NECC is the DoD's principal command and control capability that will be accessible in a net-centric environment and focused on providing the commander with the data and information needed to make timely, effective and informed decisions. NECC draws from the C2 community to evolve current and provide new C2 capabilities into a fully integrated, interoperable, collaborative Joint solution. Warfighters can rapidly adapt to changing mission needs by defining and tailoring their information environment and drawing on capabilities that enable the efficient, timely and effective command of forces and control of engagements.

The program will deliver continuous C2 enhancements to the warfighter. The program is founded on a single, net-centric, service oriented architecture (SOA) and will provide the decision support infrastructure that will enable the warfighter to access, display, and understand the information necessary to make efficient, timely, and effective decisions. The program will be responsive to the warfighter through tightly coupled capability needs, development, test, and user engagement processes. The program will leverage existing and evolving C2 capabilities and centers of excellence with its "ABC" commitment to "Adopt-before-Buy, Buy-before-Create". The key to ABC is adaptation of commercial best practices, architectures and standards for C2. The NECC program will ensure that our C2 capability evolves towards increased net-centricity and Joint mission integration.

NECC capabilities are defined by joint Mission Capability Packages (MCPs) that include: force projection, force readiness; intelligence, situational awareness, force employment (e.g., air/space, land, and maritime/littoral operations), and force protection. The NECC program builds C2 capabilities as loosely coupled net-centric services. These capabilities are based on Global Information Grid (GIG) Enterprise Services (GES) enabling shared access to service, agency, and joint-provided data sources. NECC integrates databases, servers, client workstations, local area networks, and computer software into an open, scaleable, network centric service-oriented architecture, while maintaining conformance with the three key DoD Net-Centric Strategies: data, information assurance, and GES.

NECC is maturing the technologies and processes necessary to rapidly develop, test, certify, and field C2 capabilities. For fiscal year 2008, the initial set of capabilities that will validate readiness to enter the system development and demonstration phase will focus on the situational awareness to include Global User-Defined Operational Picture (UDOP); red track data; blue force ground; weather data (METOC); and association management.

NECC capabilities will be fielded at Enterprise GIG Computing Nodes (GCNs). Users across the services and components will access NECC capabilities via the NECC portal within the GIG. The collection of enterprise GCNs will provide quality of service and continuity of operations (COOPs) for all NECC users worldwide. As new capabilities are fielded, they will be made immediately available at existing enterprise nodes and for CPMO reuse at local nodes. Select NECC capabilities will be hosted locally at designated service and component commands and units in order to provide critical C2 capabilities when these commands and units are disconnected from the GIG. The sites that contain these local GCNs and the list of critical capabilities to be hosted at each of these sites are determined by the responsible service and component CPMOs based on the warfighting mission needs and COOPs requirements of the sites.

When fully implemented, the objective of the NECC system will be to provide a highly flexible C2 architecture and services that integrate all aspects of national power to include not only the defense services and agencies, but also state, commerce, Homeland Security and other departments, non-governmental agencies, and international coalition partners' militaries and agencies.