Pentagon plans 'network centric' education for leaders
The Pentagon plans to fund "network centric" education initiatives at military institutions in an effort to transform the armed services to fight in the information age.
"Militaries around the world recognize that operating in the information age calls for robustly networked forces to share information and collaborate across time and space," according to a presentation given last month by the Pentagon's Office of Force Transformation. "This creates a tension requiring significant innovation in technical, social, cultural and organizational processes and procedures designed for success."
National Journal's Technology Daily obtained the document from a Defense official familiar with the initiative but who asked not to be identified.
To overcome cultural barriers, the transformation division is discussing with the National Defense University, war colleges and military academies, among other institutions, a program to hire professors to teach the network-centric concept, collaborate on short and accredited courses, conduct research, and develop case studies.
"At the end of the course, participants will understand the [network-centric warfare] tenets, lexicon, concepts and context ... and act as change agents," Lt. Col. Chuck Pattillo wrote in a presentation to the Marine Corps University last month inviting the institution to participate.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld generated the idea in a memorandum last summer to "improve jointness in the services through the management of service schools," according to the presentation. Officials then conducted workshops in August and October and identified "unarticulated needs," such as balancing military curriculum to address globalization and technological innovations, researching collaboration between the military branches, and accessing high-quality information and analytical approaches for transformation.
The program could include allies and coalition instructors. Pattillo specifically mentioned, Australia, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom, among others. An existing agreement with the university is being modified to address requirements for the certificate program.
The transformation office plans to pay for the professorship program through research grants ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 annually for up to three years.
The short three-day courses are designed for "middle- to upper-level decision makers" across the military and would require "no prior knowledge of network centric warfare." Participants would receive certificates from the National Defense University that identify them as "future leaders with the knowledge and skills to size, shape, resource and change the force."
Professors also could conduct the transformational research with civilian institutions, both domestic and international. The participants would have to publish research findings, deliver case studies that can be integrated into core curriculum at the institutions and create a database for sharing research.
The war colleges, academies and private universities such as the University of Arizona and University of California currently have several transformation research projects underway.