Command and control

Command and control is the authority structure and communication system through which leaders direct organized forces and coordinate their actions.

Chain of command: A ranked structure that assigns authority and responsibility from senior leaders to subordinate members. It defines who may issue orders and who is accountable for carrying them out.
Authority: The recognized right to make decisions, issue directions, or act on behalf of an organization. Command depends on legitimate decision rights, not merely the ability to transmit instructions.
Military operations: Organized military activities undertaken to achieve strategic, operational, or tactical objectives. Military operations are the principal setting in which command systems direct forces.
Centralized command: A command arrangement in which major decisions and authority are concentrated at higher levels. It contrasts with systems that delegate substantial decision-making to subordinate units.
OODA loop: A decision cycle of observing, orienting, deciding, and acting, associated with military strategist John Boyd. It describes how command systems compete to perceive events and act before conditions change.
Mission command: A leadership approach that gives subordinates intent and decision-making freedom within clear limits. It preserves coordination while allowing local decisions when central direction cannot keep pace.
Responsibility: An obligation to perform assigned duties and answer for their outcomes. Delegated tasks require clear accountability throughout the command structure.
Joint warfare: Military operations in which multiple armed services coordinate their capabilities and actions. Joint forces need shared direction across service-specific chains and systems.
Decentralized command: A command arrangement that distributes decision-making authority among subordinate leaders or units. It trades tight central control for faster action near unfolding events.
Fog of war: The uncertainty about conditions and events that affects decisions during military operations. Incomplete and delayed information limits what command systems can reliably direct.

Linked from 43 pages