Marines Will Focus on Information In Future 'Net Enabled' Battlefield

Sea Power, Mar 2004 by Brill, Arthur P Jr

Marines are convinced future battlefields will be just as chaotic and unpredictable as past conflicts, and perhaps even more so. And Corps officials say this "fog of war" calls for a flexible net centricity that will adapt to various command styles and allow a commander to either continue the march or change his approach as the situation dictates.

Such "target of opportunity" adjustments in combat will require the Pentagon and military services to first agree on a common definition of network centric warfare. "We are still suffering with varying definitions and have no common agreement," said Brig. Gen. Robert E. Schmidle, director, Expeditionary Force Development Center, Quantico, Va., at a recent interoperability conference.

Schmidle oversees the Corps' role in network centric warfare. Reporting to Lt. Gen. Edward Hanlon Jr., commander, Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico, Schmidle runs the nerve center of the combat development process that coordinates the effort leading to the purchase of big-ticket items for the service, including new command and control systems.

In the current definition debate, the Corps prefers the term "net enabled." Marines say "network centric" suggests that the network is in the spotlight and not the units or the people it serves. "A network is not the focus of effort for anyone except maybe the communicators," Schmidle said. "For the operators, the important thing is the information derived from the net."

Schmidle envisions a net enabled concept that supports the non-linear uncertainty found on most battlefields and in the war on terrorism where the situation is fluid and the tempo of operations intense.

The Marine Corps has long followed the concept of maneuver warfare that is more than moving troops and equipment on the battlefield. It is a complete concept that drives training and the development of Marine leaders who are taught to take disorder in stride and seize the initiative when it is presented, not wait for direction from above.

"Knowledge of their commander's intent, not just his directions, allows commanders to act with boldness and apply their individual judgments and imagination to battlefield situations," Schmidle said.

It is no wonder that Marines support the flexibility that allows the commander to change his execution on the fly. In Iraq, this method contributed to a speedy advance and quick decisions that resulted in ground Marines receiving almost unlimited air support that saved lives and routed the enemy.

The requirements of commanders in a centrally controlled environment are different from those in a decentralized one. Commanders and joint task force staffs must be trained in all command styles and experts say it is important to avoid designing any system that encourages micromanagement.

Among Schmidle's many duties is to work closely with the Navy on ForceNet. This naval system will provide the design and building blocks to integrate warriors, sensors, command-and-control platforms and weapons into a networked combat force on land and sea, and in air and space.

Marines believe the entire concept of net centricity should shape the way people look at the modern battlefield, but it should not be viewed as an opportunity to introduce technology for the sake of technology.

"Technology is our friend. It will take us wherever we want to go," said Kevin J. McHale, a MITRE contractor consulting in Schmidle's Command and Control Integration Division. "But the danger is that it will take us anywhere we think we want to go, even if that destination doesn't solve our problems."

The U.S. military is studying the lessons learned from the technology used in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Army already has made improvements in such things as "Blue Force Tracking" and has shared its data with the Marine units returning to Iraq. The Corps also is hopeful that its tactical units will receive more bandwith. And there is always the danger of things breaking down in combat.

"We must avoid a high reliance on technology - especially technology that is vulnerable on the battlefield," Schmidle warns. "Even the very unsophisticated enemy can attack our information systems."

"Knowledge of their commander's intent, not just his directions, allows commanders to act with boldness and apply their individual judgments and imagination to battlefield situations."

U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Robert E. Schmidle

Director, Expeditionary Force Development Center

By ARTHUR P. BRILL JR.

Sea Power Correspondent