INTEROPERABILITY

Sessions & Jones

The Command and Control Research Program (CCRP) is a part of the Institute for National Strategic Studies at NDU. Established in 1983, the CCRP directs research on emerging national issues in command and control, including ways to improve instruction on this vital topic in Joint Professional Military Education. The CCRP provides an active constituency within Joint Professional Military Education for command and control while performing a "bridging" role between the Joint doctrine, operational and technological communities. The CCRP also promotes general understanding of command and control through sponsored research, resulting in products such as this case study.

Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm are a rich source of examples that emphasize the problems of information management, the effective use of information systems technology, and the interdependent way these systems interact both within our own services and among coalition partners. A smooth flow of information, and hence the way leading-edge technologies process and communicate information to key decision makers, is essential to the success of any modern operation. Interoperability has become critical to commanders at all levels.

This case study and analysis of interoperability by Dr. Sterling Sessions and Dr. Carl Jones was sponsored by CCRP. Though originally designed for classroom use at the senior service college level, as a monograph it offers useful insights to any reader interested in this integral element of organizational efficiency and the fast-moving communications revolution.