This transformation has
                               In noncombat situations, precision engage-       already begun with changes scheduled for the
                         ment activities will naturally focus on nonlethal      near term facilitating the ultimate realization of
                         actions. These actions will be capable of defusing     the full potential of focused logistics.
                         volatile situations, overcoming misinformation               Focused logistics will effectively link all logis-
                         campaigns, or directing a flow of refugees to relief   tics functions and units through advanced infor-
                         stations, for example. Regardless of its application   mation systems that integrate real-time total asset
                         in combat or noncombat operations, the capabil-        visibility with a common relevant operational
                         ity to engage precisely allows the commander to        picture. These systems will incorporate enhanced
                         shape the situation or battlespace in order to         decision support tools that will improve analysis,
                         achieve the desired effects while minimizing risk      planning, and anticipation of warfighter require-
                         to friendly forces and contributing to the most ef-    ments. They will also provide a more seamless
                         fective use of resources.                              connection to the commercial sector to take ad-
                                                                                vantage of applicable advanced business practices

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                ■   JOINT     VISION     2020
documentation

                                                                                                                                                        2d Marine Division (Tyler J. Mielke)
                                                                                                            Focused Logistics
                                                                                                          Transformation Path
                                                                                                        FY01: implement systems to assess cus-
                                                                                                  tomer confidence from end to end of the lo-
                                                                                                  gistics chain using customer wait time metric
                                                                                                        FY02: implement time definite delivery
                                                                                                  capabilities using a simplified priority system
                                                                                                  driven by the customer’s required delivery date
                                                                                                        FY04: implement fixed and deployable
                                                                                                  automated identification technologies and in-
                                                                                                  formation systems that provide accurate, ac-
                                          and commercial economies. Combining these ca-           tionable total asset visibility
                                          pabilities with innovative organizational struc-              FY04: for early deploying forces and
                                          tures and processes will result in dramatically im-     FY06 for the remaining forces, implement a
                                          proved end-to-end management of the entire              Web-based, shared data environment to en-
                                          logistics system and provide precise real-time          sure the joint warfighters’ ability to make
                                          control of the logistics pipeline to support the        timely and confident logistics decisions.
                                          joint force commander’s priorities. The increased
                                          speed, capacity, and efficiency of advanced trans-
                                          portation systems will further improve deploy-
                                                               ment, distribution, and sus-
                                                               tainment. Mutual support         vulnerability of logistics lines of communication,
                                                               relationships and collabora-     while appropriately sizing and potentially reduc-
                    Focused logistics—the ability to
                                                               tive planning will enable op-    ing the logistics footprint. The capability for fo-
                    provide the joint force the right
                                                               timum cooperation with           cused logistics will effectively support the joint
                    personnel, equipment, and supplies
                                                               multinational and intera-        force in combat and provide the primary opera-
                    in the right place, at the right time,
                                                               gency partners.                  tional element in the delivery of humanitarian or
                    and in the right quantity, across
                                                                     The result for the joint   disaster relief, or other activities across the range
                    the full range of military opera-
                                                               force of the future will be an   of military operations.
                    tions. This will be made possible
                                                               improved link between op-
                    through a real-time, web-based in-                                          Full Dimensional Protection
                                                               erations and logistics result-
                    formation system providing total
                                                               ing in precise time-definite          Our military forces must be capable of con-
                    asset visibility as part of a common
                                                               delivery of assets to the        ducting decisive operations despite our adver-
                    relevant operational picture, effec-
                                                               warfighter. This substan-        saries’ use of a wide range of weapons (including
                    tively linking the operator and lo-
                                                               tially improved operational      weapons of mass destruction), the conduct of in-
                    gistician across services and support
                                                               effectiveness and efficiency,    formation operations or terrorist attacks, or the
                    agencies. Through transforma-
                                                               combined with increasing         presence of asymmetric threats during any phase
                    tional innovations to organizations
                                                               warfighter confidence in         of these operations. Our people and the other
                    and processes, focused logistics will
                                                               these new capabilities, will
                    provide the joint warfighter with
                                                               concurrently reduce sustain-
                    support for all functions.
                                                               ment requirements and the

