Freedom and Control Networks in Military Environments

Militaries around the world are pursuing the idea of Network Centric Warfare as the fundamental basis for how they will conduct operations in the future. NCW suggests that “a robustly networked force improves information sharing and collaboration, which enhances the quality of information and shared situational awareness. This enables further collaboration and self-synchronization and improves sustainability and speed of command, which ultimately result in dramatically increased mission effectiveness.” In many respects, NCW seeks to develop military power in the same way that the Internet has enhanced both business and individual knowledge. This article explores the development of this concept of information sharing particularly with regard to the possibility of enhancing information sharing within military coalition environments. It suggests that there is a fundamental dialectical tension between the enhanced freedom of action sought by NCW and the need to protect information on networks. The nature of this tension will resolve itself in unpredictable fashions, however, its essence reveals that it is highly unlikely that NCW will enhance coalition operations in the same way it might enhance national operations