Who Runs What in the Global Information Grid: Ways to Share Local and Global Responsibility

by Martin C. Libicki

Information provided to warfighters only gave them broad situational awareness, today, information from sensors and databases can help target past what they can see. This has prompted the Department of Defense (DoD) to build a military analog to the Internet, to be a font of warfighting information and system services. But how should responsibility for providing information and services be shared between global external sources and organic local sources. Thus, tools are needed to let commanders use information from whatever sources fits their needs. A strong bias toward interoperability would foster universal access to information. Liberal distribution of unit-level sensors and connectivity should help warfighters develop and share operational information. Better technology is needed to marry local and global information sources easily. Finally, some entity within DoD should review current information services and lay out a road map for filling in the blanks.

76 pages, Paperback

Published January 9, 2001