Transforming Military Force: The Legacy of Arthur Cebrowski and Network Centric Warfare

265 Pages·2007·1.62 MB·English

by  James R. Blaker

T
RANSFORMING
M F
ILITARY ORCE
Praeger Security International Advisory Board
BoardCochairs
LochK.Johnson, RegentsProfessorof Public and InternationalAffairs,School
ofPublicandInternationalAffairs,UniversityofGeorgia(U.S.A.)
PaulWilkinson,ProfessorofInternationalRelationsandChairmanoftheAdvi-
soryBoard,CentrefortheStudyofTerrorismandPoliticalViolence,University
ofSt.Andrews(U.K.)
Members
Eliot A. Cohen, Robert E.Osgood Professor of Strategic Studiesand Director,
Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced
InternationalStudies,TheJohnsHopkinsUniversity(U.S.A.)
AnthonyH.Cordesman,ArleighA.BurkeChairinStrategy,CenterforStrategic
andInternationalStudies(U.S.A.)
The´re`seDelpech,DirectorofStrategicAffairs,AtomicEnergyCommission,and
Senior Research Fellow, CERI (Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques),
Paris(France)
SirMichaelHoward,formerChicheleProfessoroftheHistoryofWarandRegis
ProfessorofModernHistory,OxfordUniversity,andRobertA.LovettProfessor
ofMilitaryandNavalHistory,YaleUniversity(U.K.)
Lieutenant General Claudia J. Kennedy, USA (Ret.), former Deputy Chief of
StaffforIntelligence,DepartmentoftheArmy(U.S.A.)
Paul M. Kennedy, J. Richardson Dilworth Professor of History and Director,
InternationalSecurityStudies,YaleUniversity(U.S.A.)
Robert J. O’Neill, former Chichele Professor of the History of War, All Souls
College,OxfordUniversity(Australia)
ShibleyTelhami,AnwarSadatChairforPeaceandDevelopment,Departmentof
GovernmentandPolitics,UniversityofMaryland(U.S.A.)
JusufWanandi,co-founderandmember,BoardofTrustees,CentreforStrategic
andInternationalStudies(Indonesia)
FareedZakaria,Editor,NewsweekInternational(U.S.A.)
T
RANSFORMING
M F
ILITARY ORCE
The Legacy of Arthur Cebrowski
and Network Centric Warfare
JAMES R. BLAKER
Praeger Security International
Westport, Connecticut (cid:127) London
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Blaker,JamesR.
Transformingmilitaryforce:thelegacyofArthurCebrowskiandnetworkcentricwarfare/
JamesR.Blaker.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-13:978–0–275–99427–3(alk.paper)
ISBN-10:0–275–99427–9(alk.paper)
1.Cebrowski,Arthur.2.UnitedStates—ArmedForces—Reorganization.3.Militarydoctrine—United
States—History—20thcentury.4.Militarydoctrine—UnitedStates—History—21stcentury.5.United
States—Militarypolicy.
I.Title.
II.Title:LegacyofArthurCebrowskiandnetworkcentricwarfare.
UA23.B54222007
355.30973—dc22 2007000073
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright©2007byJamesR.Blaker
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2007000073
ISBN-13:978–0–275–99427–3
ISBN-10:0–275–99427–9
Firstpublishedin2007
PraegerSecurityInternational,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.praeger.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
10987654321
ToHeide

C
ONTENTS
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Chapter1 TheContext 1
Chapter2 MilitaryTransformation 21
Chapter3 TransformingtheU.S.Military 63
Chapter4 FutureForces 94
Chapter5 MilitaryTransformationandWorldAffairs 129
Chapter6 SuccessesandFailures 146
Chapter7 InstitutionalizingTransformation 168
Chapter8 AnAppraisal 193
Notes 227
Bibliography 239
Index 245

P
REFACE
ImetArthurCebrowskiin1994.AtthetimeIwasthesenioradvisortothevice
chairmanoftheJointChiefsofStaff,AdmiralWilliamA.Owens,tryingtohelp
himpromotewhatwasemergingas‘‘theAmericanrevolutioninmilitaryaffairs.’’
Wemetasfellowconspiratorsintherevolution.ViceAdmiralCebrowskiwasthe
‘‘J6,’’formally,theJointStaffDirectorofCommand,Control,Communications,
andComputers,or‘‘C4’’inthePentagon’sacronymicaddiction.Wehadlittlein
commonotherthantheconspiracy.C4seemedtomethenasthemostesotericof
militaryfunctions,yet,bythemid-1990sitwasclearthatitwasthecenterofthe
revolution. It was equally clear to me that Owens had the highest regard for
Cebrowski and relied heavily on his insights. So, I tried to get to know him.
Webecamefriendsand,particularlyoverthelastfiveyears,hebecameawindow
into what was occurring inside the Pentagon, into the international dynamics
that drive the Department of Defense, and into the new age he convinced me
weareentering.
Cebrowski was a warrior. He flew through North Vietnamese surface-to-air
missilesandantiaircraftartilleryasayoungNavypilotandlatercommandedair-
craftcarriersbiggerandbetterthantheonesonwhichheoncecalledhome.He
designed weaponsand planned combat operations.Buthe wasalsoanintellec-
tualwhothoughtdeeplyabouthisprofession.Hereadconstantly,enjoyedmath-
ematicalchallenges,and memorized poems. He had the phenomenalability to
tie the images, algorithms, statements, and descriptions together, for he was a
synaptic thinker,drawinginsightand correlations fromthe connectionsamong
what others thought were disparate phenomena. He was articulate and had a
wonderfulsenseofhumor.Helaughedwithacontagiousenthusiasm,eachtime