Employment of Command and Control Systems Within the U.S. Marine Corps

The purpose of this study was to identify potential barriers to the effective employment of command and control (C2) systems to enhance warfighter readiness. Five research hypotheses guided this study, which addressed the perception of the effective employment of Marine Corps C2 systems based on demographic characteristics, which included: organization, occupational field, experience, rank, and recent deployment experience. The population of the study included Active and Reserve Staff Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) and Officers that now serve, or have recently served in an infantry unit within the Operating Forces, and the Marines and civilian employees involved in the capability development, acquisition, and training of C2 systems from Headquarters, Marine Corps and the Supporting Establishment. Data was collected from this population using a web-based survey conducted during the months of December 2011 and January 2012. The total response rate for this study was approximately 11%, which consisted of 551 participants. The t-test was used to address Hypothesis01, and Hypothesis05, while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to address Hypothesis02, Hypothesis03, and Hypothesis 04. The results identified statistically significant findings in each of the five research hypotheses across the Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, and Facilities (DOTMLPF) construct. Recommendations for improvement are provided to address each of the significant findings, which is followed by recommendations for further research as a result of this study