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Title: Command and control of the US heavy division on the nuclear battlefield

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6223160

This monograph examines the ability of the Army of Excellence heavy division's command and control function to support tactical operations on the nuclear battlefield envisioned in AirLand Battle Doctrine. It describes both U.S. and Soviet doctrines for tactical operations on the integrated (conventional and NBC) battlefield and implications of Soviet military doctrine for the C and C of U.S. forces. Current U.S. doctrine for the organization, process, and facilities of the heavy division's C and C function provides the basis for establishment of criteria to judge this system. The criteria involve the process (which includes the way of thinking) and the physical structure. Consideration of the adequacy of the heavy division's C and C function, then, occurs within the framework provided by defensive and offensive tactical situations. The study finds that preservation of the C and C system is a top priority for the heavy division and that the tenets of AirLand Battle Doctrine point the direction for strengthening the current system. Although the decentralized C and C method Auftragstaktik appears to be a strength of the system, overall the heavy division falls short in its capability to provide an assured capacity for performance of critical tasks within a nuclear environment. Major deficiencies include a questionable ability to generate plans and mission orders during combat operations and an inadequate physical structure to provide for continuity of C and C.

Research Organization:
Army Command and General Staff Coll., Fort Leavenworth, KS (USA). School of Advanced Military Studies
OSTI ID:
6223160
Report Number(s):
AD-A-179416/3/XAB
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Availability: Microfiche copies only
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English