Understanding Commanders' Information Needs

This report discusses the information needs of commanders of higher-echelon Army units. The authors identified three different modes of command-post-level communication--pipeline, alarm, and tree. Each mode is indicative of a different communication relationship between a commander and his staff, and each places a different demand on the command-and-control operating system. To fulfill commanders' information needs, the authors recommend a number of education and training measures: institutionalize back briefing, teach process as well as procedures, and train unit command staffs to share images. As for the design of information systems, they recommend that the Army identify means of more direct image sharing, build a hybrid information system, and establish an end-user to end-user communications orientation.Kahan, James P. is the author of 'Understanding Commanders' Information Needs', published 2000 under ISBN 9780833028594 and ISBN 0833028596.