MCDP-6 Command and Control

Question 1

How important is Command and Control?

Answer 1

• Essential to all military activities
• C2 is a fundamental requirement for life and growth, survival, and success

Question 2

What is Command and Control?

Answer 2

• Not separate from other warfighting functions
• The business of a commander not a specialist in C2
• Command and Control is the means by which a commander rec ognizes what needs to be done and sees to it that appropriate actions are taken.
• Can be very quick or very deliberate
• Effective Command and Control involves protecting our own Command and Control activities against enemy interference and actively monitoring, manipulating, and disrupting the enemy’s Command and Control activities.

Question 3

(3) Types of Commanding

Answer 3

Types of commanding:
* Conscious command decision (Ex: creating a whole order)
* Preconditioned reaction (Ex: IA drill)
* Rules-based procedure (Ex: Guiding an aircraft to land)

Question 4

What is the basis of Command and Control?

Answer 4

Based on the authority vested in the commander. Derived from two sources:
* Official (rank, billet)
* Personal (trust, confidence)

Responsibility is the corollary of authority

Question 5

What is the relationship between “Command” and “Control”?

Answer 5

• Traditional: Command and Control are both used to direct subordinates
• Marine Corps: Command is directed down with authority while control is the feedback that goes back up to the commander.

Question 6

What does it mean to be “In Control”?

Answer 6

• Not about micromanaging individuals’ actions
• About being able to influence subordinates

Question 7

Complexity in Command and Control

Answer 7

• Interactions between the different parts of the military system inherently make it complex
• There is a lot of chance involved
• Command and Control is an open-system that has to interact with the enemy and external factors
• C2 is a continuous action

Question 8

What makes up Command and Control?

Answer 8

Three basic elements:

People:
* Gather information, make decisions, take action, communicate, and cooperate with one another in the accomplishment of a common goal
* Goal is to help those people perform better

Information:
* Representations of reality which we use to “inform”—to give form and character to—our decisions and actions
* Two uses: (1) To help create situational awareness as the basis for a decision (2) To direct and coordinate actions in the execution of the decision

C2 support structure
* Includes the organizations, procedures, equipment, facilities, training, education, and doctrine which support command and control

Question 9

What does Command and Control do?

Answer 9

• C2 is a process but not a procedure
• Goal is to not perfect C2 but to have efficient military operations
• Effective command and control helps generate swift, appropriate, decisive, harmonious, and secure action

Question 10

The Environment of Command and Control: Uncertainty and Time

Answer 10

• Hardest part is dealing with uncertainty
• Good C2 helps reduce uncertainty
• Uncertainty is about lacking knowledge and understanding, not lacking data
• C2 is also time critical and needs to be conducted quickly

Question 11

Command and Control in the Information Age

Answer 11

• As war has become increasingly complicated, so have the means of command and control
• Integrating new technologies and weapons systems needs to be deliberate to keep everything running smoothly

Question 12

The Information Hierarchy

Answer 12

Information: All manner of descriptions or representations from raw signals on the one hand to knowledge and understanding on the other

Four classes of information (low to high):
* Raw Data: raw signals (Ex: encrypted transmission)
* Processed Data: Formatted, plotted, translated, correlated (Ex: SITREP, CFF)
* Knowledge: Evaluated, integrated, analyzed (Ex: Intel report)
* Understanding: Synthesized, visualized (Ex: Situational awareness, coup d’oeil)

How classes are transformed:
* Raw data -> Processed data: Processing
* Processed data -> Knowledge: Cognition
* Knowledge -> Understanding: Judgement
* Integration naturally occurs as data moves up in class

Question 13

Image Theory

Answer 13

Three images a commander needs:
* Close-up image: what is happening on the ground in the situation with your subordinates
* Overall image of the situation: topsight is what comes from a far-overhead vantage point, from a bird’s eye view that reveals the whole—the big picture; how the parts fit together
* The enemy’s image: see it through their eyes to forecast their actions
* Directed telescope: sending a specific subordinate to obtain a specific image for you, especially a close-up image

Question 14

The Command and Control Spectrum

Answer 14

Question 15

What are the (2) basic theories of leadership?

Answer 15

Authoritarian leadership:
* Telling and directing
* Autocratic
* Can result in rapid obedience, but forces subordinates to be reliant on the leader

Persuasive/delegating leadership:
* Inspiring, guiding, and supporting committed subordinates and encouraging them to perform freely within set limits
* Tends to produce subordinates who exhibit a high degree of independence, self-discipline, and initiative

Question 16

Explain Planning Theory

Answer 16

Rapid/time-sensitive planning is conducted in response to existing conditions and is meant for immediate or near-future execution.

Deliberate planning is based on anticipated future conditions and is intended for possible execution at some more distant time.