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                 documentation
2d Marine Division (Tyler J. Mielke)

                                                                                                                                                                                  U.S. Air Force (Mitch Fuqua)
                                                                    military and nonmilitary assets needed for the         capabilities in other locations. There is a critical
                                                                    successful conduct of operations must be pro-          need for protection of the information content
                                                                    tected wherever they are located—from deploy-          and systems vital for operational success, including
                                                                    ment, to theater combat, to redeployment. Full         increased vigilance in counterintelligence and in-
                                                                    dimensional protection exists when the joint           formation security. The joint force of 2020 will in-
                                                                                          force can decisively achieve     tegrate protective capabilities from multinational
                                                                                          its mission with an accept-      and interagency partners when available and will
                                               Full dimensional protection—               able degree of risk in both      respond to their requirements when possible.
                                               the ability of the joint force to pro-     the physical and informa-        Commanders will thoroughly assess and manage
                                               tect its personnel and other assets        tion domains.                    risk as they apply protective measures to specific
                                               required to decisively execute as-              The capability for full     operations, ensuring that an appropriate level of
                                               signed tasks. Full dimensional pro-        dimensional protection in-       safety, compatible with other mission objectives, is
                                               tection is achieved through the tai-       corporates a complete array      provided for all assets.
                                               lored selection and application of         of both combat and non-               The joint force commander will thereby be
                                               multilayered active and passive            combat actions in offensive      provided an integrated architecture for protection,
                                               measures within the domains of             and defensive operations, en-    which will effectively manage risk to the joint
                                               land, sea, air, space, and informa-        abled by information superi-     force and other assets, and leverage the contribu-
                                               tion across the range of military          ority. It will be based upon     tions of all echelons of our forces and those of our
                                               operations with an acceptable level        active and passive defensive     multinational and interagency partners. The result
                                               of risk.                                   measures, including theater      will be improved freedom of action for friendly
                                                                                          missile defenses and possibly    forces and better protection at all echelons.
                                                                                          limited missile defense of the
                                                                    United States, offensive countermeasures, security     Information Operations
                                                                    procedures, antiterrorism measures, enhanced in-            Information operations are essential to
                                                                    telligence collection and assessments, emergency       achieving full spectrum dominance. The joint
                                                                    preparedness, heightened security awareness, and       force must be capable of conducting information
                                                                    proactive engagement strategies. Additionally, it      operations, the purpose of which is to facilitate
                                                                    will extend beyond the immediate theater of oper-
                                                                    ations to protect our reach-back, logistics, and key

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                ■    JOINT    VISION      2020

                                                                                                                                              engaged in humanitarian relief operations. Such
                                                                                                                                              operations will be synchronized with those of
                                                                                                                                              multinational and interagency partners as the sit-
                                                                                                                                              uation dictates. New offensive capabilities such as
documentation

                                                                                                                                              computer network attack techniques are evolv-
                                                                                                                                              ing. Activities such as information assurance,
                                                                                                                                              computer network defense, and counterdeception
                                                                                                                                              will defend decisionmaking processes by neutral-

