Kwinn Michael J. A framework for the analysis of the future combat system conceptual design alternatives

Military Academy West Point, NY, Operations Research Center, 2001. — 79 p.The United States Army is frenetically engaged in an ambitious initiative to transform itself from a Cold War legacy force into a new millennium force, the Objective Force, designed to dominate potential enemies through the first half of the new century. The centerpiece of this transformed Army will be the Future Combat System (FCS). The common expectation of this transformed force is that it will derive its dominance over potential rivals by taking full advantage of a potential Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) anchored in a host of current and near-future technological advances. Our research presents a more mature understanding of what may ultimately comprise the next RMA and offers a model of battlefield information functional design that can guide FCS system design and that of the Objective Force overall.