Level’s of planning:
* Conceptual planning which establishes aims, objectives, and intents and which involves developing tactical, operational, or strategic concepts for the overall conduct of military actions
* Functional planning is concerned with the various functional areas necessary to support the overall concept, such as subordinate concepts for mobilization, deployment, logistics, intelligence, and so on
* Detailed planning deals primarily with scheduling, coordination, or technical matters required to move and sustain military forces, such as calculating the supplies or transport needed for a given operation

Question 17

Explain Organization Theory

Answer 17

Question 18

Explain Communications Theory

Answer 18

• Communications should be unrestrained and freely flowing throughout an organization
• Continuous feedback loops should be present in communications
• Implicit communication is very important
• Effective communications exhibit a balance between conciseness and redundancy

Question 19

Explain Information Management Theory

Answer 19

Two basic principles:
* Supply-push: pushes information from the source to the user either as the information becomes available or according to a schedule
* Demand-pull: the user generates all information requirements

Question 20

Explain Decisionmaking Theory

Answer 20

Analytical
* Based on generating several different options, comparing all the options according to some set of criteria, and identifying the best option
* Methodical and time-consuming

Intuitive
* Relies on an experienced commander’s (and staff’s) intuitive ability to recognize the key elements of a particular problem and arrive at the proper decision
* Aims at “satisficing,” finding the first solution which will satisfactorily solve the problem, rather than on optimizing
* Generally much faster than analytical decisionmaking

Question 21

What are the obstacles to the command and control system?

Answer 21

• Uncertainty
• Time
• Compatible with maneuver warfare
• Needs to work in peace and war

Question 22

How does mission create effective C2?

Answer 22

• Need to use mission command to deal with uncertainty and time better
• Relies on the use of mission tactics in which seniors assign missions and explain the underlying intent but leave subordinates as free as possible to choose the manner of accomplishment
• Goal is decrease the amount of command and control that we need

Question 23

WHow does low-level initiative create effective C2?

Answer 23

The command and control process must be self-starting at every level of command as all commanders within their own spheres act upon the need for action rather than only on orders from above

Question 24

How does commander’s intent create effective C2?

Answer 24

• The commander’s intent should pull the various separate actions of the force together, establishing an underlying purpose and focus
• Again, lowers the amount of command and control that is necessary for success

Question 25

How does mutual trust create effective C2?

Answer 25

• Goes up and down the chain of command
• Needs to be earned before a conflict

Question 26

How does implicit understanding and communication create effective C2?

Answer 26

These intangible human abilities allow us to harmonize our actions intuitively with others.

Question 27

How does decisionmaking create effective C2?

Answer 27

• Must take the enemy’s perspective into account
• Needs to be quick
• Requires the intuitive and analytical ability to recognize the essence of a given problem and the creative ability to devise a practical solution
• Cannot agonize over finding the perfect solution

Question 28

How does information management create effective C2?

Answer 28

• Should flow quickly and freely through a unit
• Images should be the primary objects that are transmitted
• Important information should pass directly between principal users, eliminating intermediaries
• Should be a hybrid exhibiting the judicious combination of broadcast and point-to-point transmission and supply-push and demand-pull

Question 29

How does leadership create effective C2?

Answer 29

• Mission command and control requires predominantly a persuasive or delegating approach to leadership
• A matter of enlisting the committed, enthusiastic, and loyal performance of subordinates, both as a habitual quality and in support of each specific mission

Question 30

How does planning create effective C2?

Answer 30

• We should not think of planning as a scripting process which establishes specific actions to be taken and often establishes timetables for those actions
• Directives should be as clear, simple, and concise as each situation permits
• Those who must execute have the freedom to develop their own plans

Question 31

How does focusing command and control create effective C2?

Answer 31

• Focus the command and control effort on critical tasks and at critical times and places
• A key way commanders can provide focus is by personal attention and presence

Question 32

How does the C2 structure create effective C2?

Answer 32

• The command and control support structure merely provides the supporting framework for our command and control
• The components of the structure, together and alone, must be user-friendly

Question 33

How does traning, educaiton, and doctrine create effective C2?

Answer 33

• Must aim at fostering initiative and improving decisionmaking ability among all Marines
• Must prepare Marines to function effectively in varying environments amid uncertainty and disorder and with limited time
• Training should provide techniques and procedures which emphasize flexibility, speed, and adaptability

Question 34

How do procedures create effective C2?

Answer 34

• Procedures apply only to rote or mechanical tasks
• Should be designed for simplicity and speed

Question 35

How does manpower create effective C2?

Answer 35

Since people are the first and driving element of our command and control system, effective manpower management is essential to command and control

Question 36

How does organization create effective C2?

Answer 36

• Goal should be to create unity of effort, reasonable spans of control, cohesive mission teams, and effective information distribution
• Should be flexible in its approach, allowing for group to be able to operate semiautonomously
• Staff size should be kept to a minimum

Question 37

How does equipment and technology create effective C2?

Answer 37

• Two dangers: (1) Overreliance on technology (2) Failure to make effective use of technology
• Goal should always to be to make people more effective
• Equipment which improves the ability to monitor what is happening may also increase the temptation and the means to try to direct what is happening
• Just because our technology allows us to micromanage does not mean that we should