                                                                                                  1st Combat Camera Squadron (Jim Varhegyi)
                                                                                                                                              izing an adversary’s perception management and
                                                                                                                                              intelligence collection efforts, as well as direct at-
                                                                                                                                              tacks on our information systems. Because the ul-
                                                                                                                                              timate target of information operations is the
                                                                                                                                              human decisionmaker, the joint force com-
                                                                                                                                              mander will have difficulty accurately assessing
                                                                                                                                              the effects of those operations. This problem of
                                                                                                                                              battle damage assessment for information opera-
                                                                                                                                              tions is difficult and must be explored through
                                                                                                                                              exercises and rigorous experimentation.
                                                                                                                                                   The continuing evolution of information op-
                                       and protect U.S. decisionmaking processes and, in                                                      erations and the global information environment
                                       a conflict, degrade those of an adversary. While ac-                                                   holds two significant implications. First, opera-
                                       tivities and capabilities employed to conduct infor-                                                   tions within the information domain will become
                                       mation operations are traditional functions of mil-                                                    as important as those conducted in the domains
                                       itary forces, the pace of change in the information                                                    of land, sea, air, and space. Such operations will
                                                               environment dictates that we                                                   be inextricably linked to focused logistics, full di-
                                                               expand this view and explore                                                   mensional protection, precision engagement, and
                                                               broader information opera-                                                     dominant maneuver, as well as joint command
                    Information operations—those
                                                               tions, strategies, and con-                                                    and control. At the same time, information oper-
                    actions taken to affect an adver-
                                                               cepts. We must recognize                                                       ations may evolve into a separate mission area re-
                    sary’s information systems while
                                                               that nontraditional adver-                                                     quiring the services to maintain appropriately de-
                    defending one’s own information
                                                               saries who engage in nontra-                                                   signed organizations and trained specialists.
                    systems (Joint Pub 1-02). Informa-
                                                               ditional conflict are of partic-                                               Improvements in doctrine, organization, and
                    tion operations also include ac-
                                                               ular importance in the                                                         technology may lead to decisive outcomes result-
                    tions taken in a noncombat or am-
                                                               information domain. The                                                        ing primarily from information operations. As in-
                    biguous situation to protect one’s
                                                               United States itself and U.S.                                                  formation operations continue to evolve, they,
                    own information and information
                                                               forces around the world are                                                    like other military operations, will be conducted
                    systems as well as those taken to
                                                               subject to information at-                                                     consistent with the norms of our society, our al-
                    influence target information and
                                                               tacks on a continuous basis                                                    liances with other democratic states, and full re-
                    information systems.
                                                               regardless of the level and                                                    spect for the laws of armed conflict. Second, there
                                                               degree of engagement in
                                                               other domains of operation.
                                       The perpetrators of such attacks are not limited to
                                       the traditional concept of a uniformed military ad-
                                       versary. Additionally, the actions associated with                                                                  The Variables of
                                       information operations are wide-ranging—from                                                                    Information Operations
                                       physical destruction to psychological operations to                                                      ■   multidimensional definition and meaning
                                       computer network defense. The task of integrating                                                            of information—target, weapon, resource,
                                       information operations with other joint force oper-                                                          or domain of operations
                                       ations is complicated by the need to understand
                                       the many variables involved (summarized in box).                                                         ■   level of action and desired effect—tactical,
                                             Our understanding of the interrelationships                                                            operational, strategic, or combination
                                       of these variables and their impact on military                                                          ■   objective of operations—providing infor-
                                       operations will determine the nature of informa-                                                             mation, perception management, battle-
                                       tion operations in 2020. The joint force com-                                                                field dominance, command and control
                                       mander will conduct information operations                                                                   warfare, systemic disruption, or systemic
                                       whether facing an adversary during a conflict or                                                             destruction
                                                                                                                                                ■   nature of situation—peace, crisis, or conflict.

