Henderson, James B. Structuring For Command and Control of Combined Forces in Operations Other Than War. School Of Advanced Military Studies, Army Command And General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth KS, May 1994.
This monograph examines the utility of a methodology designed around an organization's information processing requirements as a means for structuring combine forces in operations other than war (OOTW). The hypothetical basis of the methodology is that task-related uncertainty and information processing are inversely related. A commander's analysis of the combined force's primary tasks and the environment in which it must operate determines the degree of uncertainty that the organization will experience during the mission. The commander uses the methodology to analyze the tasks with respect to their four sources of uncertainty. He then organizes the force around subunit structures and coordinating and controlling mechanisms that are best suited to the degree of uncertainty in the force's primary tasks. By using the methodology, the commander can develop a top-level C2 structure for the force and assess the complexity of the structure and its related resource requirements. The monograph applies the methodology to Operation Provide Comfort, an OOTW conducted by a combined force drawn from a regionally based alliance. The monograph concludes that the methodology has utility as a tool for the commander to determine a general structure for his force early in mission analysis. The methodology can also serve as a supplement to the very general U.S. military doctrine for structuring combined forces for OOTW.