April 24, 2014

Digital Theaters

Decentralizing Cyber Command and Control

"Digital Theaters: Decentralizing Cyber Command and Control" offers potential models, key considerations and recommendations for establishing a mature and effective theater cyber command and control (C2) structure.

Senior Fellows Ben FitzGerald and Lt Col Parker Wright, USAF summarize cyber security as a key priority for the DOD and one of the few areas experiencing budget, personnel and capability increases. They focus on C2 of theater cyber forces as the first area needed to help mature cyber capabilities in a strategically coherent manner. Mr. FitzGerald and Lt Col Wright suggest, “DOD must find a balance between centralizing C2 at US Cyber Command and pushing C2 to the combatant commanders.” They go on to examine four existing C2 models considering the trade-offs that the DOD must deliberately balance: demands for unity of effort, force responsiveness, force availability and organizational versatility.

Authors

  • Ben FitzGerald

    Former Adjunct Senior Fellow, Defense Program

    Ben FitzGerald is a partner at Lupa, a private investment firm, and a former adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). At Lupa he leads the firm’...

  • Parker Wright

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