Introduction
This manual is applicable at strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war and pertains to major combat operations, small scale contingencies, Department of Homeland Security, and to a lesser degree, special operations. The content is based on lessons learned from operational experience, combatant commander operational requirements, current and emerging concepts, programmatic initiatives, and the incorporation of new technology. This doctrine examines how the Signal Corps-
• Keeps pace with the Army's transformation.
• Meets joint imperatives for command and control and communications systems.
• Develops and adapts new concepts and designs for employing and protecting the LandWarNet, the Army portion of the Global Information Grid.
• Integrates and employs joint networks.
• Reshapes our organizational structure to meet the imperatives of modularity.
• Meets user requirements in response to the changing role of providing information networks for the Army.
This manual introduces several new organizational constructs that will bridge the gap between the current and objective modular design and make signal organizations relevant across all components: the United States Active Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve.
The Army continues transforming to meet new threats by becoming more network enabled, incorporating information technology as a means to ensure joint interoperability, and enabling battle command, intelligence sharing, and effective logistics. It continues evolving to meet the challenges of a new theater of operations. As we become network enabled, as defined by the Joint Staff, we will continue to grow from a voice-reliant environment to one that is almost solely data-centric. The LandWarNet in theater will empower combatant commanders to think better, make faster decisions, and generate and focus decisive combat power more effectively than any adversary. Theater LandWarNet will use extensive data networks to link combatant commanders, organizations, capabilities, and business practices for the explicit purpose of developing and shaping the operational environment and executing meaningful, coherent action.
The Army is spiraling towards being network enabled in an environment that requires investment and experimentation, which will result in changes in Army doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel and facilities. The risk for not ensuring a smooth transformation to a jointly focused, network capable force is mission failure. This is all part of the Army evolution to incorporate knowledge-based warfare. The LandWarNet provides infrastructure, knowledge, and Warfighters across the Army to afford combatant commanders' unparalleled ability to defeat threats to this nation and our allies. It includes computers, software, architecture, security, communications, programs, and facilities. It provides processing, storing, transporting, and staging information over a seamless network. It captures emerging capabilities and technologies encompassing all aspects of evolving battle command, communications, information management, and decision support. It includes all Army networks, from sustaining military bases to forward-deployed forces, and aligns Army network goals with those of the Navy and the Air Force. It supports the active component forces, the Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve, from the Soldier in the field to strategic services in the continental United States. The LandWarNet provides the network environment that is a key enabler for ten battle command tenets:
• Commander driven - Battle command that is purpose-oriented and knowledge-based.
• Flexible force tailoring - Command echelons may not be the same as unit echelons.
• Sustained battle command - Resourced for changing and continuous joint operations.
• Unrestricted battle command - Extend the combatant commanders reach anytime, anywhere.
• On-demand collaboration - Teaming commanders and leaders regardless of place and time.
• Singular and seamless - One battle command system.
• Fully integrated - From knowledge bases to forward-deployed.
• Dependability - Unprecedented network performance and quality of service.
• Tailorable battle command - Modular and scaleable to meet dynamic conditions and force sizes.
• Smaller footprint - Dramatically lessens deployed force size without cutting capability.
Army commanders operate in an environment significantly different from the joint commander. The joint commander is in a fixed, well-connected location, as opposed to the Army commander who operates far from any supporting network infrastructure. More importantly, Army combat operations are conducted on the move. Today's Army networks are moving closer to operational requirements being more inherently joint, supporting the geographic combatant commander's networks of choice. The LandWarNet will continue to evolve with a desired end state of meeting the requirements of a continuously evolving Army.