Breaking Defense

Unless DoD puts the C2 back into JADC2, the multi-billion dollar effort meant to transform how America fights may well create the kind of brittle, centralized hierarchy the U.S. military is supposed to avoid.

The U.S. military is pursuing a new concept for managing operations called Joint All-Domain Command and Control. JADC2 seeks interoperability between every sensor, shooter, and command element in U.S and allied forces–essentially a military Internet-of-Things.

The goal of JADC2 is to help commanders to make faster decisions and better integrate actions across domains by accessing any ship, plane, satellite, or troop formation anywhere. In practice, however, JADC2’s current emphasis on communications over command and control could result in more hierarchical organizations, less creativity and initiative, and unrealistic communication demands for the contested electromagnetic environments facing U.S. forces in any conflict against the Chinese or Russian militaries.

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