From fighting terrorists to stabilizing a war-torn country to waging all-out combat, military campaigns are increasingly shaped by networks that enable dispersed and disparate forces to collaborate by sharing data. Along with the high-precision sensors and weapons they connect, networks are turning information power into military power. Defense investment priorities are shifting from mechanized platforms and weapons to the information collectors, processors, links and services that compose these networks. With its unmatched defense resources and technological talents, the United States has pioneered networked warfare. But the United States will have company-not all of it friendly. For example, China and Al Qaeda, using very different doctrines, are showing interest in tapping the power of information. Indeed, Al Qaeda and its franchised affiliates are displaying cunning and resourcefulness in putting this power to work with virtually no investment. As adversaries exploit networks, the United States must seek new leverage by improving its fighters' ability to use information in war's confusing, critical, and violent conditions. Blessed with more, better, and timelier information, yet vexed by increasingly murky circumstances, the cognitive faculties of military decision makers-lieutenants no less than lieutenant generals-are more crucial than ever. In a forthcoming National Defense University book, the authors suggest why and how U.S. and allied forces should improve these faculties to attain new operational and strategic advantages, or at least to avoid the loss of the advantages they now enjoy. Although military combat is unique, the authors draw lessons from non-military sectors, including some in which urgent life-and-death decisions must be made. This paper summarizes their thinking. While this is neither the first nor the last word on why and how to gain cognitive advantage, it aims to take an integrated view, provide a geo-strategic context, broaden and heighten awareness, frame policy issues, offer preliminary advice, and indicate where research and analysis is needed.
About the Author: David C. Gompert is a Distinguished Research Professor at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy, The National Defense University. Prior to this, he was the Senior Advisor for National Security and Defense at the Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq. Mr. Gompert has held senior positions at the State Department, the National Security Council, and the RAND Corporation, and in the information technology industry. He has published extensively on international affairs, national security policy, and information technology. His books include Right Makes Might: Freedom and Power in the Information Age and Mind the Gap: A Transatlantic Revolution in Military Affairs. Mr. Gompert holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University and a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the United States Naval Academy. Irving Lachow is a Professor of Systems Management at The National Defense University and Director of the Information Resources Management College's Advanced Management Program. Previously, Dr. Lachow was a Senior Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he managed projects in the areas of IT Strategy and Planning for numerous government clients. Dr. Lachow has extensive experience in both IT and national security. He has worked for Digital Signature Trust, the RAND Corporation, and the Office of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Advanced Systems & Concepts). Dr. Lachow received his Ph.D. in Engineering & Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. He earned a B.A. Political Science and a B.S. in Physics from Stanford University. Justin Perkins is a Research Associate with the Center for Technology and National Security Policy, The National Defense University. Before working with NDU, he served as COO for World Blu, Inc., a consulting firm pioneering the field of organizational democracy, and as co-founder and director of Afrique Profonde, a human rights organization in Congo. He also has been involved with several small businesses and served for several years as a water resources administrator for the State of Colorado. Mr. Perkins holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Colorado and a B.A. in History and World Perspectives.