IPTO | Thrust Areas | Command & Control

Command & Control

Command and control is the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of a mission. Without question the missions faced by our warfighters today (such as counter-insurgency) and the operational environments (such as cities) are more complex and dangerous than ever before. While following their rules of engagement, warfighters must make rapid decisions based on limited observables interpreted in the context of the evolving situation. Command and control systems must augment the observables within constrained timelines and present actionable results to the warfighter. IPTO enables warfigter success by creating technologies and systems that provide tailored, consistent, predictive situation awareness across all command elements, and continuous synchronization of sensing, strike, communications, and logistics to maximize the effectiveness of military operations while minimizing undesirable side effects. In counter-insurgency operations, targets of interest are often not known until a significant event (e.g. detonation of IED) occurs. In those instances, reliably and quickly determining the origin of the devices/vehicles becomes the key to preventing subsequent attacks. IPTO is creating systems that collect wide area observables in the absence of any strong a priori cues, analyze the prior time history of events and track insurgent activities to their point of origin.

Programs