Designing Military Command and Control Systems as System of Systems – An Analysis of Stakeholder Needs and Challenges

In the context of capability development and to respond to the influence of new technology, a conceptual framework to support the integration of new technology in military command and control systems (C2-systems) is being developed. It focuses on the need to support multi-domain operations (MDO), which requires speed, flexibility, and precision. This paper presents a study of stakeholder needs and goal analysis for future C2-systems. The work is part of a Design Science Research project aiming to design a conceptual framework, with models and methods, that will help designers to evaluate and better understand the potential of a C2 System of Systems (SoS). The current state of the project is that of problem explication with preliminary findings suggesting the categorization of the core issues into three themes. These are (1) new technology, stakeholders highlighting both the opportunities and adjustments necessitated by technological advancements, (2) capability development, stakeholders critically examining and questioning the existing development strategies, and (3) leadership, organization, and culture, emphasizing the necessity of decisive leadership in this domain. The study proposes a shift in the prevailing method of capability development to apply a more comprehensive and holistic approach, aimed at adjusting to the ever-changing technological landscape in military operations.