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                                                                                                                                                                  documentation
                                                                                                                                     U.S. Navy (T. Vahn Nequin)
                         is significant potential for asymmetric engage-            Command and control is most effective
                         ments in the information domain. The United          when decision superiority exists. Decision superi-
                         States has enjoyed a distinct technological advan-   ority results from superior information filtered
                         tage in the information environment and will         through the commander’s experience, knowl-
                         likely continue to do so. However, as potential      edge, training, and judgment; the expertise of
                         adversaries reap the benefits of the information     supporting staffs and other organizations; and
                         revolution, the comparative advantage for the        the efficiency of associated processes. While
                         United States and its partners will become more      changes in the information environment have
                         difficult to maintain. Additionally, our ever-in-    led some to focus solely on the contribution of
                         creasing dependence on information processes,        information superiority to command and control,
                         systems, and technologies adds potential vulnera-    it is equally necessary to understand the complete
                         bilities that must be defended.                      realm of command and control decisionmaking,
                                                                              the nature of organizational collaboration, and
                         Command and Control                                  especially the human in the loop.
                              Command and control is the exercise of au-            In the joint force of the future, command
                         thority and direction over the joint force. It is    and control will remain the primary integrating
                         necessary for the integration of service core com-   and coordinating function for operational capabil-
                         petencies into effective joint operations. The in-   ities and service components. As the nature of
                         creasing importance of multinational and intera-     military operations evolves, there is a continual
                         gency aspects of the operations adds complexity      need to evaluate the nature of command and con-
                         and heightens the challenge of doing so. Com-        trol organizations, mechanisms, systems, and
                         mand and control includes planning, directing,       tools. There are two major issues to address in this
                         coordinating, and controlling forces and opera-      evaluation—command structures and processes,
                         tions and is focused on the effective execution of   and the information systems and technologies
                         the operational plan; but the central function is    that are best suited to support them. Encompassed
                         decisionmaking.                                      within these two issues, examination of the fol-
                                                                              lowing related ideas and desired capabilities will

                                                                                                     Summer 2000 / JFQ         73
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                ■    JOINT   VISION    2020
documentation

                                                                                                                                                        U.S. Navy (Shane McCoy)
                                      serve as a catalyst for changes in doctrine, organi-       control. First, leaders of the joint force must ana-
                                      zation, and training.                                      lyze and understand the meaning of unit cohe-
                                            ■ Commanders will need a broad understanding         sion in the context of the small, widely dispersed
                                      of new operational capabilities and new (often highly      units that are now envisioned. Second, decision-
                                      automated) supporting tools in order to be capable of      makers at all levels must understand the implica-
                                      flexible, adaptive coordination and direction of both      tions of new technologies that operate continu-
                                      forces and sensors.                                        ously in all conditions when human beings are
                                            ■ The staffs that support commanders must be or-
                                                                                                 incapable of the same endurance. Third, as new
                                      ganized and trained to take advantage of new capabili-
                                                                                                 information technologies, systems, and proce-
                                      ties. Commanders and staffs must also be capable of
                                      command and control in the face of technology failure.
                                                                                                 dures make the same detailed information avail-
                                            ■ Commanders will be able to formulate and dis-
                                                                                                 able at all levels of the chain of command, leaders
                                      seminate intent based upon up-to-date knowledge of         must understand the implications for decision-
                                      the situation existing in the battlespace.                 making processes, the training of decisionmakers
                                            ■ Joint force headquarters will be dispersed and     at all levels, and organizational patterns and pro-
                                      survivable and capable of coordinating dispersed units     cedures. The potential for overcentralization of
                                      and operations. Subordinate headquarters will be small,
                                      agile, mobile, dispersed, and networked.
                                            ■ Faster operations tempos, increased choices
                                      among weapons and effects, and greater weapons               Command and control—the exercise of au-
                                      ranges will require continuous, simultaneous planning        thority and direction by a properly designated
                                      and execution at all levels.                                 commander over assigned and attached
                                            ■ Expanding roles for multinational and intera-        forces in the accomplishment of the mission.
                                      gency partners will require collaborative planning capa-     Command and control functions are per-
                                      bilities, technological compatibility/interoperability,      formed through an arrangement of person-
                                      and mechanisms for efficient information sharing.
                                                                                                   nel, equipment, communications, facilities,
                                          Finally, as these and other changes take place           and procedures employed by a commander in
                                      over time, we must carefully examine three as-               planning, directing, coordinating, and con-
                                      pects of the human element of command and                    trolling forces and operations in the accom-
                                                                                                   plishment of the mission (Joint Pub 1-01).

                74      JFQ / Summer 2000
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