The application of new technology towards the digitization of command and control systems has the potential to provide near real-time situational awareness to commanders and increase the timeliness and accuracy of the processes involved in targeting time-critical targets throughout the battlefield. This paper narrowly focuses on the digitization of Air Force and Army command and control systems and the implications of that digitization for the joint targeting of time-critical targets. The Air Force is fielding the Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS) and the Army is fielding the Army Battle Command System (ABCS). Both the TBMCS and the ABCS comprise a system of systems with modular hardware and software packages that provide command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence capabilities for the warfighters. These systems are migrating towards joint interoperability by adhering to the architecture and protocols of the Defense Information Infrastructure/Common Operating Environment (DII/COE) mandated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Time-critical targets, such as theater ballistic missiles or surface to air missiles, are fleeting in nature with typically only a short window of opportunity in which to acquire and attack them. Using digitized systems speeds up the targeting process so targets can be attacked within this window. The data link capabilities inherent in digitized systems are increasingly leading to sensor-to-shooter links that reduce the amount of time required to acquire the target, decide if it is important enough to attack with a limited attack resource, and then attack it. Sensor-to-shooter teams on the future battlefield can be linked into a seamless network such that anything that can be found on the battlefield can be killed. Overlapping attack capabilities of the Air Force and Army can be better managed with the digitized command and control systems, provided they are interoperable and properly connected. For optimal employment, all elements on the battlefield need to be connected with digitized systems, including allied and coalition forces.

ADA 366193 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)