MISSION COMMAND
COMBINE AND COMMAND
Soldiers collaborate inside the brigade-level Tactical Operations Center for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, a nerve center for the Army’s Network Integration Evaluation conducted in June and July. In the foreground, a Soldier uses CPOF, which combines feeds from different mission command systems to provide a broad spectrum of information that commanders can use to collaborate. (Photo by Claire Schwerin, PEO C3T.)
required to change fielded software has been problematic, and the challenge is amplified when faced with a quickly evolving enemy that uses any technology at its disposal.
This article explores how systems can be designed and deployed so that they may adapt rapidly to changing situations in order to meet evolving Soldier needs. It discusses how software can be made to adapt to unanticipated uses through modifications by personnel in theater, as well as how current software development and distribution cycles are being improved to be more responsive to emergent needs. Finally, it shows how pioneering technol- ogy can make some warfighting functions automated and others more intuitive, al- lowing the commander to remain focused on fighting the enemy rather than fight- ing his or her own systems.
24 Army AL&T Magazine
AGILE AND ADVANCED These goals can be accomplished through a combination of agile processes and advanced technology. From a process perspective, Project Manager Mission Command (PM MC), which was rechar- tered from PM Battle Command in July, has led the Army with innovative meth- odologies. These include “scrum sessions” that bring together users from the field to work directly with software developers, eliminating several layers of middlemen to implement valuable feedback.
As these capabilities become mature, PM MC, part of Program Execu- tive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T), also ensures that they are fielded in a timely manner through a quarterly release process. This schedule, which took the place of less frequent software upgrades,
provides a reliable framework for quickly deploying new capabilities and mainte- nance. More important, it ensures that MC software is constantly updated and is operationally relevant to the Soldier with every release.
Such agile techniques and rapid incor- poration of Soldier feedback reflect the goals of the Army network strategy, as demonstrated in the Network Integra- tion Evaluation events. They also support the Mission Command Collapse Strategy, which is “collapsing” separate capabilities such as fires, maneuver, sustainment, air- space management, and air defense into a fully interoperable product line.
In addition, the collapse strategy is cre- ating two core software architecture frameworks from which future applica- tions can be built. These frameworks are
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