Battle command (BC) is the discipline of visualizing, describing, directing, and leading forces in operations against a hostile, thinking, and adaptive enemy. Battle command applies leadership to translate decision into actions, by synchronizing forces and warfighting functions in time, space, and purpose, to accomplish missions.
—
—
— Battle command refers both to processes triggered by

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

s and executed by soldiers and to the system of systems (SoS) that directly enables those processes.

Alternate definition

;FM 100.5 BC is defined as the art of

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

decision-making, leading, and motivating

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

s and their organizations into action to accomplish missions. BC includes visualizing the current state and future state, formulating concepts of operations to get from one to the other, and doing so at least cost. Assigning missions, prioritizing and allocating resources, selecting the critical time and place to act, and knowing how and when to make adjustments during the fight are also included. "Operations", FM 100–5, Headquarters Department of the Army, June 199

;FM 7-30 BC is the art and science of battlefield decision making and leading soldiers and units to successfully accomplish the mission. The BC basic elements are decision making, leading, and controlling. The BC System of Systems at brigade level enables commanders to lead, prioritize, and allocate assets required to employ and sustain combat power. The brigade commander must see further, process information faster and strike more precisely and quicker. If information is the medium of the BC process, the BC system must provide the commander with timely and accurate information on which to base the commander's decision."The Infantry Brigade", FM 7-30, Headquarters Department of the Army, 3 October 199

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Synonyms

BC is also known by the following terms: * C4ISTAR, Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ( C4ISR)

Battle management

Battle management (BM) is the management of activities within the operational environment based on the commands, direction, and guidance given by appropriate authority. BM is considered to be a subset of BC.In some contexts (e.g. BMC3 and C2BM), BM appears to be distinct from command and control. In other contexts (e.g. Battle management command), BM appears to be a subset of command and control."DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms", Joint Publication 1-02, DoD, 17 March 2009

Processes

Business process A business process, business method, or business function is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks performed by people or equipment in which a specific sequence produces a service or product (that serves a particular business g ...

es associated with command and control of

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

forces are detailed in various publications of the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

."Joint Operations", Joint Publication 3-0, Joint Chiefs of Staff, DoD, 13 February 200

System of systems

Modern BC

software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...

and hardware exhibit all of the traits and qualities of an

SoS SOS is a Morse code distress signal (), used internationally, originally established for maritime use. In formal notation SOS is written with an overscore line (), to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" a ...

. A BC SoS can be decomposed into

system A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...

s such as maneuvers,

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

, fires and effects, air support,

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

(alternatively recognizance) (these three sometimes grouped as ISR, or by adding target acquisition,

ISTAR ISTAR stands for Military intelligence, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, #ISTAR, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employ ...

terrain Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

, and

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

. Among the many inputs of these systems is a plethora of

sensors A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. The stimulus is the quantity, property, or condition that is sensed and converted into electrical signal. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a devi ...

which undergo sensor fusion and are compiled into a common operational picture/ local operational picture that enable commanders to achieve

situational awareness Situational awareness or situation awareness, often abbreviated as SA is the understanding of an environment, its elements, and how it changes with respect to time or other factors. It is also defined as the perception of the elements in the envi ...

(SA)/ situational understanding (SU). SA/SU is paramount for commanders to command and control modern

forces.

Military acquisition in the United States

The Department of the Army organization primarily responsible for the acquisition of the BC

is the PM BC, a subordinate organization within the PEO C3T.

Types

Battle command on the move (BCOTM)

One of the problems with BC

is that a

has little

communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

while in the battlefield. Command and control planning occurs at a command post (CP) or tactical operations center (TOC). Once a battle begins, a

leaves the CP/TOC and moves forward to stay engaged. A commander has limited communication possibilities while in the battlefield, making it difficult to follow and control all events as they happen. ''Battle command on the move'' (BCOTM) is a capability that provides commanders all of the information resident in their CP/TOC and the required communications necessary to command and control on the move, or at a short halt, from any vantage point on the battlefield. Odierno, Raymond T., Erickson, Edward J., "The Battle of Taji and Battle Command on the Move", Military Review, July–August 200

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Airborne battle command

Example airborne systems that contribute to BC: * E-8 Joint STARS * E-3 Sentry

Notes

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library - Battle Command
Military terminology Military acquisition 21st-century conflicts Knowledge management