NCW, or Network Centric Warfare, is currently our objective in our efforts to transform our military and the Department of Defense. In the network-centric approach to military operations, a robustly networked force shares information by means of a secure infrastructure that enables self-synchronization and, ultimately, more effective military operations. The following documents will provide you with a solid understanding of the development of NCW, the tenets of NCW, and where current research is taking us in this field.

The tenets of NCW are:

1. A robustly networked force improves information sharing.
2. Information sharing and collaboration enhance the quality of information and shared situational awareness.
3. Shared situational awareness enables self-synchronization.
4. These, in turn, dramatically increase mission effectiveness.

Books (require Adobe Reader)

• Power to the Edge | Alberts and Hayes (2003)
• Complexity Theory and Network Centric Warfare | Moffat (2003)
• Information Age Transformation | Alberts (2002)
• Understanding Information Age Warfare | Alberts, Garstka, Hayes, Signori (2002)
• Network Centric Warfare | Alberts, Garstka, and Stein (1999)

Other Resources

• Network Centric Warfare Report to Congress
  (2001)
• "Information Superiority/Command and Control Seminar: Keynote Presentation"
  Alberts and Gartska (1999)
• "Observations on the Emergence of Network Centric Warfare" Stein (1998)
• Divergent Paths: The Centralization of Airlift Command, Control, and Execution
  Brown (2006)