Battle command (BC) is the discipline of visualizing, describing, directing, and leading forces in operations against a hostile, thinking, and adaptive enemy. Battle command applies leadership to translate decision into actions, by synchronizing forces and warfighting functions in time, space, and purpose, to accomplish missions.
—
—
— Battle command refers both to processes triggered by

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

s and executed by

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

and to the system of systems (SoS) that directly enables those processes.

Alternate definition

FM 100.5

BC is defined as the art of battle decision-making, leading, and motivating soldiers and their organizations into action to accomplish missions. BC includes visualizing the current state and future state, formulating concepts of operations to get from one to the other, and doing so at least cost. Assigning missions, prioritizing and allocating resources, selecting the critical time and place to act, and knowing how and when to make adjustments during the fight are also included. "Operations", FM 100–5, Headquarters

Department of the Army The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is org ...

, June 199

FM 7-30

BC is the art and science of battlefield decision making and leading soldiers and units to successfully accomplish the mission. The BC basic elements are decision making, leading, and controlling. The BC System of Systems at brigade level enables commanders to lead, prioritize, and allocate assets required to employ and sustain combat power. The brigade commander must see further, process information faster and strike more precisely and quicker. If information is the medium of the BC process, the BC system must provide the commander with timely and accurate information on which to base the commander's decision."The Infantry Brigade", FM 7-30, Headquarters

, 3 October 199

/ref>

Synonyms

BC is also known by the following terms: * C4ISTAR, Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ( C4ISR)

Battle management

Battle management (BM) is the management of activities within the operational environment based on the commands, direction, and guidance given by appropriate authority. BM is considered to be a subset of BC.In some contexts (e.g. BMC3 and C2BM), BM appears to be distinct from command and control. In other contexts (e.g. Battle management command), BM appears to be a subset of command and control."DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms", Joint Publication 1-02, DoD, 17 March 2009

Processes

Business processes associated with command and control of military forces are detailed in various publications of the United States Department of Defense."Joint Operations", Joint Publication 3-0, Joint Chiefs of Staff, DoD, 13 February 200

System of systems

Modern BC software and hardware exhibit all of the traits and qualities of an

SoS is a Morse code distress signal (), used internationally, that was originally established for maritime use. In formal notation is written with an overscore line, to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" ...

. A BC SoS can be decomposed into

system A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...

s such as

maneuver Maneuver (American English), manoeuvre (British English), manoeuver, manœuver (also spelled, directly from the French, as manœuvre) denotes one's tactical move, or series of moves, that improves or maintains one's strategic situation in a compet ...

s, logistics, fires and effects, air support, intelligence,

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...

, reconnaissance (alternatively recognizance) (these three sometimes grouped as ISR, or by adding target acquisition, ISTAR), terrain, and weather. Among the many inputs of these systems is a plethora of sensors which undergo

sensor fusion Sensor fusion is the process of combining sensor data or data derived from disparate sources such that the resulting information has less uncertainty than would be possible when these sources were used individually. For instance, one could potentia ...

and are compiled into a common operational picture/

local operational picture Within military operations, a local operational picture (LOP) is a single identical display of relevant (operational) information of the battlespace (e.g. position of own troops and enemy troops, position and status of important infrastructure suc ...

that enable commanders to achieve situational awareness (SA)/ situational understanding (SU). SA/SU is paramount for commanders to command and control modern military forces.

Military acquisition

The Department of the Army organization primarily responsible for the acquisition of the BC

is the

PM BC Project Manager Mission Command (or PM MC) is a component of Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical in the United States Army. PM MC develops, deploys and sustains integrated Mission Command software capabilities ...

, a subordinate organization within the

PEO C3T Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a United States Army, U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Maryland, Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland, United Stat ...

Types

Battle command on the move (BCOTM)

One of the problems with BC

is that a

has little communication while in the battlefield. Command and control planning occurs at a command post (CP) or

tactical operations center A tactical operations center (TOC) is a command post for police, paramilitary, or military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically au ...

(TOC). Once a battle begins, a

leaves the CP/TOC and moves forward to stay engaged. A commander has limited communication possibilities while in the battlefield, making it difficult to follow and control all events as they happen. ''Battle command on the move'' (BCOTM) is a capability that provides commanders all of the information resident in their CP/TOC and the required communications necessary to command and control on the move, or at a short halt, from any vantage point on the battlefield. Odierno, Raymond T., Erickson, Edward J., "The Battle of

Taji {{Infobox settlement , official_name = Taji , other_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = , motto = , image_skyline = , image_size = , image_caption = , im ...

and Battle Command on the Move", Military Review, July–August 200

/ref>

Airborne battle command

Example airborne systems that contribute to BC: *

E-8 Joint STARS The Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) is a United States Air Force airborne ground surveillance, battle management and command and control aircraft. It tracks ground vehicles and some aircraft, col ...

E-3 Sentry The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weath ...

Notes

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library - Battle Command
Military terminology Military acquisition Warfare post-1945 Knowledge management