C2 of C2 Heads Pacific Fleet Information Priorities

The top priority for the U.S. Pacific Fleet is not merely command and control, it is command and control of command and control (C2C2). That is the assessment delivered by Rear Adm. Scott Van Buskirk, USN, deputy commander and chief of staff, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Speaking to the Thursday luncheon audience at TechNet Asia Pacific 2009, being held in Honolulu, Hawaii, November 2-5, Adm. Buskirk said that the operationalization of C2C2 is a major element of work underway in his command. He described four elements: theater sensing/intelligence; network architecture, including cyber; commander's decision aids that compile transmitted data into useful information; and network protection. The importance of this discipline lies in the fact that it affects virtually every communications and networking activity. The admiral said that the calling "is now about information domain and denial-ID2." The lack of C2C2 automation tools is a challenge, and he urged industry to remedy that shortcoming. "Command and control of command and control is an extremely fertile ground that bears harvesting," the admiral stated.