The effort to untether commanders from fixed posts is letting them maintain unparalleled battlespace awareness and decisively influence events on the battlefield.

Net-centric warfare demands integrated tools to enable commanders to execute their command and control functions at all echelons. But they also need a common understanding of the battlespace environment and the ability to achieve real-time collaboration among superiors, subordinates and peers—regardless of service or nationality.

The Army of the future will have two primary C2 systems. The Joint Command and Control (JC2) system will provide C2 for corps down to brigade commanders and replace the bevy of C2 systems required today. The Future Combat System (FCS) Battle Command System will provide C2 for brigade combat teams. The FCS acquisition focuses on net-centric operations for joint actions. Likewise, JC2 focuses on joint warfare.

The Army is fully engaged in migrating to the IT command and control systems of its future force and recently approved the Battle Command Migration Plan, which lays out a balanced, incremental migration from current systems to JC2 and FCS Battle Command. The plan capitalizes on leveraged FCS capabilities to the current force and using the lessons learned from those activities to facilitate the development and delivery of FCS Battle Command and JC2. We will incrementally and selectively enhance the legacy subsystems of the Army Battle Command System (ABCS) so they can interoperate with FCS Battle Command and JC2.

To ease the transition to JC2 and FCS, we are simplifying the Battle Command architecture. This will ease operator training requirements, streamline the footprint and lift requirements, and facilitate implementation of net-centric designs and concepts. As we evolve our legacy C2 systems and processes, we are re-engineering ABCS to be Web-enabled for seamless access to other battlefield systems. [See story, Page 16.]

Command Post of the Future capabilities are making legacy applications more collaborative while linking them under a service-oriented architecture that provides common IT services on demand. The Army Knowledge Online portal is also being deployed closer to the battlefield to allow soldiers quicker access to information, knowledge and data that traverses the battlefield.

The Army, along with the Defense Department, is aligning C2 applications into service-oriented architectures to achieve interoperability with other Global Information Grid components, such as Net-Centric Enterprise Services and System of System Common Operating Environment capabilities.

Currently, IP-based Joint Network Nodes are providing network availability to fill the gap until the DOD Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, Joint Tactical Radio System and military satellite programs mature and reach their full operating capability. We are moving as rapidly as possible while we mitigate risks associated with transforming the Army to a net-centric force.

Lt. Gen. Steven W. Boutelle is CIO for the Army.

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